Musicianship: Improvising in Band and Orchestra provides philosophical, theoretical, and practical tools that have been desperately needed for band and orchestra teachers hoping to bring improvisation to their students.
As Maud Hickey states in the Foreword, "Improvisation should be as natural as drawing freely with crayons." Yet improvisation has remained elusive from most band and orchestra programs.
This remarkable book contains practical lesson plans as well as all the necessary background information to help conductors incorporate improvisation into their work, with ensembles of any size or ability level. The lesson plans contain step-by-step instructions, including outlining prerequisites and detailed procedures that are flexible enough to apply to ensembles at a wide range of skill levels.
Topics covered include: improvisation readiness strategies, working with large ensembles, a classroom case study, and teaching in a diverse environment.