"Oh, Pierre!" influencing Pingree ensemble

Having spent time learning and experimenting with 'Oh, Pierre' in the Pingree School Instrumental Ensemble, I am beginning to see the impact on the students as they improvise in a variety of contexts.  For a concert we have scheduled tomorrow night, the Pingree students are going to play a piece originated by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble called 'War'.  In rehearsing the 'solo section' of the song, the group started some collective 'jamming' that started to stretch beyond the traditional confines of this three chord groove tune.  They gradually started 'deconstructing' the music, improvising on different ideas inside the song.  At times, I would show a few 'Oh, Pierre' signs in order to suggest a new path in their improvising. I found that giving a cue or two would shift their listening to a more interactive domain.  After signs are given, it somehow puts the ensemble in a frame of mind that then allows for them to listen and interact in ways comparable to when they perform 'Oh, Pierre'.  They have been improvising in a deeper and more empowered way, and seem to be extremely invested in the process.  I am planning to post a link to a recording of the performance they offer tomorrow night.  I am very much looking forward to it.  They've been doing some great work.

The First "Oh, Pierre!" of the Fall 2011 Term in the WVU Big Band

It really went well. The students learned it in a few minutes. Seven of the eighteen people had been involved with the telematic concert last year, that certainly helped the learning curve.

They were beginning to make calls after the first fifteen minutes or so. They particularly enjoy the Landmarks and are pretty clever about it. They gravitate towards the humorous which is interesting. My personal favorite involved making monkey sounds....

I think this piece is now a permanent part of this band's repertoire.

Oh, Pierre! beyond the classroom...

Last Friday evening, I brought a high school sophomore of mine to give a brief performance for a school function. He performed a five-minute improvisation at the piano and did a great job. His performance was well-received and he seemed to feel good about it as well.

Before bringing him over to the performance, we met in the school music room. While there, he informed me that he was really enjoying the 'whole improv thing with the hand signs' we were doing in class. He told me he had been in a rehearsal outside of school with a few other student musicians where there were just jamming together. Looking for their jamming to take on some new life, he taught the group several of the hand signs from 'Oh, Pierre!'. He said this had a great effect on the music of the group and that he really loved using them and was starting to see just how useful they could be in helping his group to communicate musically.

Cool...

A New Year With Cranbury Improv

The Cranbury School Improv Ensemble began their rehearsals just last week. Student volunteers turn out for the ensemble has been wonderfully overwhelming, these kids love their improv!

We have had two rehearsals so far, with some returning members and some brand new, so much of our time the past two rehearsals have been spent reviewing "Oh! Pierre" cues. I have already seen an improvement in the students' ability to listen and react to what is happening in the ensemble, versus playing for playing sake. Students are definitely taking their time to make musical decisions that will influence the piece and are playing as an ensemble, instead of just following cues.

Next rehearsal I hope to have students call cues from the ensemble and possibly have a few student conductors lead. I think the following conversation outlines how important "Oh! Pierre" has become to these middle school students:

Student: Ms. D, I saw on the schedule we don't have a rehearsal in December. Why?

Me: I figured with the winter concert schedule and all of you being in so many ensembles we should have a break. Did I assume incorrectly?

WHOLE ENSEMBLE: Yes!

Student: Can we have an "Oh! Pierre" rehearsal before break? I can't go an entire month

without playing!

Starting with Soundpainting

I've got a very young big band this year. I introduced them to Soundpainting in the second week of classes. I thought I would start there so that they would have Soundpainting as a background before being introduced to "Oh Pierre!".

They are very quick to learn it and kwow around 45 gestures after three 15 minute rehearsals. Once they've learned a few more gestures I'll have them take turns being the conductor. Once they are comfortable with that, we'll learn Oh, Pierre!.

'Oh, Pierre!' at Pingree School

I have recently started introducing 'Oh, Pierre!' to my new students at the Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA. So far, I've started teaching some cues to students in my Instrumental Ensemble (2 guitars, 2 basses, 2 keyboards, trombone, drums) and in my Contemporary Music Ensemble (violin, viola, flute, clarinet, 2 saxes, keyboard, tuba, drums, percussion). They all seem to be having fun learning the cues, and seem to be trying to figure out where exactly this is all headed. I am very impressed with their open-mindedness. I can already tell this is going to be a blast. As the year goes on, I will be posting feedback (my own as well as theirs) as well as audio and video clips of our work.

Missouri University Creative Improvisation Ensemble

The University of Missouri Creative Improvisation Ensemble in a performance at the 2010 International Society for Improvised Music Conference utilizing a modified form of Walter Thompson's 'Soundpainting'.