University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Jazz Improvisational Approach: A New Method For Learning A Classical Piece Of Music By Employing Jazz Education Methods

Thomas, Candace Nicole

Content Files
Candace Thomas_revised title page.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/74810

Description

Title
The Jazz Improvisational Approach: A New Method For Learning A Classical Piece Of Music By Employing Jazz Education Methods
Author(s)
Thomas, Candace Nicole
Issue Date
2014-10
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Scully, Bernhard David
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Professor Stephen Taylor
Committee Member(s)
  • Solis, Gabriel
  • Pugh, James
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Date of Ingest
2015-04-09T19:13:09Z
Keyword(s)
  • jazz
  • music
  • imporovisation
  • education
Language
en
Abstract
The purpose of this document is to introduce a novel way to learn a new piece of classical music by use of a jazz improvisational approach. Within this document, a jazz improvisational approach (JIA) is defined as a method of learning music through common practices utilized by jazz performers and educators. The musical language and style of the learned piece of music will not be of the jazz idiom, but will remain classical in nature. I began the process by transcribing, without access to the printed music, Johann Michael Haydn's Concertino For Horn and Orchestra in D Major from audio recordings. After I transcribed the piece, I continued to more fully learn the piece by using the JIA, which included the following steps: composing cadenzas, creating derivative etudes to solve technical issues within the piece, and creating improvisatory exercises and patterns that draw from the musical content of the work. My research will show the effectiveness of using a JIA to learn a piece of classical music as a pedagogical and performance tool as an alternative to the traditional way of learning unfamiliar classical music.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/74810

Owning Collections

Doctoral Project Theses [Option 2] - Music PRIMARY