What is Musical Improvisation?

As students enter their second week of musical improvisation, they realize that improvisation in music is more than just "making something up on the spot."  This week, they learned that in order for a piece to sound "good" or "right", there are certain "norms", "rules" or "performance practices" that one has to follow... 

Grade 5 students discovered that in order to make their improvisation sound like jazz music, there are certain rhythmic "feel" that they have to create.  They learned that there is something called "blues scale."  They learned that a melody has a contour.  Grade 3 and 4 students came to realization that music has a pulse and phrases have certain structures and that our prior experience shapes what we expect as the "right length" in a musical phrase.  But they also understand that within this parameter, we still have lots of room to be creative and original.

Students will soon be applying what they have learned now to improvisation on the recorder.