TME Tuesday - Improvisation
Yesterday, I was talking to my intern about silly things as we often do late in the afternoon and things got just plain old absurd. I started singing a song - off the top of my head - and just to be silly.
My intern asked me if I made up the song. I stated that I had.
I used to be outright scared of improvising. My fear stems from Middle School Jazz Band and the "rules of improvisation" that I learned from Mr. Olson. All of the rules would just leave my brain when it was my turn to improvise. I had a panic-induced reaction whenever anyone would tell me to improvise. It was difficult.
My internship director, Sheryl L. Kelly, RMT, stopped all of that negativity.
One day she challenged me about why I had such strong reactions to being told to improvise. We talked. A bit of cognitive reframing later, I realized that improvisation in the music therapy clinic did not have to mean following all of the rules that Mr. Olson taught me, but that the music just reflected what was happening in the session. Once I believed this fact, I was able to stop being so uptight about making music in an extemporaneous manner.
Here are my tips for improvisation:
My intern asked me if I made up the song. I stated that I had.
I used to be outright scared of improvising. My fear stems from Middle School Jazz Band and the "rules of improvisation" that I learned from Mr. Olson. All of the rules would just leave my brain when it was my turn to improvise. I had a panic-induced reaction whenever anyone would tell me to improvise. It was difficult.
My internship director, Sheryl L. Kelly, RMT, stopped all of that negativity.
One day she challenged me about why I had such strong reactions to being told to improvise. We talked. A bit of cognitive reframing later, I realized that improvisation in the music therapy clinic did not have to mean following all of the rules that Mr. Olson taught me, but that the music just reflected what was happening in the session. Once I believed this fact, I was able to stop being so uptight about making music in an extemporaneous manner.
Here are my tips for improvisation:
- Start in private - if you are uncomfortable making music in front of others (first of all, get over it, you are a music therapist!), practice making up new music.
- Forget all the theory - we learn theory so we can know music. Once you know the structure and the rules, you can BREAK them! So, use those parallel fifths and move from a minor 6th chord to a diminished 7th. Try things out and see what you like.
- Use real-life examples - do you ever find yourself making up songs about what is going on in your life? That is improvisation. Go with it!
- Make yourself do it - improvisation is a practiced skill. If you don't do it, you will NEVER be comfortable, so just do it!
- Start with a structure - piggybacking song lyrics is a good way to start improvising in a way that will help you reflect what your clients are doing. Match your music to your client's movements, behaviors, statements, emotions...
- Let fate decide - use a pair of dice to choose notes for a melody or to choose other elements of your music - then, you are not the improviser, fate is!
Comments
Post a Comment