Ronald E. Kearns
Retired Montgomery County, MD
Band, Orchestra & Jazz Director
Instrumental
Vandoren Performing Artist
DCSAX@aol.com
Let ‘Em Play, Part Two
will of the soloist to make another attempt. be. I also described improvisation as varia-
I
n my article Let ‘Em Play, I talked
about the importance of allowing
If the teacher praises the student for his/her tions on a theme. I encouraged them to
young improvisers to express them-
attempt and then makes suggestions on alter the melody by using some of the scales
selves without developing insecurities
how to better use scales, riffs or phrases to they were learning as additions to the
because of your value judgments. I com-
make the solo more coherent, the soloist is melody. They could be interpreted as
pared it with trying to teach a baby good
more likely to want to try it again. For adding to the melody or dropping notes
grammar when all they’re trying to do is
example: “That was good but instead of a from the melody to make room for the new
develop a functional language. “Want
Bb, a B natural might sound better; try that notes. I left it up to them to interpret it and
water” later becomes “I would like some
next time.” use it. Some students would be adventurous
water” but they both convey the same mes-
When teaching improvisation in a and enterprising and others would try to
sage.
classroom setting, the biggest challenge is find the “right” notes. That would lead me to
When I was in undergraduate school in
how to teach a large number of students of Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue so they could hear
the 70’s, there was an ongoing debate over
varying levels how to use scales and jazz riffs how adventurous Cannonball Adderley and
“rote vs. note.” This referred to teaching
in solos. The first thing I did at the begin- John Coltrane were and how Miles Davis used
music reading over playing using aural skills
ning of every jazz rehearsal was to play “time and space” in his solos. They would
(playing by ear). For music that requires an
“head tunes.” Head tunes are songs that you quickly identify with one of the three and
exact rendition of the composers written
teach your class by rote. Choose a song like emulate the one they liked.
music, reading skills must be highly profi-
Sonny Rollins’s Sonnymoon for Two or Without my value judgments, the stu-
cient but for music that requires improvisa-
Charlie Parker’s Now’s the Time and have dents were free to chart their own course.
tion or spontaneous composition aural
the students play them. Even if they don’t Because of my personal jazz background, I
skills must be highly developed. When
immediately learn the “head,” they are gain- could gently nudge them toward the tech-
teaching young musicians, the teacher
ing a necessary skill for jazz improvisa- nique they needed without criticizing the
should not decide which of these skills is
tion—aural discrimination (pitch identifi- technique they were using. If you’re not a
more important. It is our job to have the
cation, jazz inflections, phrasing, scale jazz player, you can still help them develop
student develop both to their optimum
usage, etc.). As they attempt to play the the technique needed by sending them to
level. My first band teacher told my dad
intervals they are hearing they learn interval study privately or helping them to choose
that I would become a good musician as
quality (major, minor, etc.) and quantity good technical studies to use. The bottom
long as I didn’t hear the music first because
(thirds, fourths, fifths,etc.) without your line is to continuously encourage them to
my “ear” was so good I could play anything
telling them what skill they are learning. grow. Empty criticisms have no place in
I heard. In his mind, this was a bad thing.
While playing melodies they learn step and teaching. If you tell a student what he/she is
The implication is that as long as a musi-
skip relationships. Sonnymoon for Two is a not doing, it’s your responsibility to tell
cian can read music, there is no need for
melody based solely on the minor penta- them what they need to do to improve. If
them to have a “good ear.” When I adjudi-
tonic scale. Add the diminished fifth (flat- you’re not a jazz player, try to improvise (at
cate orchestras and bands that have direc-
ted five) to that scale and you have the blues home or away from your students) so that
tors who don’t think listening is important
scale. From one melody, you’ve taught two you feel the frustrations they feel. You will
it’s obvious, their phrasing, balance and
scales that can be used with blues changes be more empathetic and less judgmental as
intonation reflect that.
(chord progressions). you listen to your students’ attempts. Some
There is no more daunting task than to
I also would have my students learn all students will take off immediately and
stand up in a band room in front of your
of the modes used in jazz by playing the others will struggle. How long it takes is less
peers and attempt to improvise. As directors
major scales they knew starting on each important than the process. A firm practice
we have to be aware of the dynamics
note of the scale. I would encourage them foundation will help all of your students
involved and how any criticism we make of
to play these scales over blues chord changes discover themselves. As long as they’re will-
the solo can fuel comments and insults
adjusting them rhythmically so they would ing to try, let ‘em play!
from the rest of the class as they leave the
fit the form. If you try this, you’ll be sur-
band room. Those comments will stifle the
prised at how inventive your students will
&
TEMPO 24 MAY 2009
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