1. Improvisation in C Major
Ji Hyun Woo
State University of New York at Fredonia

2. Goals
For students to experience the C major scale upward and downward in Fixed Do solfége with a given rhythm in order to become familiar with compound rhythms.
For students to internalize a sense of an inner hearing and to improve concentration through quick reaction and replacement exercises
For students to experience melodic elaboration through upper and lower neighbor tones
For students to be able to improvise their own “melodies”

3. Warm up for C major scale
Singing upward from DO in two-note groups; using hand signs and continuing to sing downward until reaching DO on a strong beat.
Continue the same exercise in three-note groups.
QUICK REACTION game: sing the C major scale in two-note groups; when I say ‘hip,’ change to three-note groups; ‘return’: go back to ‘two-note groups.’
FOLLOW exercise (sing after I play): play two-note groups in long-short or short-long pattern.
Introduce a rhythm in 6/8 (clapping the rhythm)

4. rhythm in 6/8 A B

5. Sing C scale with rhythm A and B

6. C scale in 6 8 Sing the C scale with hand signs in a given rhythm
Replacement exercise: sing in solfége while using hand signs and clap ‘sol.’
Challenge: sing in solfége, clap ‘sol’ while silencing ‘ti.’
Internalize a sense of an inner hearing through the game of replacement exercises such as clapping, omitting, and silencing of assigned notes.

7. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ”
Sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in solfége
Follow: ask students to sing after me while adding upper neighbor tones: do-re-do, sol-la- sol
Play the same: this time ask the students to sing, adding lower neighbor tones: do-ti-do: sol-fa-sol
 Transition: play the improvised melody and ask them to add either upper or neighbor tones.

8. Improvisation: C major tune in 6/8 (call and response style)
Question (2 measures) ?
‘re’
‘ti’
‘mi’
‘sol’
Answer (2 measures) .
‘DO’
Any scale

9. Improvisation: C major tune in 6/8
Play the improvised tune in C major and trade measures with students in a call and response style.
Take a partner and improvise while trading measures.
Share a couple of student-improvisations.

10. The Curwen hand signs

11. Follow Exercise
The students are able to internalize their own pulse and perform the movement after hearing and feeling the music inwardly.
The Follow Exercise is designed to develop acute listening skills; strengthening the powers of concentration.

12. Quick reaction Exercise
The quick reaction Exercise helps students to coordinate a musical response to a cue without interrupting the flow of the music.
It also develops mental and physical alertness, control and memory.
The quick reaction exercise is easily created by changing, adding, subtracting, and omitting any kinds of musical elements such as meter, tempo, mode, dynamic, articulation, texture, etc.

13. Replacement Exercise
The Replacement Exercise develops students’ inner hearing and strengthens concentration.
It is a useful pedagogical tool for improving sight-singing skills and promoting musicality.
It can be done by altering specific elements in a melody or eliminating parts of the movement and parts of the sound while feeling and hearing internally.