Reflection - Week 2

       I thoroughly enjoyed the assigned reading for this week, especially with its focus on improvisation.  Since I'm primarily a jazz musician, a lot of the techniques and exercises mentioned in the text are already being used in my classroom.  Call and response, altering or changing a melodic line, and trading fours are a few of the many different teaching strategies that I use regularly with the jazz band.  For the concert band, we still do similar activities except for trading fours.  Setting boundaries (or constraints) is crucial for the developing improviser.  The whole concept of improvisation being structured really resonates with me, mainly because I use 12-bar blues to teach my students about Form in music.  Once you can delve into the Form or Structure of a piece, then you can dig deeper into things like chord progressions, leading tones, and resolutions.  Using scaffolding as a way to build upon what students already know is a great way to help students who are shy to overcome their fear.  A lot of times, my students will tell me how improvising was extremely scary at first.  But once they get the hang of it and they persevere, it's a very rewarding experience both for the students and for me.

       Back in college (undergrad) I submitted a research paper that explored the connection between Improvisation and Composition.  One major point I tried to make was that composition is almost the same as improvisation, except with composition, everything is kind of slowed down.  You can take your time composing, revising, editing, and going back to change notes, rhythms, or voicings.  Kratus (1996) states, "with improvisation there is no intent to go back and revise the musical sounds that are produced" (p. 51).  Both processes require the same amount of preparation as well as the development of aural skills and creativity.  But the execution of each process differs tremendously.  I often found that transcribing solos was helpful in both my improvising and composing skills.  When I wrote out solos from players like Lee Morgan or Cannonball Adderley, I would find some of their ideas coming out of my own solos when I improvised.  My style of playing would also go through some changes and I would try to mimic their styles.  When I wrote a piece of music, sometimes I'd take a lick that they played and harmonize it so that it can be played by an entire horn section, allowing me to explore the areas of orchestration and harmonizing.

       Using technology in my school is still fairly new since we just got our Chromebooks last year.  I've had students compose simple rhythmic patterns with tonal applications but they tend to be somewhat short.  If we had more time, I would allow them to write a larger full-scale piece that can actually be played and studied by an ensemble.  In addition to the use of Chromebooks, I've also given my students accompaniments that I've recorded myself or from some of my resources (Jamey Aebersold is still an excellent improvisation tool!).  Unfortunately, my students cannot take their Chromebooks home so I tend to burn CDs with those accompaniments so that they can still practice at home.

       Finally, I strongly agree with the concept of Automacity, which is building your musical skills to the point where you do not have to think all that much about the technical aspects of playing an instrument.  I always tell my students to "free their minds" and practice their instrument to the point that the instrument itself is an extension of the player.  I use modeling a lot and when I play for my class, I often say that I'm not thinking all that much about things like what key(s) to press for this note, the correct dynamic level for that phrase, etc.  By becoming one with the instrument, a student can "reduce the cognitive load" (p. 54) and he/she can focus on musical elements like shaping, phrasing, and creativity.  When I read that, I was smiling from ear to ear because that's what I teach to my kids all the time :)