I love musical improvisation. I’ve long said that I find it easier than other performance forms. And I love sharing my passion with others. In the last couple of years, I’ve had the pleasure and honour to introduce people to musical improvisation. Different levels of performance experience and confidence around the form. More than once, I’ve had participants nervously share that they’ve been told not to sing. Thankfully, they found the courage to show up to the workshop and sing anyway!
In creating this workshop, and my Unleash your Shower Swagger! series, I found the words to share what I love about musical improvisation. As a performer, music gives you:
- A sound pattern game with lots of repetition. You build on the musical patterns and your offers play within it
- An equal partner in the creation even if you’re on stage “alone”. You collaborate in parallel and those many moments of give and take, by saying Yes to the energy
- An excuse and explicit permission to be in your feelings, full body, as you express and play and discover. Your commitment to those musical moments supercedes society’s concerns about “mistakes”
“Do not fear mistakes. There are none”
Miles Davis
I’m looking forward to reintroducing this workshop to the world — in-person and virtually. I hope you sign up and Sing Anyway! too
P.S. If you’re interested in talking shop, chat me up about some of my headcanon regarding the parallels between improvisation and music
P.s.p.s. Here’s Herbie Hancock sharing an anecdote related to the Miles Davis quote
Velvet Duke Productions 