Summer 2010 Free-Style Improv Ensemble

Vocalists and instrumentalists are all welcome

Led by composer Pam Marshall
Hosted at participant Caroline's home in Lincoln, MA

Musical activities

A group of 4 to 8 musicians will work on free-style improvisation to develop our listening and spontaneous playing skills and create interesting music on the fly. There will be plenty of time for small-group and full ensemble playing. We’ll also try out some composer-created scores for improvised pieces, including scores that you create if you feel inspired to create your own improvisation structure. Everyone can also try leading conducted improvisations. Free-style means non-jazz improv where the basic methodology is “listen and respond”.

Depending on group interest, we will do exercises for:

• Ear training - playing back what you hear
• Rhythm patterns - with our bodies, hand percussion, and instruments and voices
• Memory - remembering what you and others create
• Musical transformations - how many ways can you transform the musical motive you just invented?
• Accompaniment techniques - it’s important to know how to be a good supporting player

We’ll practice creating interesting musical structure through repetition and variety. We’ll recognize and create phrases and sections during an improv. As we get the feel of each other as musicians, we’ll learn to know intuitively when to take a solo and when to be a supporting player. Of course, we will always keep in mind that listening is an important tool and silence is a contribution too!

No observers! Everyone has to participate, even if they just play homemade percussion.

Cost and schedule

Each meeting will be approx 2 hours
$15 per session - pay for one at a time or all at once
Discount: Only $10 per session for 6 or more people

Schedule:

Two Tuesdays in June at 7:30pm
June 22
June 29

We'll make future plans once the group gets together

Register

Call Caroline or Pam to register and get directions.

• Caroline - 781-259-8452 or carolinelindeke [at] comcast [dot] net
• Pam - 781-862-0884 or pmarshall [at] spindrift [dot] com

Note: If you don’t get an email response from Pam within a day, please call. Her email sometimes disappears incorrectly in the spam filter.