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As the body and intellect merge, the student faces and therefore dispels the fears and doubts of his musicianship. Old patterning replaces new automatisms; trust in the newly refined musical instincts arises. With this new sense of self, the body relaxes, the mind settles and the spirit awakens stimulated, bolstered, and strengthened. A new joy immerges allowing the student to let go of his will and simply follow the breath, the body, and the inner ear into the realm of improvisation.
This process begins slowly and takes place in small increments; first with the body, then the voice, and finally with the piano. Experiments with other instruments have failed because only the piano provides the total range of the musical spectrum under the fingers of one individual. Only the piano can provide the voicing, harmonic language, rhythmic impulse, melodic pattern, dynamic force, and agogic nuance of a full orchestra.
However, the student must first be physically, emotionally, and musically ready for this stage of the method. Allowing time is crucial to the practice. The awakening of a true musician happens over a period of years, not months and days even among the most gifted. It is unfortunate that the expectation to learn faster, and to get ahead quicker, is the educational mode of our time. The concept of “fast, faster, and fastest” is one of the main reasons Jaques-Dalcroze Education is not accepted by the mainstream educational system of the
For children, of course, the path is easier since for the most part their minds are free of expectations and fear. For the young adult however, the path can be arduous. For many the human body is an unknown entity, and often despised. Coupling that with poor musicianship training and a fear of the unknown, the result is often debilitating. Young adults are highly vulnerable in this situation and therefore, a large quantum of time mixed with a healthy dose of patience, compassion, and love must be cultivated in every lesson.
Piano improvisation therefore, is the synthesis of eurhythmics and solfege at the piano. It is the construction of short and long sounds and silences into musical phrases of similar or different lengths in any given tonality and meter. Improvisation is the art of applying modulation to these phrases, and thereby creating musical form such as AB,
The musical improvisation becomes closely linked with movement in space. There is a subtle relationship established between the sheer weight and the tension-release, and texture, of movement and that of music. Music influences the strength and quality of movement. Wide intervals will suggest broad and sweeping lines, while chromatic progressions will evoke a more enclosed line and narrower gestures. The style and mood of the music is reflected in the style and mood of the d
ance, and the dancer will touch his space around him as the musician touches his musical notes.
The cycle is now complete. The musician immerges, competent, self-actualized and most importantly, he can say, "not I know, but I have experienced.”