Is Improvisation Essential for Musicianship Training?

Recently, I conducted two general polls about improvisation: The first focused on musicians’ habit of improvisation, and the second focused on its pedagogical value in musicianship. These two polls are not intended for academic research. The goal is to shed light on improvisation pedagogy by comparing musicians’ perceptions of their practice and their views of its pedagogical value. How music improvisers and educators value the importance of improvisation directly affects their pedagogical approach to musicianship training.

The polls were posted on the same three professional groups and my page. An overall comparison of the poll results reveals a significant trend: 87% of 170 musicians who participated in the first poll improvise (either frequently or sometimes), highlighting the prevalence and relevance of this practice. On the other hand, an even higher percentage, 93%, of 222 musicians who participated in the second poll consider improvisation essential in musicianship training. This remarkable finding shows that those who consider improvisation essential in musicianship training are not only musicians who practice improvisation but also some who do not.

I can relate to this finding. I was a classically trained musician who was never taught or required to improvise. I often admired (and still do) musicians who can improvise beautifully on their instruments. It wasn't until I returned to school for my second Master of Music focused on Jazz Pedagogy that I learned improvisation. It has been a struggle, as I often fear making mistakes. This psychological barrier, this fear of failure, is something I believe many other classically trained musicians feel. It's a personal struggle that underscores the urgent need for a change in the curriculum. Therefore, I advocate for improvisation to be an integral part of the music education curriculum.

Improvisation skills can best be developed when young students are not afraid of making mistakes. Students should learn to read music, play accurately, and be encouraged to listen to music and improvise in a classroom or private studio. When they enter college, they will not be afraid to improvise on their instruments and enjoy jamming with other musicians. Improvisation skills should be mandated as part of musicianship training for music majors at the college level.

Improvising is particularly beneficial to composers. It allows ideas to flow naturally without much struggle, inspiring originality and creativity. It can also solve student composers’ general problem of “getting stuck.” Improvising is composing and performing in real time!

Let me share some insightful comments from voting colleagues who also believe in the importance of improvisation. Their perspectives deepen our understanding of this topic and make us feel part of a larger conversation.

“I improvise as part of my composing process, but once I have something on paper I rarely change it up much.”

“Since a majority of my works feature sections of controlled aleatory, I guess I’m improvising within a set of fixed parameters.”

“Improvisation is essential to being a musician. It's a tool like any. You can simply play what's on the page. That's totally fine. You can learn what you hear. Totally cool. If you ever want to try and create something original, you'll need to understand how to improvise on some level.”

“You have to basically!! (Not just for passing exams but for real world.)”

“As a bassoonist, improvisation is essential in choosing correct Baroque ornamentation. My college also encouraged me to join our jazz band. I never played jazz before, so doing this introduced me to an entirely different perspective on performance practice.”

The last comment is particularly refreshing. We usually assume that only jazz programs require improvisation. However, improvisation is also needed to interpret Baroque music. My music theory student with a master’s in organ performance wishes to learn composition and improvisation to improve her organ performance skills and enroll in a prestigious DMA program in organ performance.

Classical musicians are generally not required to improvise if they do not perform Baroque or contemporary music; performance style is a personal choice. As music educators, we should allow or even encourage students to improvise so that they can perform music in modern styles.

In sum, this investigation into improvisation aims to show the prevalent practice of improvisation by musicians of different backgrounds and musicians’ overwhelming belief in the importance of improvisation in musicianship training. More in-depth academic research on the topic would involve the same research participants in both polls, questions concerning their musical backgrounds and occupations, and their opinions of different issues concerning improvisation with answers on a 5-point Likert scale. Such research is beyond the capacity of LinkedIn. Researchers interested in this topic are welcome to use my findings as a reference.