Let’s Create: why I’m adding improvisation to my Piano School

I am so excited to have added a new branch of music education to the piano lessons I offer in my piano school!

Students will be learning and experiencing Improvisation using Create First! by Forrest Kinney.

I am so thrilled to have this curriculum to support me as I allow students to learn how to compose and improvise music. And the studio license from Forrest Kinney productions was very reasonable.

Research on Musical Improvisation shows many benefits for students, both in their musical learning and in their general health:

1. It trains their ears
2. It helps students recognize patterns and scales.
3. It allows students to experiment with rhythm.
4. It teaches students to think ahead.
5. Students use a different part of the brain than when they are reading music or playing memorized music, and the more parts of the brain we can activate, the better students learn.
6. It’s fun and motivating! Students who learn to create at the piano are more likely to stay with piano lessons and more likely to become lifelong pianists.
7. Improvisation fosters creativity. Exercising creativity boosts physical and mental health.

• It gives you a sense of control over the outside world.
• It provides an outlet to create something positive out of a bad experience.
• It promotes abstract thinking, to come up with new (and sometimes better) solutions.
• It helps you resolve conflicts.
• It gives you a place to express emotions, to learn more about yourself, and to effectively work through your thoughts.
• It provides a greater sense of well-being.
• It helps you better understand empathy, which can help you build better relationships.

1. Improvising music has a distinct effect on well-being, reduces stress and anxiety.
2. It improves communication skills in children. Music is an outlet to communicate and process emotions, often assisting children who have trouble processing emotions on their own.
3. It reinforces listening. When improvising in a group, students learn how to listen to other students’ music, and communicate something back to them.