Introducing Improvisation to Students

The musician and music educator in me was greatly affected by my experiences during my attendance at the ISIM Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. Within days, my mind was reeling with ways that improvisation could be more widely used in the music classroom. As a general and vocal music teacher of a community of students ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, it was my understanding that these students would need preparation to break out of the confines of traditional music program and enter into a world completely unknown to them.

As my colleague Eric and I brainstormed on the ten hour drive back to New Jersey, excited over our collaborative Cobra project, one thought would not leave my mind: How do we prepare our students to break boundaries that they have been comfortable in for years? This question turned into an experiment in lesson planning in both choral and general music atmospheres, utilizing what my students have learned to know as “Improv Games.” These games are meant to build a repertoire of improvisational techniques and strategies in students of all grade levels. Students who are new to any experience can feel self conscious, inhibiting their performance and creativity. Participating in Improv Games allows students a “bag of tricks” from which to pull from, giving students assurance in their own abilities to improvise in a performance atmosphere and preparation to craft their own improvisations as they gain further practice. Teachers and directors are to purely act as facilitators presenting games in a safe, trial and error environment. Students should feel free to create, take risks, make mistakes and interact with each other in their impromptu music making. Student reflection is critical, and the class should take time to discuss both the process and results of their music making, as their mental and musical process is critical to the resulting product.

I am pleased to report that my students have not only been open but excited to participate in these activities as we experiment and learn together. I have been presenting most games on a trial basis, as the activity may easily change based on the needs of the student. It is my goal to post detailed lesson plans or directions of each Improv Game and discuss the classroom experience from both the view of the teacher and student, posting reflections not only written by myself but by students as well. Games will be posted by their title so the lesson plans can be easily searched on the blog at later times by readers interested in implementing them in their own classrooms or ensembles. I urge readers to comment and share their Improv Game experience on the blog. Spread the word, so to speak, to other teachers and musicians, creating an open forum to grow and learn in our professions.