SKU: GI.G-9694
Composed by Christian
Bernhard, David A.
Stringham, and II. Edited
by David A. Stringham.
Music Education. 328
pages. GIA Publications
#9694. Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-9694).
ISBN
9781622773626.
Cont
ributors: Jeffrey Agrell,
H. Christian Bernhard,
Thomas R. Graham, Leonard
A. Grasso, Alice M.
Hammel, Megan Hendrix,
Michael Parker, Jill
Reese, John P. Riley,
Daniel J. Shevock, Alden
H. Snell II, Jon M.
Stapleton, Smith R.K.
Waylett, Richard S. Webb
 Musicianship:
Improvising in Band and
Orchestra provides
philosophical,
theoretical, and
practical tools that have
been desperately needed
for band and orchestra
teachers hoping to bring
improvisation to their
students. As Maud Hickey
states in the Foreword,
Improvisation should be
as natural as drawing
freely with crayons. Yet
improvisation has
remained elusive from
most band and orchestra
programs. This remarkable
book contains practical
lesson plans as well as
all the necessary
background information to
help conductors
incorporate improvisation
into their work, with
ensembles of any size or
ability level. The lesson
plans contain
step-by-step
instructions, including
outlining prerequisites
and detailed procedures
that are flexible enough
to apply to ensembles at
a wide range of skill
levels. Topics covered
include: improvisation
readiness strategies,
working with large
ensembles, a classroom
case study, and teaching
in a diverse environment.
This book, edited by
David A. Stringham and
H. Christian Bernhard, is
the latest in a
pioneering series with
dozens of other
contributors. The
Musicianship series
editor Clint Randles has
also produced a companion
volume focusing on the
equally challenging issue
of composition. This
important book will help
band and orchestra
conductors make
improvisation a mainstay
of their
classrooms—as
standards
mandate—and will,
of course, be of benefit
to all students.