Middle School String Improvisation and Composition: A Beginning

Schnittgrund, Tammy, M.A., Summer 2007 Fine Arts, Integrated Arts and Education Middle School String Improvisation and Composition: A Beginning Committee Chair: Dorothy Morrison This project involved of a middle school orchestra teacher’s first attempt at teaching improvisation and composition. The journey began by teaching the basic steps in playing a twelve bar chord progression. Improvised rhythms played on one note were integrated into the progression. The students discovered how to create an improvised melody by playing two notes in a rhythmic pattern. Additional notes were added gradually. The students were asked to notate their improvised melodies and create new compositions using the same technique. After completing their composition, a narrative was written describing their melody and their experiences while composing music. A performance of their melody, with the orchestra accompanying, completed the project.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Montana

Year

2007

Author dc:creator

• Schnittgrund, Tammy L.

• bluegrass
• celtic
• improvisation
• jazz
• middle school
• orchestra

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1217

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.umt.edu:etd-2236