Teaching jazz improvisation to middle school recorder learners: A beginning curriculum

A concept of dual music learning— "learning to improvise" and "learning by ear" — is recognized as an essential approach to develop musicianship by the Gordon Method. According to the national music standards, these two principles of music learning are listed as the third and sixth standards respectively. However, they still have not been equally taught in traditional or note-oriented music education. Not many middle school music teachers have learned how to teach improvisation, the core of jazz style. Thus, an achievable and well-developed teaching curriculum of jazz improvisation for the teachers is needed. The curriculum presented here is designed for the most common and affordable instrument—the recorder—and integrates the applications of Music Learning Theory, the recorder pedagogy of Jump Right In and the improvisational skills of Developing Musicianship Through Improvisation along with the elements of jazz improvisation