When I was in grad school, I took an elective class on Improvisation. I remember shuffling into the 3rd-floor classroom that first day, pulling a blue chair into the semicircle like everyone else, unfolding the desk and preparing to take notes.

Everyone was quiet. There was a palpable uncertainty among the group—all classical musicians by training. When had we ever been asked to improvise? No one wanted to be put on the spot.

We started by talking about where to start with improvisation. “Improvisation is something we can all do,” our professor, Dr. Christopher Azzara began. “We’re born improvisers.”

The challenge sometimes is trusting that creative process. Trusting that we have something interesting and musical to say.

Improvisation is a skill like anything else; it can be learned and developed. Of course, there’s safety in writing it down, but learning the fundamentals of improvising and giving yourself time to experiment and practice this can be really fulfilling, especially in teaching.

Today, I’m sharing a few simple ways to build improvisation into your teaching practice in meaningful ways, even if it’s new to you. You’ll learn what improvisation is and how to get started, how to find inspiration and musical ideas, and activities to do with your students in lessons. I’ll also share a few examples and recordings from my studio recently.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Developing Musicianship Through Improvisation, Book 1(Azzara & Grunow)

A Systematic Introduction to Improvisation on the Pianoforte(Czerny)

Piano Safari Repertoire Book 1

Ep. 066 - A Winter Improvisation Prompt for Elementary Piano Students

Piano Safari Repertoire Book 2

Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style(William Gillock)

“Chromatic Monochrome” in Moving Pictures (Naoko Ikeda)

Ep. 021 - How to Use Praise With Intention

Ep. 036 - Let’s Talk About Improvising

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