Musical play, creativity and metacognitive processes in developing improvisational expertise: expert improvising voices

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study investigates musical play within the one-to-one musical improvisation lesson. Improvisation is a specific and significant musical skill that relies on musicality, creativity and collaborative skills in spontaneous dialogic interplay. This article presents observations of four one-to-one lessons in a conservatoire environment. A phenomenological inquiry reports on data gathered both within the lesson, and on learning reflections of both teacher and student in post-lesson interviews. The study reveals teacher–student interactions that develop skill, knowledge and creativity in improvising students, and the way play acts as a powerful tool and strategy through which teachers can model, structure and enculturate learning. Links between musical play and self-regulation, co-regulation and socially shared regulation suggest relationships between play and evolving learning behaviours, and the development of creative thinking in students. Addressing constraining and re-creative goals and pedagogies prevalent in jazz education, implications are made for advancing current teaching practice in relation to creative arts teaching practices and music education and creative development in improvising students in particular.