Mark Laughlin, pianist 

Improvisation has been an essential part of performance practice and composition in every epoch of music.  It is believe by many scholars that those who learn to improvise being to internalize forms, scales, chords, melodic construction and development, harmonic vocabulary, ear training and many other aspects of music at a faster rate than those who do not. Dr. Edwin Gordon, creator and founder of Music Learning Theory, noted improvisation as one of the seven most stabilized music aptitudes-the others were melody, harmony, tempo, meter, phrasing, and creativity. By studying improvisation, one not only begins to develop overall musical understanding but the skill by its very nature allows students the opportunity to explore and express their individual creativity through music.

The presentation will address how piano teachers, without any previous background in improvisation, can begin to learn and teach students of all ages and abilities to improvise at the keyboard, utilizing any method.  The session will demonstrate various ways to improvise and show how improvisation can be used in every aspect of music education including elementary, middle and high school students, from the first lesson to the more advanced performers.  The session will show teachers how to improvise various accompaniment patterns, as well as demonstrate easy ways to improvise over chord progressions and pop notation in an easy to follow pedagogical manner. 

The improvisation workshop and private lessons are designed for students and teachers who want to learn how to improvise, and for accomplished improvisers who want to progress beyond their current stage. It is especially suitable for musicians who feel that improvisation is an inaccessible mystery or who feel afraid to improvise. 

Lessons are available to students and teachers from ages 4 to 104!

No matter what style of music you or your child may be interested in learning, improvisation is a motivating, fun and expressive musical endeavor, which can be started on day one of one's musical journey. It provides many benefits for the learner.

Some of the benefits include:

Ear Training: A good way to get students started on the road to improvisation is to have them imitate simple phrases in rhythm. If the students have ‘heroes’ they will listen naturally and try to imitate. When improvising, we listen to the music in our heads and then play it, also known as audiation. 

Self Expression: Too often music is taught as pure reproduction of sounds written down on a page. While reading music and interpreting the masters of the past is an indispensable practice for the music student, music too often gets reduced to mere reproduction. When improvising, the pure delight of making music comes through – the student hears himself or herself and in time will come to recognize their own unique ‘voice’.

Scales, Chords, and Modes: Learning scales, chords, arpeggios etc. are an important part of attaining proficiency on an instrument. The practice of playing scales from beginning to end and top to bottom can become boring. Improvisation offers a great way to put fun into this practice and to capture the musical potential of scales and chords. It also provides an easy introduction to modes.

Thinking Ahead: Music is sound over time – in order to make music that is in time and on the beat we need to constantly think ahead and hear the music before we actually play it (audiation). Improvising adds an additional layer of complexity to this endeavor as what we are about to play does not even exist yet!

Application of Music Theory: Improvisation puts music theory concepts into a creative and applicable performance medium. 

The Creative Zone: Master improvisers often struggle for words when attempting to describe what happens inside as they are improvising. ‘In the zone’, ‘open, like a vessel’, ‘somewhere else’ are words often heard. When the music truly ‘flows’ the musician has uninhibited access to his or her entire palette of skills. This state is elusive, yet can be practiced and cultivated. 

The Improvisation Workshop is a 1-hour presentation, open to teachers, students, and parents. The cost of the workshop is  $250, plus travel expenses.

Private improvisation lessons are available for teachers and students after workshops or seminars.

30 minute lesson - $35

1 hour lesson - $50