Inside Out: Integrating Creative Practices into the Orchestra Classroom

Abstract

Improvisation-based exercises may be the key to unlocking students’ innate musical creativities. This article focuses on two exercises—drone improvisation and circle stringing—that can be easily integrated into the orchestra curriculum and adapted to the learning needs of the individual student, small-ensemble, and large-ensemble settings. Of critical importance is fostering an environment of musical discovery and exploration that reaches beyond the purview of traditional ensemble-based classroom experiences. Such an approach promotes a comprehensive pedagogy that honors tradition, values experimentation, and embraces the contemporary.