Making the Case for

Jazz Education

Raymond MacDonald

We are all improvisers

Everybody has a biological

guarantee of musicianship

What is Improvisation?

‘Improvisation enjoys the curious

distinction of being the most widely

practised of all musical activities and

the least acknowledged and

understood’ (Bailey, 1992).

Improvisation in contemporary

musical practice:

• A process whose time has come

• Improvisation is the highest form of art (Daniel Barenboim - BBC Reith lectures 2006)

• Improvisation is a parlour trick,

anyone can do it (Willy Wonka - Charlie and the chocolate factory)

What is improvisation?

• Musical improvisation is a unique psychological process

• Creative

• Universal

• Spontaneous

• Non-verbal

• Group activity

Why improvisation, why

jazz?

• Music is ubiquitous

• Music is emotional

• Music is engaging

• Music is distracting

• Music is physical

• Music is ambiguous

• Music is social

• Music is communicative

• Music affects behaviour

• Plays a key role in identity

Improvisation, Health and

Wellbeing

Music Education

Music Therapy

Community Music

Everyday uses of music

Pothulaki , MacDonald and Flowers 2012

Koutsopidiou and Hargreaves (2009)

Sue Hallam in press

MacDonald et al 2002

Childrens’ workshops

Qualitative research: Improvisation

Identity and Health

• In-depth investigation

of the psychological

processes involved in

a music therapy

program with cancer

patients.

• 9 Participants took part

in semi-structured

interviews before and

after the intervention

Music Therapy

Everyday Uses

A qualitative study of the psychological processes involved in

music therapy sessions with cancer patients (Pothoulaki, Flowers and

MacDonald (2012) The Journal of Music Therapy.

Theme: Free expression-

communicating through music

A: …it’s not like I was speaking to the person. It’s just that you are getting involved, you know, through the music. It’s not like sitting and trying to make a conversation.

J: Yes. Well, we can all communicate (.) at the same time (.) by playing an instrument whereas if you are verbally communicating you can not all talk at the same time, whereas we can all play a tune and all be heard at the same time. And then if you hear someone, you can pick up their rhythm and you can join in as well or maybe pick up someone else and join in with them. So, everybody is playing a tune and everybody is communicating and you can pick, (.) you know, certain tunes or sounds (.) or rhythms if you like and join in with the other person.

The importance of the group

T: I liked being near with people. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed coming and (.) chitchat (.) between us and have a wee laugh between now and then. As I said, we were all on the same boat, we were all trying (…) enjoying it and I see (…) first day I was really looking forward to the next time, you know?

J:…I’ve enjoyed (.) meeting with the other people, playing the instruments and (.) I just think it’s been a lovely experience. And I’ve really enjoyed it (.) and I’m sure it’s been helpful. Because when you are confined mostly to the house (.) and you can’t move about, it’s a very nice experience to be taken to a nice place like this and playing the instruments, and listening to music and hearing the other people. Really, it’s been very very worthwhile.

Discussion

• Themes reveal important aspects of improvisation sessions and wider health benefits

• Social support and feelings of connectivity.

• “they feel the same way and that is the bond”

• “you feel happy to know you can be in tune with somebody else”

• High levels of social support and reducing stress are linked to more effective coping strategies (Curtis et al, 2004)

• Peer group social support and feelings of freedom through creative expression

Quantitative work

Sounds of Progress / Limelight

Music Education

Music Therapy

Community Music

Results

• Significant Improvements in:

• Musical ability

• Communication skills

• Self perception of musical ability

• joint attention

• We are all musical - every human

being has a biological & social

guarantee of musicianship.

Jazz is: Ambiguous

• Focus groups - “Jazz is

• Multiple definitions:

• e.g. improvisatory, swing, group

processes

Multiple definitions: swing

if you asked other jazz musicians they would say something different, they might. I’m just saying certain musicians (.) see they prioritise different things in the music for themselves(.) I would agree the swing thing kind of is a defining element but thats me and whoever’s here. You know. There are certain musicians that we widnae work wae. Who’ve got probably different ideas. I mean everybody’s got a different idea of what jazz is(.) anyway I’ll get ma coat.

Jazz is

I mean, there’s people who do improvised music but people would say they’re not jazzers. I’m not going to name anybody, but there’s a few people on the scene who (.) they will say it’s not (.) it’s not jazz because they’re not using the language, it hasn’t come from the tradition. So there is a, not a snobbery, but there is a, you know, there is a certain expectation of certain rules to be followed or certain traditions to have at least been studied or absorbed.

Ambiguity and improvisation

It was absolutely beautiful, everyone

was playing and it was so gentle and

subtle and we were all working

together and listening really closely. I

think working together for a week

help us reach a new level of group

sensitivity

Ambiguity and improvisation

we just finished a week with [workshop leader] telling us if there’s something that you think should be there you should do it. Well what I thought should be there is less of everything, so I’m going to start by giving no [names instrument], that’s the only thing I can do. I mean you know I can’t you know wander over to someone who’s playing something I hate, and say you know, I’ll give you five quid to stop that, you know I’d be broke in an afternoon . I took the trouble to go through a lot of this in um in Europe and in London and the States...

Focus group - “Jazz life is”

T There used to be the Radio, big band up here. It was a full time funded thing and the guys who were in it were piss artists and they wrecked it for everybody and the, the BBC shut it down.

B I don't think - the wh- the BBC shut it down for more than the reason everyone was drunk.

R I don't think so. I think that was//a big part of it.

T Well they shut it down - they sh- shut it down -

B There wasn't money for it, was there?

Focus group - “Jazz life is”

T Well they shut it down because, em, what happened was they, they axed the, BBC Symphony Orchestra. And then all the musicians - from the, Symphony and the Radio Orchestra went and picketed outside the, BBC. But then - so the BBC saw this and says right we-we'll reinstate the symphony orchestra. But we'll get rid of the, radio orchestra. And then when that happened, none of the symphony orchestra came out to picket with - the, the radio orchestra to//help them -

R Cause they got what they needed.

T Cause they got - they then had what they needed and - That's actually what happened. 'S mental.

T But they were pissed all the time as well.

Mastery & mystery in jazz

musicians’ talk

Repertoire of mastery K …it’s not always that kind of romantic notion that

everybody has, ya know, there has to be some sort of effort.

H Yeah it doesn’t magically happen.

K There has to be effort and there has to be some degree of training.

Repertoire of mystery H Which is another point about improvising, when you’re

truly improvising you're playing with this intensity. And y-you don't really care what, mistakes just go by and it's like, doesnae matter cause you're playing with intensity and (.) and passion // and -

J //Improvising a full solo of intense mistakes.

Repertoire of mystery

…that music is abstract, it’s unplanned for, it’s something,

maybe it’s more powerful [unclear] because it can’t be

described but yet it, it makes it so deeply we have these

these spine tingling moments and it inspires us and gives us

energy…

…it’s purely by intuition isn’t it? You know for me I think you just

react

…when you’re no longer really thinking about what you’re doing

when you’re within it within the music where it’s just (.)

you’re just almost being guided by the music you’re not

actually acting (.) to me you know that’s the ultimate

…improvised music when it works, cause it is stunning it’s

absolutely from nowhere

…at other points it just seemed to have these these magical

moments out of it…

Mastery & mystery in jazz

musicians’ talk

Both repertoires used

Mastery emphasises achievement, but suggests anyone can do it given time

Mystery suggests exclusivity of improvisers, but accords them less agency in what they do

Mastery endorsed over

mystery

… I don’t like to see people messing [laughs] I suppose like messing around and things they can’t play, do you know? [uh-huh] do you know what I mean, and I know there are people who mightn’t be able to read music or (.) that’s not what I mean, you know it’s just that I think that what makes it is that all all of us in GIO are highly skilled on our instruments, and I don’t think, and I think that anybody who’s not, will find it very hard to improvise.

Repertoire of mystery

…for me it’s about not having the either the learning or the time spent studying this instrument that allows it to be quite a blank canvas… I imagine for some people improvisation is based on a knowledge of what different combinations of notes um chords and scales can be, whereas it’s not for me.

Making the Case for Jazz

Education

• Improvisation as a process central to all projects

• Improvisation as a crucial collaborative creative processes within contemporary music

• Improvisation is ubiquitous but under researched

• Multidisciplinary approach can enhance our understanding of creativity in music and the role of improvisation in health and wellbeing