Lesson Overview:

Improvisation exists in many musical genres, from jazz to Salsa to Afro-Cuban music. It is a concept and skill that often seems daunting to the novice and music-lover alike, but it doesn't take an expert to learn to improvise. In this lesson, student will explore the basics of improvisation, listening to jazz and other genre excerpts and identifying elements of improvisation in these genres. Students will learn to play and sing the accompaniment and melody for an original song about improvisation. Finally, students will perform the song as an ensemble, taking turns to improvise on the music.

Length of Lesson:

One 45-minute class period

Notes:

This lesson is suitable, with some adaptation, for 4th grade.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• explore the basics of instrumental improvisation.
• identify elements of improvisation in different genres of music.
• learn a song about improvising.
• play instrumental accompaniment for the song.
• perform the song as an ensemble, taking turns performing instrumental roles and improvising melodies.

Supplies:

• instruments including classroom percussion (clave, drums, etc.) and electronic keyboards
• several recordings of jazz instrumental music, salsa, and/or gospel music
• computers with Internet access
• Finale music notation software (optional)

Instructional Plan:

Teacher Notes

1. This lesson requires teacher understanding of reading basic music notation and playing instruments. If you are not well versed in these areas, consider collaborating with your school's music specialist or with a visiting artist/musician.
2. Students will need to use computers installed with notation software, such as Finale or Sibelius. Collaborate with your computer lab teacher, and reserve time in the lab prior to beginning the lesson.
3. Prior to this lesson, your students should have some understanding of reading music, including knowledge of the bass and treble clef, and basic note values (whole, half, quarter, eighth, etc.)

Warm Up

Distribute Vocabulary worksheet to students. They will use it throughout the lesson as a reference. Introduce the concept of improvisation to students, explaining that it is present in all of the performing arts (dance, drama, and music). Give several non-music examples of what improvisation is like? If you have access to the Internet, have students visit the fun and interactive Jazz at Lincoln Center's Improvisation Web site. Students can also listen to several audio clips of jazz improvisation.

Play several recordings of improvisation examples—these may include gospel with call and response sections, the "coro" (chorus) section of salsa music, big band or bebop jazz, etc.

Introduce or review clave with students. Clave is the backbone of most Latin and all Afro-Cuban music, both of which genres have significant improvisational elements. The melody and accompaniment that students will learn in this lesson is based on 3/2 clave. Have the class clap a 3/2 clave rhythm:

Note: You wish to convey the abovementioned rhythm using the following activity:

1. Count "1 ee and uh 2 ee and uh 3 ee and uh 4 ee and uh" over and over until you can keep a very steady beat.
2. Next, count out loud only the syllables in bold. You can count the non-bold syllables in your mind, but do not say them:
   "1 ee and uh 2 ee and uh 3 ee and uh 4 ee and uh"

Guided Instruction

Explain to students that there are very simple guidelines for improvisation:

1. Play one note at a time and listen to what you play. (Note: When you see students 'pretending' to play, remind them to listen to what they're playing. It's easy to see and hear when they aren't listening.)
2. Use the notes in the scale (in this case, the black notes) as the basis of their improvisation.
3. Try to play simple ideas you'll be able to play again.
4. Try to play patterns.

Have the students clap clave, while you sing and play on the piano or keyboard the song, "Do You Want to Improvise?" Have students identify the bass pattern, the chords, and the melody. Assist them with this process, as needed. Tell students that the melody is based on a "circle" of four different black notes, and play the circle for them in clave.

Ask students to sing the song with you as they clap clave. Play the circle as they sing, and point out that the melody is just the notes of the circle, with a few of them left out.. Bring their attention to the fact that the last phrase is the bass pattern—"Do it, just do it."

Assign students to share keyboards. All students will first learn the accompaniment. Have students locate the four notes they will need to play the circle. Then, have everyone play the circle in whole notes.

When students are ready, play the circle in clave.

Sing the song as they play the circle, then reiterate that the melody is just the circle with some subtractions, except for the last phrase. Ask them to sing the song with you as they play the circle. Show students how to play the melody. This should not be hard, since the melody and the circle are so closely related. Once they have learned the last phrase, they will know how to play the bass pattern as well.

Show students how to play the chord accompaniment. Point out that there are only two chords, and only one note change. Once students can find the notes, ask them to play the chords as whole notes, then as written:

1. Chords as whole notes:

2. Chords as written:

Assign students to play percussion, bass, and whatever other instruments you want them to play. Start with the bass first, then the chords, then the percussion, and finally add the circle. When the circle's solid, play and sing the melody. When the accompaniment is gelling, ask for volunteers to improvise. Go over the guidelines for improvisation again, and keep an eye out for students who are "faking" and not listening. Show them that an improvisation can be simply playing the "circle," and leaving some notes out, as the melody does.

Closure

Play the song, and have students take turns improvising after the melody has been played. A nice touch is to use the "circle" as an interlude after each soloist. For example, the soloist can indicate he/she is finished by clapping the clave rhythm over his/her head. Then the class can play the "circle" four times, to set up the next soloist.

Rotate students through the instrumental roles so everyone gets a chance to play every part. Stop the band and rehearse the ending (everybody plays the "Do it. Just do it" together). Now play the song from beginning to end. Each time you play the song, determine an order for improvisers, and everyone who wants to should get a turn improvising a melody.

If you and your students have prior experience with Finale music notation software, have students first work on creating their own individual improvisation based on the clave rhythm. They can notate using staff paper, then input their piece into the computer using Finale. Play each improvised piece, as a class, in a round. Encourage students to improvise using the methods learned in class, such as leaving out a few notes, to create a "new" sound.

Assessment:

Use the Assessment Rubric to evaluate students' progress and learning of the concept of improvisation.

Sources:

Web:

• University of Salsa
  http://www.planetsalsa.com/university_of_salsa/
  glossaryae.htm#sectC

Authors:

• David Demnitz
  Greenburgh Eleven UFSD
  Dobbs Ferry, NY