What is music? This is a difficult question to answer, indeed. One may as well ask the question, what is the meaning of life? In a world without music, life would have very little meaning. Music is a phenomenon, something perceived or experienced, especially as it is apprehended by the human senses. It is a phenomenon the exists in every culture throughout the world, and each culture is responsible for defining music in accordance to their values. Music is emotion. It is expression. It is an essential part of being human.
As a researcher in the area of music education, I have maintained a successful line of research that involves the investigation of an original American art form – jazz improvisation. Historically, jazz has experienced many transfiguration over the past 100 years. Whether one is performing ragtime, Dixieland, swing, bebop, cool jazz, free jazz, or fusion, the common thread listeners will find among these styles is improvisation. Baker (1989) claims that improvisation is the sine qua non of jazz. It is the essence of the entire art form. Jazz cannot thrive without it.
From an educational perspective, many high quality improvisational methods have been developed over the past 50 years. Jamey Aebersold (1992), David Baker (1989), and Jerry Coker (1989) have provided many valuable contributions to the field of jazz improvisation education. Their methods have been successfully applied throughout the world. They helped put an end to the myth stating, “you either got it or your ain’t” (Baker, 1979) by advocating the idea that jazz improvisation is a subject the can be taught.
But even with the application of any one of these effective methods, learning jazz improvisation remains an extremely difficult process that requires a musician to engage in spontaneous activity while adhering to the parameters of a given musical performance. The development of one’s improvisational ability requires a lifetime of preparation, which is reflected through an artist’s internalized knowledge base (Kenny & Gellrich, 2002). Advanced improvisers incorporate their knowledge base in a complex fashion. They are able to hear themselves while performing. Beginning improvisers must exert of the their mental energy to execute a correct performance. As such, their improvisations often fall outside the realm of appropriate musical context – resulting in clumsily executed musical performances (Crook, 1999).
This dichotomy pose a problem for those wishing to learn the art of jazz improvisations. How can beginning improvisers effectively develop their knowledge base in order to efficiently achieve advanced playing abilities? Part of the answer may lie in the development of a theoretical model pertaining to the teaching and learning of jazz improvisation. With such a model, jazz educators can diagnose the musical imperfections exhibited by beginning improvisers with the intention of creating appropriate solutions. In addition, music educators can use this research to develop innovative curricula that effectively teach jazz improvisation to their students.
Dr. Charles R. Ciorba 