Fighting the Fear of Improvising

As the international jazz conferences have shown, fear is a primary concern of beginning improvisers. This forty-five minute interactive workshop will explore issues that foster anxiety in vocal jazz improvisation. They include the impact of the connection between voice and self-identity, the lack of familiarity with jazz referents, the absence of visual motor feedback and the pressure of role expectation. In a non-threatening environment, attendees will be invited to observe and participate in exercises which encourage vocalists to feel secure in each area, and open the doorway to the fun of vocal improvising. The workshop will include demonstrations, joint singing activities, brainstorming and discussions, interspersed with the presentation of datum obtained from research, explaining the relevance of each activity. The datum utilised in this workshop was obtained from a two phase, mixed methods study conducted as part of doctoral research at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Phase one surveyed 209 Australian jazz vocalists and instrumentalists, investigating their perceptions and experiences of jazz education and performance. PASW was used to conduct chi square analysis of the datum. Phase two employed qualitative interviews of 22 Australian jazz vocal performers and/or jazz educators in Australian tertiary institutions. NVivo was used to assist the thematic analysis of the datum. Combined, the results create a vivid picture of the vocalist’s experience of learning jazz improvisation. The findings will be used intermittently through the workshop to provide theoretical context and support to each practical activity undertaken. Overall, the workshop seeks to empower teachers with strategies to develop confidence in beginning improvisers and thereby encourage students to venture happily into the world of jazz improvisation