Improvisation activity

Task 1

Explore different textures with a group.

1. One student speaks or sings the alphabet as a solo.

2. Everyone chants the alphabet, trying to stay together in unison.

3. 5 students chant the alphabet but each one decides when to start and how fast to chant, starting and finishing at completely different times.

4. Every student repeats their full name 6 times, taking a breath in between each repetition. This will sound more interesting if you vary the pitch to include high and low sounds.

5. One student stamps their feet to create a rhythmic beat. Another student claps a rhythm that includes different note lengths. Everyone else makes animal noises for 10 seconds. You may need to appoint a conductor to indicate when everyone should start and stop their sound.

6. The teacher plays homophonic music (guitar chords while singing). Ask the students which layer is the most important. The class sings a polyphonic canon or round. Once everyone has entered the texture, the teacher stops to ask who is the most important.