Category: Composition

The Bear and the Bird: A Story-Based Improv Activity for Beginners

12/31/2019

The new year is always a great time for incorporating a few fresh, creative activities into our lessons! With that in mind, today I am sharing one of my favorite creative activities for beginning students: a story-based improv activity.

This is a great activity for helping students become comfortable creating sounds at the piano away from the written page. I tell students that for this activity, I am the narrator and they are my "sound effect engineers." Their job is to choose a sound on the piano that they think fits the story as we read it together.

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Free "Falling Leaves" Composition Activity

8/18/2019

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It has been a long, hot summer around here. As my studio gears up for the new school year, my thoughts are turning toward fall--cooler weather, changing leaves, and everything pumpkin spice!

With that in mind, I have created a fun, fall-themed composition activity that can be customized for beginning to intermediate students. Use this activity to jump start creative thinking in your beginners, or to review scales and notation on the staff with your returning students.

Click HERE to get all three pages of the "Falling Leaves" composition activity, including an instruction sheet and staff template page for notating each student's composition.

What do you think? Are you planning any special fall activities for your students this year? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

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Fun with Scales! (An Improv and Composing Activity)

12/7/2018

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In several of my previous posts on improvising and composing (see all of my posts related to composing HERE), I’ve talked about how to create a melody from the major or minor scale and how to harmonize it using chords from that scale. However, there is a wide, wide world of scales out there apart from the traditional major and minor that we hear most often in Western Classical music.

Today, I will be sharing a few different scales that might provide interesting composing opportunities for your students. Ready to have fun with scales? Let’s go!

1. The Major pentatonic scale

Now, I’ve talked a bit about the pentatonic scale and improv HERE. But it is worth repeating, because the pentatonic scale is so easy to harmonize, and it is found in so many different styles of music, from folk music to Impressionist music to jazz!

Beginners can use the black key pentatonic scale to create a melody and hold the damper pedal for instant harmony. Late elementary students can harmonize their melodies using any of the black keys—all of the notes of the pentatonic scale work well with the others.

For intermediate students, create an easy jazz improv by playing the pentatonic scale over seventh chords. For example, play a C major pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) over the chords Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, and Fmaj7. This will give you a nice, modern jazz sound.

2. The Whole Tone Scale

Do you want to evoke a feeling of magic or outer space? Use the whole tone scale! This scale is made up of all whole steps (hence the name) and is easiest to play as C-D-E-F#-G#-A# (three white keys followed by three black keys).

Just like the pentatonic scale, beginners can use the damper pedal to create instant harmony with the whole tone scale. More advanced students might enjoy harmonizing this scale with major thirds or augmented triads.

3. The Dorian Mode

The Dorian mode can be created by taking a natural minor scale and raising the sixth step—for example, playing the D minor scale with all white keys. To me, the Dorian mode evokes a feeling of medieval or Renaissance music—perhaps because I associate this mode with the song “Scarborough Fair,” which is based on this scale.

Since the Dorian mode is only one note away from the natural minor scale, it can be harmonized easily using chords built on the minor scale—just be sure to use a major IV chord instead of the minor iv usually found in minor keys. Or to play up the medieval feel, experiment with using open fifths to harmonize this scale.

4. The Lydian Mode

The Lydian mode can be created by taking the major scale and raising the fourth step—for example, playing the F major scale with all white keys. The Lydian mode has a playful sound; a couple of pieces based on this scale are “The Simpsons Theme” and “Lost Woods” from the “Legend of Zelda” video game.

Since the Lydian mode is only one note away from the major scale, it can be harmonized with many of the same chords. Just remember to use a major II chord instead of the minor ii usually seen in major keys.

If you would like a more structured way to compose with any of these scales, try using my “Snowflakes” guided composition activity, found HERE. Instead of using a major or minor five note scale as directed on the worksheet, substitute one of the scales I described above. This will help your students to create a really unique, wintry composition—as well as introduce them to some fun, new scale sounds!

What do you think? Do you encourage your students to improvise with scales? What are your favorite non-major or minor scales? Feel free to chime in below!

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Free Halloween Resource Round-Up!

9/25/2018

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Looking for a few Halloween activities to do with your students this October? Today I am sharing links to the Halloween resources available on my website!

Click on the pictures below to download free music, a composition activity, and a rhythm game. Or, scroll down to find a link to search for all of the Halloween-appropriate solos and duets in my music catalog!

Free primer piece

Free early elementary piece with optional teacher duet

Free elementary piece

Free composition activity

Free rhythm activity

For more Halloween fun, click HERE to search my catalog! Select the level you are looking for, then select "Halloween" under "Search by genre." You will be able to listen to each piece, as well as click on a link to see and/or purchase the music.

Do you have any fun activities planned for your students for Halloween this year? Please leave a comment below--I'd love to hear from you!

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An Art-Inspired Improv Activity

6/14/2018

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As I mentioned in my previous blog post HERE, this summer I am having fun doing more improvisation and composition activities with my students. Today I would like to share an activity that I have done with several students recently that has been a big hit—using artwork as inspiration for an improv activity!

This improv activity can be done using these 5 steps:

1. Choose your inspiration.
Find a piece of art that your student would like to use to inspire an improv. Some of my students enjoy using their own original artwork for inspiration. For other students, we find images using a Google search or Pinterest. Artwork depicting nature, such as animals or landscapes, are always a good bet if your student needs help finding inspiration.

2. Choose 3 adjectives that describe the artwork.
These adjectives might describe the artwork itself, or they might describe how your student feels when looking at the artwork. For example, a painting of a waterfall might inspire the adjectives: flowing, peaceful, or colorful.

3. Decide how to represent each adjective through music.
Using the adjectives your student has chosen, experiment with sounds at the piano. What sounds would best represent each word--high or low, loud or soft? Would major or minor scales or chords work best? Should you use staccato notes, or hold the damper pedal? Have fun experimenting with ideas to fit each of the words your student has chosen.

4. Create a story using your adjectives.
Once your student has several musical ideas in mind, put the adjectives together with some action words to form a story. Using our waterfall example, our story might be: The water trickles slowly, then begins flowing down the waterfall. A peaceful pool forms at the bottom of the waterfall, where colorful flowers grow.

5. Put it all together.
Help your student put the musical ideas together using the story you created to structure the improv. Remember: there are no wrong answers!

What do you think? Do you use artwork as inspiration in your lessons—either for improvisation or performance? Let me know in the comments below!

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The Bear and the Bird: A Story-Based Improv Activity for Beginners

Free "Falling Leaves" Composition Activity

Fun with Scales! (An Improv and Composing Activity)

Free Halloween Resource Round-Up!

An Art-Inspired Improv Activity

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