Relationships among selected practice behaviours and achievement in jazz improvisation

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the practice strategies that collegiate music majors chose to employ in preparing for a jazz improvisation performance, and the relationships among selected practice behaviours and achievement in instrumental jazz improvisation. Participants for the study (N = 62) were enrolled as music majors at one of six universities in the USA. Expert judges assessed participants' improvisation performances, and participants' practice sessions were coded for time spent on various practice behaviours. Reliability for both achievement assessment and practice time coding was found to be high. Results indicated low, non-significant correlations between achievement scores and time spent on various practice behaviours, with participants spending the greatest amount of practice time improvising with a play-along recording.