"You don't have to be a jazz expert to give your students a great start improvising. The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation provides what music teachers have been seeking for decades: an easy, step-by-step guide to teaching real jazz improvisation in the classroom. Drawing on their shared 54 years of teaching experience and extensive work as professional jazz musicians, authors John McNeil and Ryan Nielsen show you how to walk your students through the process of learning to improvise, removing the guesswork and mystique along the way. "We turned a corner in our teaching when we realized that the brain wires itself differently for improvising than it does for rote memory," write the authors. The resulting lesson plans are flexible, easy to use and quickly give your students access simple choices that create effective jazz lines. Beyond the nuts and bolts of improvising, this book contains carefully curated listening lists, honest (but short!) discussions about the meaning of the music and talking points to help you advocate for your jazz program to administrators and parents. Simple rhythm section materials (Bass, Drums, Piano, Guitar) give clear steps to keep everyone involved, included to make sure you have everything you need in one convenient place. Delightfully conversational in tone, this book is an essential resource for music teachers everywhere, written by two musician/teachers who remind you throughout, "We're just an email away.""--
You don't have to be a jazz expert to give your students a great introduction to improvisation.
The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation provides what music educators have sought for decades: an easy, step-by-step guide to teaching jazz improvisation in the music classroom. Offering classroom-tested lesson plans, authors John McNeil and Ryan Nielsen draw on their combined 54 years of teaching experience and extensive work as professional jazz musicians to remove the guesswork and mystique from the teaching process.
Each lesson is founded in the authors' realization that the brain responds differently to improvisation than it does rote memory. The resulting lesson plans are flexible, easy to use, and equip students with a quick understanding of the simple choices they can make to create effective jazz lines. Lessons are designed for a range of settings, from ensemble rehearsal to private instruction. Music educators may find relief in the concrete, straightforward materials on rhythm section instruments like bass, drums, piano, and guitar. Beyond the nuts and bolts of improvisation, this book contains carefully curated listening lists, honest discussions about the meaning of the music, and talking points to advocate for jazz programs to administrators and parents.
With an inviting and conversational approach, The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation is an essential resource for all music educators, from early career teachers to seasoned instructors.
