The Art of Musical Improvisation

Improvisation is one of the most freeing and artistic aspects of music instruction. It isexpanding your musical universe by experimentation and with a certain free approach to the technical: As common for ‚Jazz´, skill meets expression. Unlike the scripted game, improvisation promotes experimentation, listening in a more attentive way and thinking on your feet – engaging with music in a deeper connection to “the-moment”- when it’s really happening. For their students, learning to improvise can change the way they think about all aspects of music, from scales and harmony to phrasing and timing. It teaches you to be flexible, confident in making real-time musical decisions – skills that are useful when playing both alone and with others.

Improvising well is about striking a balance between control and letting loose. ReRock’s tens of thousands of improvisers are people who, after being handed the reins, find that the foundation to instinct is surprisingly firm. Knowledge of scales, chords and rhythm is the key to creativity. Call and response exercises, motif development, and harmonic substitution exercises can help the learner maintain coherence as they improvise with more freedom. Through consideration, students who study and practice these technodrsiques slowly

Improv also builds very deep listening skills. Musicians are constantly having to perceive what they’re doing and how it relates in real time. Reacting to other collaborators, adjusting to subtle shifts and feeling out musical dynamics can add both technical skill and emotional sensitivity. This increased listening ability and reactivity leads to more musical ears that are able to react/develop any kind of nuanced approach/style. Students will find that after some time they have developed a ‘musical’ instinct or feeling which they experience in both practice and performance.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, improvisation serves as a vehicle for individual expression and the creative impulse. Through the exploration of melody, rhythm and harmony, musicians find fresh ways to express feeling and thought. This encourages self confidence, and helps your child learn that making mistakes to discover what will happen is part of exploring concepts, not failing. Students who add improvisation to their musical skill set are frequently the same students that learn to be more adventurous in creativity with composition, arranging and performance, allowing them develop a more authentic musical voice.

In the last place, including improvisation in your normal routine promotes overall music growth. It links the practice of theory with practical technique, aural training with auditory imagination and structure with freedom. Solo or in projects, musical understanding is nurtured and everyone enjoys the journey by improvising. For students at all stages of learning, this investing in jazz workshops and clinics helps forge a passionate, creative and fulfilling musical path that focuses on the life‐altering benefits of creativity in education.