Shaker
Junior Research Program
Miguel Martinez
The Science of Improv
Miguel Martinez certainly is an experienced musician. He has studied the saxophone for three years and the piano for nine years--most of his young life. He has also excelled in many local piano competitions. Through his studies, Miguel has been exposed to many different styles of music, and a favorite of his is jazz. He began appreciating jazz two years ago when he became a student of Mr. Greg Slawson from the Slawson & Lee Piano studio. Mr. Slawson was also his mentor.
Miguel Martinez certainly is an experienced musician. He has studied the saxophone for three years and the piano for nine years--most of his young life. He has also excelled in many local piano competitions. Through his studies, Miguel has been exposed to many different styles of music, and a favorite of his is jazz. He began appreciating jazz two years ago when he became a student of Mr. Greg Slawson from the Slawson & Lee Piano studio. Mr. Slawson was also his mentor.
For his Fellows project, Miguel delved into the complex art of musical improvisation, a cornerstone of the jazz genre. He spent about three months researching and practicing improvisation, and his goal is to master it as a pianist. But that’s not all. Miguel also realized that improv is hard to explain, so he developed his own structure for teaching improv to young musicians.
On Thursday, April 26, Miguel shared his teaching theory, explained the steps to creating good musical improv, then treated the middle school audience to several demonstrations. In one, he “traded fours” with accomplished guitarist Fletcher Barton, using rhythms and notes provided on the spot by musicians Ben Firstenberg, Connor Merritt and Matt Wesorick. For the culminating event, Miguel played the jazz standard “Take the A Train” and improvised beautifully throughout.
Like all great art forms, improv only looks easy. It is actually difficult to do well, and Miguel did a wonderful job of explaining the technical side of creating it. Congratulations, Miguel on becoming a Center for Excellence Junior Research Fellow. Your presentation was terrific, and we all learned a lot!
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On Thursday, April 26, Miguel shared his teaching theory, explained the steps to creating good musical improv, then treated the middle school audience to several demonstrations. In one, he “traded fours” with accomplished guitarist Fletcher Barton, using rhythms and notes provided on the spot by musicians Ben Firstenberg, Connor Merritt and Matt Wesorick. For the culminating event, Miguel played the jazz standard “Take the A Train” and improvised beautifully throughout.
Like all great art forms, improv only looks easy. It is actually difficult to do well, and Miguel did a wonderful job of explaining the technical side of creating it. Congratulations, Miguel on becoming a Center for Excellence Junior Research Fellow. Your presentation was terrific, and we all learned a lot!
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