teaching improvisation to beginners Archives

by Tim Topham

Young kids have wonderful imaginations for storytelling. It’s a big part of how they learn about the world and widen their vocabulary. So when it comes to music, why don’t we also make use of this gift? That’s exactly what Lyndel Kennedy was thinking when she created Play-a-Story curriculums. Inspired by her daughter, her resources ... TTTV065: Composing, Imagination and Creativity in Young Children with Lyndel Kennedy

by Tim Topham

Elena Cobb didn’t start out teaching creatively. When she began teaching in U.K. she came across lots of students who wanted to “play for fun”. This was a bit of a foreign concept to Elena, having grown up with very serious classical music studies. She went on a hunt for fun repertoire for her students, and ... TTTV046: Teaching Creatively with Elena Cobb

by Tim Topham

Have you ever wondered how you can possibly fit everything you need to into a 30 minute lesson? There’s just so much ground to cover with scales, pieces, sight-reading, theory, improvisation, composing…the list just seems to go on, and on. Paul Harris has a fantastic way of looking at lesson structure. His simultaneous learning method flips ... TTTV009: Paul Harris on Simultaneous Learning

by Tim Topham

Given my posts about teaching improvising, a number of people have asked to see me in action! At my last recital, I opened the second half with a short 3-minute (non-jazz) improvisation. I had not planned any aspect of this prior to stepping on stage. It was completely off-the-cuff, but based on my understanding of ... Tim Topham Improvising