Carnegie Hall

When musicians improvise, they make decisions and create musical ideas on the spur of the moment. Through improvisation, or “improv,” musicians demonstrate their musical skills and express their feelings and personalities. When musicians improvise, they make up music that is not written out on the page, playing around with the melody and rhythm and using other musical tools to create music that sounds new and surprising. Their improvised solos follow the form and harmonic changes of the piece, and are supported by the members of the rhythm section, as well as the other musicians in the band. Communication, cooperation, and listening are key components of successful improvisation.

• Discuss the concept of improvisation with the students.
  • What does the word “improvisation” mean to you?
  • What are some examples of how you improvise in your daily life?
  • Does anybody know what the term “improvisation” means in music?
• Experiment with a very simple improvisation rhythmically, vocally (with or without words), and/or with a classroom instrument. Have the group stomp and clap to maintain a rhythm while individual students improvise one measure at a time.

• Review the melody and lyrics of “Duke’s Place” in the interactive SoundSlice sheet music.
• Demonstrate improvised phrases for the students on the recorder, using just the notes G and C.
• Have the students play the first four measures of the melody, then improvise yourself for the next four measures, trading back and forth. Switch roles, playing the melody yourself and having the students improvise as a group.
• Invite individual students to take turns soloing, alternating between the melody and improvisation. Play “Duke’s Place” (play-along) as the students perform.
• Expand the note range as appropriate for the students. Listen to “Duke’s Place” (improvisation examples) for some inspiration. This exercise can also be done vocally or on classroom instruments.

Go Deeper

Divide students into three groups. One group is the rhythm section, one group plays the melody, and one group improvises.

Listening and Identifying Melody and Improvisation

• Play “Duke’s Place” (Armstrong complete). Have the students complete “Duke’s Place” Melody or Improvisation (PDF) to listen for the melody and improvisations in the piece. Stop the track as needed between each chorus to discuss answers with your students.
  • How can you tell the difference between the melody and the improvisations?
  • What do you notice when the musicians are improvising? How does the melody change?

Go Deeper

Listen for improvisation in the other Link Up repertoire.

Improvisation in “Recorder Mae and the Giant Swing Machine”

When composing “Recorder Mae and the Giant Swing Machine,” John Clayton imagined that the students in the audience were Recorder Mae and the orchestra and jazz ensemble on stage were the Swing Machine. Recorder Mae plays everything straight, while the Machine wants to swing and go wild. In the concert, Recorder Mae and the Swing Machine trade phrases back and forth until finally, the Swing Machine wins out as Recorder Mae lets loose in a freely improvised moment.

• Watch “Recorder Mae and the Giant Swing Machine” video and listen for improvised solos in the ensemble.
• After resisting the Swing Machine for so long, Recorder Mae finally gives in to the swing and freely improvises at the end of the piece. Discuss this moment.
  • As Recorder Mae, what kinds of emotions would you want to communicate in your improvisation?
  • How would you express those emotions musically (e.g., fast or slow, loud or quiet, high or low)?
• At the concert, students will have an opportunity to improvise on recorder during a short cadenza before the final tutti chord. Demonstrate short examples of improvisation for your students using the notes G, A, and B.
• Allow students to practice improvising on G, A, and B while watching for your cut-off.
• Play along with “Recorder Mae and the Giant Swing Machine” video.