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The ability to improvise is an
important strand within the National Curriculum. However whenever the topic of
teaching improvisation is raised teachers frequently express concern and
even a certain amount of anxiety. Those of us who received
'classical' music training it has
meant that we may never learned to improvise let alone feel comfortable in teaching
improvisation.
Nevertheless the demands of the
National Curriculum now mean that
improvising opportunities need to be provided to all pupils.
Developing group improvisational
ability can provide the music teacher with an extremely powerful
tool to develop pupils across the entire age range.
Over and above this, by developing each pupil's ability to improvise higher attainment levels (Level 6
onwards) can be more easily achieved by more pupils.
In many schools, some students are
learning to improvise via their instrumental teacher.
However this often represents only a minority within the music student
population. Frequently the improvisation being learned will
just be of the Jazz style and often closely associated to the individual
instrument they are learning. In a group context, in some
schools, Swing Bands are providing instances of a more 'free' style but
this rarely develops to the stage of being properly improvisational.
In the context of the National Curriculum it is hard to see how the
Attainment Targets can be properly met except by a minority of the more
able pupils. Many school music departments will be tacitly relying
on their visiting instrumental teachers and their After School
activities, both official and ad hoc, to 'cover' the National Curriculum
need for the pupils not only to learn to improvise individually but also
to use it in a group context. Attainment Level 6 requires that
students "improvise and compose in different styles and genres, using
harmonic and non-harmonic devices" and "make subtle adjustments
to fit their own part within a group performance." Classroom
improvisation provides many starting points for these and other elements
of the National Curriculum to ALL students whatever their ability level.
Research into improvisation has shown
that the development of musical improvisation sits at the root of
all aspects of musical capability. It is necessary to ensure that ALL
pupils develop their improvisational abilities irrespective of their
skill level. Through improvisational experiences they will
enhance their playing ability, their musical confidence, their
compositional inventiveness, and ultimately be able to "...perform,
improvise and compose extended compositions with a sense of direction
and shape... " (Attainment Level 8).
If you are a music
teacher concerned about providing improvisation training to your
students you might like to talk me about the different options
available. A one-off 'kick-start' workshop, a workshop series
and/or
lunchtime/after school classes can be offered. Depending
upon school timetable commitments these can often be fitted into normal
lessons with the minimum of disruption.
If you are a PGCE
lecturer who wants your student teachers to be able to teach
improvisation, you may like to discuss the
possibility of improvisation workshops. These are designed
to provide all the skills necessary to enable your student teachers to
confidently teach improvisation to their pupils.
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If you would like an informal, no-obligation discussion to explore possible options
of how you can make a real improvisational difference
please complete the form below. I'll be in touch very
shortly to help you find solutions to the improvisation issues at your
establishment.
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