Teaching Improvisation to Intermediate and Advanced Piano Students

Improvisation was an important skill for accomplished keyboardists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt are just some of the great composers who were known to improvise either informally or in a formal setting on the concert stage. As the nineteenth century turned to the twentieth, the priority on specialization created a separation between the composer and the performer. Improvisation, the perfect combination of the two, was left out and mostly forgotten.

This study is aimed to give teachers the tools to teach improvisation to their students. The document is in three parts. First, exercises in improvisational practice are explained. These exercises are applicable to both intermediate and advanced piano students. Second, methods for using intermediate repertoire for improvisational practice are explained. Third, examples are given to show how advanced repertoire can be used for improvisational practice. No prior experience in improvisation is necessary for any of the methods in this study. Learning to improvise has many benefits and is a valuable tool for any aspiring musician.