4 ways to include improvisation in piano lessons

I believe that piano lessons should always encourage and inspire students to be musically creative. Improvising provides students with a great means of exploring the capabilities of the piano and encourages them to think creatively and critically about music. However, simply asking a student to improvise can be a little daunting. Instead, I have compiled a list of fun ways to include improvisation into your piano lessons.

1. Question and response – Improvise a short, musical idea and ask your student to respond with their own improvisation. This method encourages students to think about different ways of playing the piano; they will consider whether you played loudly or softly, or whether you played legato or staccato, for example, and create a response based on what they understand. This method also introduces students to the musical concept of call and response.

2. Improvise a score – Tell your student a story and ask them to improvise an accompanying musical score. Pause at key points in the story to encourage them to respond. You could choose a well-known fairy tale, or you could make a story up. This is also a great way to introduce the subject of film and television music to your students.

3. Use a scale – If your student has been learning a new scale, use it as an opportunity to include some improvisation in their lesson. Ask your student to improvise a piece of music using only the notes from that scale while you play a simple accompaniment. This is a creative way for your students to learn about keys and key signatures.

4. Prompt words – Say a word (it could be anything) and ask your student to improvise an immediate response. Some examples of inspiring words include ‘scary’, ‘excited’ and ‘jumping’. This method encourages students to think about the ways that particular emotions, objects and actions may be represented musically.

Have fun!