A Model for Teaching Creative Vocal Jazz Improvisation

Abstract

Many music teachers consider improvisation to be a creative musical activity, without questioning whether student improvisations are really “creative.” Others claim that improvisation skill is not dependent on creativity, and suggest that while anyone can create a solo, that solo may or may not be “creative.” No significant correlations were found between the improvisations of college jazz singers and their Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking scores, yet musical creativity emerged as a factor. This factor accounted for a very small amount of variance, suggesting that an effective jazz improvisation solo may not be primarily a creative activity. A model for teaching creative improvisation is presented.