Resource type
Thesis type
(Thesis) Ph.D.
Date created
2024-11-18
Authors/Contributors
Author: Lin, Ming-Yu
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the wisdom of improvisation and offer possibilities and perspectives for embedding improvisation in classical piano education. As a performative inquirer, I engage in performing and teaching music improvisation to recognize and perceive the transformation happening in me, my students, and our relationships. Taking my improvised performance as the starting point, I interrogated my musical journey and my commitment to improvisation and contemplated the wisdom and practice of improvisation. Surrender, listening, perfection, acceptance, forgiveness, play, and freedom caught my attention when I reflected on my learning experiences and the moments of my solo and group spontaneous performances. Embracing improvisation in classical piano lessons led my students and me to accept imperfections, forgive mistake-making, surrender to the unknown, listen to sounds within the environment in which I improvised, lived, and learned, and enjoy free play on the piano in my journey. Improvisation cultivates our resilience, courage, and abilities to self-trust and self-love. This dissertation documents the encounters, opportunities, interruptions, understandings, and musical ideas arriving in my piano performance and teaching. I unfold my artistic self as a pianist and a piano teacher and tell the stories of my students' transformation in our adventure of piano improvisation. I ask questions while improvising my music, teaching and life: How did improvisation change me? What did improvisation teach me? What would happen if I incorporated improvisation into my classical piano teaching? How would improvisation guide my students' music learning and attitude toward living? What inquiries would improvisation open for exploration? Who do we become in a journey of improvisation? What are our roles in each other's presence? Twenty-four sound clips of my and my students' improvisation are presented in this written performance. The readers are invited to listen, to ask, and to be aware of the stop moments that call them to attention while participating in this musical dissertation.
Document
Extent
201 pages.
Identifier
etd23523
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Scholarly level
Supervisor or Senior Supervisor
Thesis advisor: Fels, Lynn
Language
English
Member of collection
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