"Cafe Improv"

Improvisation clinic for music students

2 session minimum, 4-week max, culminating in evening concert for students, their families & the community. For music students on all instruments & vocalists. Course content is developed for age and skill levels of the students. All ages & levels (beginner to advanced).

This workshop introduces students to the joy of music improvisation!  Using easy to understand exercises, even timid musicians are able to improvise using these methods & ideas.  

Café Improv covers methods of improvisation, history, theory, composition, an overview of jazz & improvisational music, an in-depth look at the various styles of jazz and the modes used in improvisation. The importance of improvised music as well as written music is discussed. Basic listening skills are taught, including recognizing how different modes and chord structures effect emotional and physiological responses. Students learn basic jazz harmony, theories & terminology, and symbols for notation, including Major 7th chords, Minor 7th chords, and more.  Advanced harmonies will be discussed, depending on level of class.

Café Improv includes the history and evolution of the idiom from early 20th Century to present. Students will listen to vintage recordings, as well as stylistic examples played by the instructors. Several styles are covered, including Creole, Swing, Big Band, Be-Bop, Modal, Jazz Fusion and more.  We’ll look at how improvisation is included in bluegrass, folk, rock & roll, avant-garde, and even Baroque music.

Students will learn the fundamentals of improvisation by playing over rhythmic patterns typical of jazz idioms (swing, jazz waltz, latin, funk/rock, etc.). Students will analyze entire chord progressions and identify the appropriate mode to be used with each individual chord. Achieving a full understanding of the modes & scales and how to use them gives students the foundation to play improvised solos that appropriately outline all the harmonic implications of a given piece (i.e., "playing the changes").

Short term goals are to develop appreciation for improvised music in both young musician and listener, and to give music students basic improvisational skills. Long term goals include self-expression through improvisation, greater artistic awareness, and understanding the creative process. Students will develop the tools needed to succeed as a professional jazz musician.  This workshop will help to produce better local jazz players and a greater awareness of the idiom, thereby producing more support for jazz events. By studying the history of jazz, we see how it mirrors the prevailing cultural events and attitudes of each era.

This workshop will create an awareness of improvisational styles among musicians and listeners. In addition, it will aid in developing the musical skills needed for professional jazz performance.

Curriculum Guide -- Discussion & writing ideas, pre-performance activities, post-performance activities