Why is Musical Improv Important?

written by Danika Starrharrt

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With a summer full of musical improv classes,  here are 4 quick facts about what improvisation is and why it’s important.

1. It’s the “speaking” part of the musical language. Speaking is pretty important in our daily life, as it is musically in the life of a musician.

2. It’s a fun way to use theory in action. Why do we learn chords and scales and the circle of fifths? We see the reasons powerfully as we improvise.

3. Musical improv as a group is cooperative but meets everyone at their own level. It’s a way to make improvements on the exact areas each student needs in their technique, while the whole group still plays together and creates a song.

4. It’s how all the modern music is created, how a song forms. Classical and written music is wonderful, but if you want to be part of making the next pop songs, it all boils down to the process of speaking music.

Musical improv gets us out of our musical boxes and experiencing the “real deal” — and the best part? Anyone can do it! If you have the opportunity to learn it, you’ll be glad you did!