April is almost here, and that means it is time for a new "Musicianship Monthly" activity!
What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students all month long! Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!
This month, we are celebrating all things improv! I am rounding up a whole host of free improv activities that you can use with students at every level.
Keep reading to see them all....
What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students all month long! Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!
This month, we are celebrating all things improv! I am rounding up a whole host of free improv activities that you can use with students at every level.
Keep reading to see them all....
Improv Activities for Beginners
One of my favorite ways to introduce beginning students to the concept of improvisation is through story-telling. The worksheets below encourage students to create sounds at the piano to match the story. These worksheets are perfect for helping beginners to experiment with concepts like high, low, loud, soft, fast, slow, and more!
Click on the images to download your free copies.
One of my favorite ways to introduce beginning students to the concept of improvisation is through story-telling. The worksheets below encourage students to create sounds at the piano to match the story. These worksheets are perfect for helping beginners to experiment with concepts like high, low, loud, soft, fast, slow, and more!
Click on the images to download your free copies.
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This 12 bar blues improv is another winner, and easy enough to do at a very first piano lesson! Invite beginners to create their own melody by playing quarter notes on the black keys. You can accompany students with the simple duet part shown below on the worksheet, or have them jam along with this fun backing track found on YouTube!
Click on the image to download the free 12 bar blues improv activity.
Click on the image to download the free 12 bar blues improv activity.
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Improv Activities for Late Beginners
These worksheets are great for students who are ready to improvise both melody and harmony together. Start with a simple two-chord sea shanty, then try a four-chord Spanish style improv. Finally, help your students create their own solo 12 bar blues improv using 3 different left hand accompaniment patterns!
Click on the images to download your free copies.
These worksheets are great for students who are ready to improvise both melody and harmony together. Start with a simple two-chord sea shanty, then try a four-chord Spanish style improv. Finally, help your students create their own solo 12 bar blues improv using 3 different left hand accompaniment patterns!
Click on the images to download your free copies.
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Improv Activities for Early Intermediates and Up
I love helping my intermediate students improvise using chords commonly found in pop music. This not only helps students to think creatively--it also helps train students' ears to be able to spot these chords in their favorite songs!
This pop-style improv worksheet gives students the opportunity to improvise with the I-V-vi-IV chord progression that is found in so many pop songs. Have students improvise first with the given worksheet, then jam along with this backing track from YouTube!
Click on the image to download your free copy.
I love helping my intermediate students improvise using chords commonly found in pop music. This not only helps students to think creatively--it also helps train students' ears to be able to spot these chords in their favorite songs!
This pop-style improv worksheet gives students the opportunity to improvise with the I-V-vi-IV chord progression that is found in so many pop songs. Have students improvise first with the given worksheet, then jam along with this backing track from YouTube!
Click on the image to download your free copy.
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| Once students are comfortable improvising with blocked chords, encourage them to experiment with different left hand accompaniment patterns. Here is a handy chart that shows a few good patterns that students can try first. Click on the image to download your free copy. |  |
| Finally, here is a brand-new worksheet that walks students through the process of improvising hands together and gives them the opportunity to experiment with a variety of keys, chord progressions, and rhythmic patterns. Click on the image to download your free copy. |  |
What do you think? What are your top tips for helping students to improve their improv skills? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments!
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