I was delighted to see that today’s Wall Street Journal feature article on the return of improvisation to classical music performance and the training of classical musicians features what my DePauw University improvisation students are doing. Several photos of DePauw students in action, and video footage from DePauw, are included in the online version.
If you [...]
Shortly after I began improvising on my own, I discovered the recordings of David Darling. The simple yet beautiful solo improvisations on his Tao of Cello album were important and empowering to me: an improvisation based on a simple idea, not harmonically complex, not highly developed, could be beautiful and worthwhile and enjoyable to [...]
It’s so hard to remember everything!
In today (Friday)’s improv class, the fourth session with this new seminar rotation (13 students), we did the following:
free drumming
individual students took turns leading the drum circle, making eye contact with each member of the circle, showing the beat in their bodies, shouting, “look at ME!,”and practicing cutting [...]
Ah–it’s the last day of classes of the semester. I have only a couple of hours of teaching today, and a little more time to think and write.
Sunday night I returned from a Music for People weekend. Music for People was started about 21 years ago by Bonnie Insull and David Darling. [...]
It’s the end-of-semester crush. The status report on my Faculty Fellowship project was due this past Wednesday, so I was in overdrive working on the draft of my book, writing a number of sections I have yet to post.
I’m off now to a Music for People weekend. Some time for creative insanity. Improvisation [...]
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