Posts Tagged ‘Improvisation’
Improvisation in the Dalcroze Classroom
Along with eurhythmics and solfège, improvisation is one part of Jaques-Dalcroze’s tripartite description of his system of music education. Often associated with on-the-spot instrumental creations, Michael Joviala illuminates how this subject reaches beyond the instrument, the exercise, and the notes. In this article, you will find diverse manifestations of improvisation within a teaching environment, as…
Read More“Learn to Improvise:” A Journey in Writing this Book
Editor’s Note: Leslie Purcell Upchurch has recently released a book on improvisation; this post contains her reflections on the writing and design process. Links to find the book are at the end of the article! Origins… During the 1990s, I was teaching at a piano school where the faculty were asked to write a semester-long…
Read MoreImprov Exchange: Aaron Morrison
Welcome to the Improv Exchange, a new regular feature in Dalcroze Connections, the official magazine of the DSA. In this column, you’ll find inspiration to help kick-start your own improvisations at home or in class. The upcoming issue of Dalcroze Connections (vol. 7, no. 2; to be released digitally on May 9, 2023 and in…
Read MoreShared Improvisations
Hello Dalcroze USA community, A few months ago, we published a blog with improvisation inspiration in the form of a randomized dice game. Although you can go back and read about the game here, the guidelines were basically to use a set of practice dice to assign musical parameters, such as tonality, meter, tempo, and…
Read MoreImprovisation Dice Game
Ever feel stuck in an ‘improvisation rut’? We all depend on well-learned chord progressions and patterns, but sometimes Dalcrozians (and improvising musicians in general) need a little inspiration to find their way to something new. One remedy is by listening to others play. One of the great benefits of the recent National Conference (January 13–15,…
Read MoreUsing Recorded Music in a Dalcroze Class
Today’s Dalcroze teacher has easy access to a world of recorded sound that would have been unfathomable to M. Jaques. How do we take advantage of this rich resource and still retain the essence of eurhythmics? Louise Mathieu helps us sort through the issues in this reprint from the American Dalcroze Journal (Vol. 23, No.…
Read MoreLesson Plan Editorial: Andante from Symphony No. 5
A few weeks ago, we released Joy Yelin’s lesson on subdivision, which uses the Andante from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. It is such a delight to use this familiar theme. With some tweaks here and there, I enjoy playing the marvelous melody, harmony and modulations of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Andante.” The students move with rapt…
Read MoreOptions for Improvising
Herb Henke (1931-2015) inspired many of today’s Dalcroze educators. Here, he guides us in improvisation by suggesting simple but profound changes to a piece of music. After playing the piece as written, try the following versions: Add three flats (b-flat, e-flat, a-flat) to the key signature. The indicated b-naturals, however, should be retained. Create a…
Read MoreImprovising with “The Twenty-Fifth Hour” and Beyond
On Saturday, April 6, Michael Joviala gave an outstanding workshop to 10 enthusiastic Philadelphians (and one young music educator who got up at 3am to drive from Ohio to attend!). This was the final workshop of the Philadelphia Chapter 2018-2019 school year, all of which took place with the generous underwriting and venue support of…
Read MoreA Conversation With Anne Farber, Lisa Parker and Michael Joviala
Anne Farber and Lisa Parker have been close colleagues in the classroom and on the concert stage for over 30 years. In January of 2014, I sat down to talk with Anne and Lisa on the eve of a weekend of TriState DSA workshops. The series included a presentation to New York area Kodaly, Orff…
Read More