Have your elementary-level piano students fallen in love with Improv Alister yet?
Improv Alister is the music-munching alligator that’s the star of our newest release from PianoBookClub… The Unfortunate Appetite of Improv Alister: Sink your Teeth Into Beginning Improv.
If you’ve had a chance to use this laugh-out-loud resource, then you know it’s an incredible tool for teaching elementary-level students to improvise. The 8 pieces in this book combine the familiar structure of solo repertoire with the freedom of improv in a way that sets your students up for success (even if you’ve never taught improvisation before).
And now, with the Improv Alister Expansion Pack that we’re sharing today, not only will this book work wonders for elementary-level students, but even the littlest kiddos in your piano studio can have a blast being creative on the keys by turning these 8 solos into teacher-student improv duets!
Note: The Unfortunate Appetite of Improv Alister was February 2016’s Book of the Month from PianoBookClub. To see this month’s book visit PianoBookClub.com.
Here Is The Improv Alister Expansion Pack!
The expansion pack (click here to download) contains Improv Cards that can be used to help your early elementary students improv along with any tune from The Unfortunate Appetite of Improv Alister. It’s easy and it’s fun! All you need to remember is to place your students’ hands in the 5-Finger scale specified at the top of the page.
Here’s how the Improv Expansion Pack Works…
- Print, laminate and cut out the Improv Cards from the expansion pack.
- Read the story from The Unfortunate Appetite of Improv Alister.
- Choose a piece from the book to create your “improv duet”. (Note: make sure the piece you choose is in 4/4 time.)
- Have your student select any Improv Card.
- Together, read the phrase on the back of the card and determine its corresponding rhythm. For example, one of the cards contains the phrase “Pour some ginger tea”. This becomes four eighth notes and a half note. The rhythm associated with each phrase must equal a total of four beats.
- Write the rhythm you create above the phrase on the card and then practice clapping this rhythm with your student.
- Have your student practice playing this rhythm in the appropriate 5-finger scale. She can experiment by playing her choice of any keys within that 5-finger scale… but must always keep the same rhythm.
Now it’s time to begin the improv duet!
Note: During the piece, your student will play the selected rhythm (from above) each time there is a missing measure (indicated by Alister’s chew marks). Remember, your student can play any keys in the selected position, so long as the rhythm remains the same. Be sure to signal to your student when it is her turn to play.
- Make sure your student’s fingers are in the correct position in an octave that will not interfere with your teacher part.
- Begin playing the selected piece.
- When you reach a measure of missing melody, signal to your student that it is her turn to play the rhythm (from above). Continue playing the left hand accompaniment as she improvises on top.
- Play through to the end of the piece with your student “improvising” each time there is a missing measure.
- Encourage your student to change the melody with each new missing measure (while keeping the rhythm the same).
- After a successful run-through, have your student select a new card and repeat the process with the same piece or with a different piece.
We hope you have a blast using this expansion pack to explore improvisation with the youngest students in your piano studio! And, we hope your older students are getting the chance to “sink their teeth” into some delicious improv solos 😉
To learn more about our monthly resource PianoBookClub, click here.
I think I’m going to use this book and activities as a Summer Camp!
Great idea Kelly! That could be really fun – and you could really “run” with the Alister theme 🙂
I love these. You know what though….have you considered putting your inspiring handy-dandy directions in with the pdf download? 🙂
This is what happens to me: I see it and go “cool!!!” Download and return to it later, (sometimes weeks later because I’m a crazy busy teacher), and then I realize I don’t remember how to use it. Then I have to do the blog search to find out…and copy and paste it into a word document for later reference. 🙂
Just thought I’d ask.
Hello! Glad you can use the cards 🙂 We are always thinking of the teachers who print multiple copies of what we give away on the blog – and so to protect their time and ink resources we try to have as few pages as possible in the pdf files. Otherwise, they’re having to select page ranges etc when they print many copies. I’d suggest printing the cards and the directions off the blog at the same time and then you can keep them together until you can use them… or I know other teachers who save the emails in which we deliver the free resources to a folder in their email program labeled “teaching activities” and then it’s alway s there when they need it 🙂
Thank you SO much! These are fun and my students will love them. Improv Alister is a hoot.
Hi Robin! You’re very welcome – glad you’re enjoying the book 🙂
Is it only on my PC that the fourth page (the one with the actual text of the cards) is shifted too far to the left? The text won’t line up to make even sized cards on the page and even runs a bit outside the margin for the printer in one spot. The other 3 pages are fine.
Hi Vonette – make sure you are printing from a saved version (not from the preview) some computers don’t like to print from a preview. So, save it, close it and then re-open from the saved location. If you can view it “normally” on your screen then it’s an issue with the connection between your computer and your printer. This is usually the fix 🙂
I. Am. So. EXCITED! I have a 6 year old who LOVES Alister, but can’t play the rest of the song and was getting discouraged. This will give us something to work on!
Wonderful Rebekah! This was our aim – to make the book do “double-duty” for both age groups 🙂
Is there any possibility of purchasing The Unfortunate appetite of Improv Alister now. I belong to the PianoBookClub now but not last year.
Kathy
Hi Kathy – as a continuing member of PBC you’ll have the option of purchasing re-released books each month from the past. Check the bottom of the email that delivers your new book each month to find the password. This gives you access to the “members” page on PianoBookClub.com. Here is where you can view that month’s re-release and choose to purchase it for $8. Improv Alister will definitely be a future re-release 🙂