Is it time for a summer piano improv activity?
Your studio window is open, the fan is humming in the background, and the sounds of sprinklers, lawn mowers and kids riding bikes filter into the studio while you… teach piano.
It’s that time of year when end-of-school activities, sports, picnics, parties, and weekends on the lake start to vie for your piano students’ attention (and yours!). This means it’s also the perfect time of year to switch gears momentarily and venture into something musically different.
You can keep the learning happening while taking a fun break from the same old, same old with the Summer Piano Improv Activity we’re sharing today!
How To Rock Out To Our Summer Piano Improv
Our summer piano improv activity is an easy way to make sure that your piano students’ first encounters with improv are successful and fun. If you’ve never taught improv before, don’t despair… everything is done for you:
Step 1
Print, laminate and cut out our Summertime Blues Improv Card Pack.
Step 2
With your student, clap the rhythm of each “Summertime Blues” sentence. If your student would rather make up his own sentence, we’ve included a blank card.
Step 3
Have your student select two cards that appeal to him. Put all of the other cards to the side.
Step 4
Using a modified version of the blues scale, by adjusting the C Minor pentascale to include just C, Eb, F, and G, ask your student to experiment with creating melodies to match his two selected rhythms (from Step 3).
Step 5
Begin playing your teacher duet part. When your student is ready, he can join in playing a melody (from Step 4) that matches either one or both rhythm cards (in an octave that doesn’t interfere with your part).
Encourage him to switch back and forth between his two melody/rhythm combinations, repeat one card over and over, and to experiment with new melodies. As your student becomes comfortable with adding his part to yours, he can then add harmonic intervals, change octaves and create his own rhythmic additions. Repeat until you’re both feelin’ the Summertime Blues!
You’d Better Start A File For These Improv Freebies…
If your students had a blast with this Summertime Blues Improv Activity you’ll want to file away our other improv activities for future use!
Thank you…love these activities so much. Recital – relaxed summer one in a cafe in a beautiful park (first time!) on Monday – then these cards will be perfect for lessons the following week. Perfect timing…
Your recital sounds lovely Elaine! Glad you can use the activity now that it’s over 🙂
Thanks so much.! I already have some of my students playing the blues scale in all keys with Elena Cobb’s Super Duck. So, this will work well as another way to approach the blues.
Perfect! Glad to hear it Sam 🙂
Thank you! For our spring “All That Jazz” recital the older students composed 12-bar Blues piece each. But that will be great for a younger set.
What a cool idea Milla! Love it 🙂
Thank you. This will be great for summer camp.
I just wanted to tell you – I tried this out today with a – let´s be honest – not terribly talented student – and the results were AMAZING! Thank you, Andrea!!
Awe – love to hear this Barbara – thank you 🙂
Looking forward to using this during the last few weeks of term.
The only quibble I have is being jealous of your description of summer: today, the 2nd June, in England, I went out with a jumper, coat AND gloves!!!
We’ve had those kind of June’s here to Roni – I feel your pain 😉 Luckily it has been pretty nice here this year!
This year I taught the 12 Bar Blues to use as an ensemble in the spring recital. I taught all students the patterns and then took the top four students and let them take turns improvising with the right hand while using a set pattern in the left hand. I used a karaoke jazz track with bass and drum to add accompaniment. While they performed I watched the audience….just about all were smiling and tapping their feet to the rhythm…The 12 bar blues was an AWESOME addition to my program!
This idea is awesome! I needed something to get me over the 2 weeks of graduation parties. Your ideas are always timely and spot-on for me. Thank you for your generosity to give these out free of charge. My studio is not large – I’ve got 3 part time jobs – so my funds for extras is quite limited. Bless you! I’m raring to go!
Thrilled you can use them Joy 🙂
Hi Andrea, very cool!
This will certainly help my students and get those summertime vibes out. LOL.
since I will be using them for my dutch student I have to translate them if possible.
Do you also can make materials in dutch language?
I would be very interested in paying for it of course.
René Knops
Thanks for another fun improv activity! Thanks to you I am incorporating more improv into our lesson activities. I appreciate all the tools you’ve provided to help me be a better (and more thorough) teacher!
I love all these improv ideas! Thanks so much for sharing them!!! I am a music therapist and I plan to use these ideas and adapt them to use with some of the folks I work with!
Thank you for helping this not seem quite as intimidating to those of us that have never tried it! Looking forward to jumping in and trying it this summer!
Yes – not intimidating at all. If you’ve never, ever improvised yourself (let alone taught it) it’s made very easy with this way of starting out with improv 🙂