the ability to not only improvise but improvise *collaboratively* is a means of demonstrating emotional intelligence through sonic expression
your ability to read your partner’s next move during a set is on par with holding your own and articulating yourself in conversation, in other word’s it’s essential
very few conservatories teach improvisation skills outside of specific contexts (i.e. jazz performance, ethnomusicology), which is dumb because “conserving” musical traditions would include improvisations even in western classical settings.
beethoven was known to literally have “improvisation contests” amongst his aristocratic friends, motherfucker could shred.
perhaps the reason we conserve repertoire over improvisational technique is due to the means of assessing a performance. it’s easier for a teacher to point out what sounds “wrong” when there’s only one way it is written on paper.
versus teaching improvisational technique requires the flexibility to allow for something you weren’t expecting as the listener to happen. the question of what sounds “right” or “wrong” is that much more difficult to gauge
this is why professional improvisers outside the traditional classical and jazz circuits often treat every public performance as an open studio for socializing, they allow the audience to sit in on a conversation happening between themselves and collaborators.
it’s incredibly vulnerable having to put your immediate thoughts into immediate sonic expression rather than having the time to write them down, reflect and revise, and *then* present them to the public
just as it’s incredibly vulnerable to have to describe how you’re feeling to the people you care about. as collaborative improviser, you’re speaking your mind plainly, listening to your peers, and responding respectfully within the agreed upon topic.
being vulnerable is human, conversing and sharing is human. improvised music is simply one way to tap into some of the most human elements of art.
we as music educators should be teaching improvisational technique as a fundamental skill alongside theory, ear training, and keyboard studies, as we should aim to nurture healthy humans in the classroom.
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