Introduction

The Introduction explains the purpose and method of the book: to improve the musical imagination through creative, fun exercises based on improvisational theater games that have been reimagined for musicians. A sense of playfulness and spontaneity is central to this approach. The primary goal of developing the mind’s ear is to improve the ability to imagine and remember music in silence and to be able to hear in the mind music that is printed on the page without the aid of instrument. It is essential to attend to the musician’s inner life, to explore emotions in relation to musical expression, rather than only emphasize the physical challenges of instrumental technique. Strengthening emotional memory as actors are trained to do, as well as deliberately exercising the imagination and the mind’s ear will lead to more meaningful performances, more personal compositions, and will enrich the listening experience. The introduction also addresses related concepts in subsections: Something to Say; On Interpretation; On Performing New Music; Hearing in Silence.

Teenagers Tell Better Stories After Improvisational Theater Courses

Improvisational theater (improv) is a booming theatrical practice, applying in many fields (teaching, medicine or entrepreneurship). Its effects on cognitive and behavioral processes are beginning to be demonstrated, despite scientific publications that are still rare, particularly about language. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of improv on adolescent narrative skills. Twenty-seven middle school students were recruited and divided into two groups: an IMPRO group (n = 13), composed of novice and intermediate improvisers, and a CONTROL group (n = 14), composed of middle school students doing theater. The evaluation took place in two experimental times spaces 3 months apart (11 sessions). It consisted in the creation of a written narrative resulting from previously observed images. We used quantitative criteria to carry out the analysis of this story (coherence, cohesion, lexicon, and syntax), according to the methodologies of PELEA and EVALEO. We showed an effect of the improv on coherence, which suggests that the practice of improv introduces teenagers to improve the narrative skills and the planification of a story, unlike written theater.

Improvisational Theater for Engaging Middle School Classrooms

Adolescence can be a time of strife, and might even be described metaphorically as a form of oppression over those living through it. Oppression leads to feelings of powerlessness and apathy, which explains why some middle schoolers might benefit from classroom experiences that help them reclaim power over oppression. Humor provides a means of resistance through which oppressed adolescents can express themselves, and improvisational comedy is a tool that teachers can use in their lesson delivery to inject humor. This chapter explains why improvisational theater is an effective way to create engaging middle school classrooms and provides improvisational games for classroom use.