Preparation
/ Playing the Game / Discussion
Musical
Freeze Improvisations
This lesson is intended to teach improvisation and invention, and to introduce
the idea of creating story from movement, rather than the other way around.
It also works well as a warmup.
I developed this exercise from a non-musical version whose source I
don't know. I think the music makes the exercise work much better.
Preparation
Before class, you need to make a tape containing short snippets of contrasting
musical selections--at least fifteen or twenty of them. This takes a lot
of time, but you only have to do it once, and you will find lots of uses
for the tape afterwards.
Playing
the Game
At first, there is only one real rule: Whenever the music is playing, students
are moving; whenever it stops, they freeze. (I suppose you could play so
that anyone who fails to freeze is "out" but I don't, for the obvious reason
that then those students are left out. If I encounter a group who needs
the sense of competition as a motivator, I construct a teacher-vs-class
system. If everyone freezes, the class gets a point; if not, I do.)
The instructor plays several snippets of music. Each will be different
in character, and the students are encouraged to move "the way the music
sounds." (This is a very useful exercise in itself, and with my youngest
groups this is as far as I go.) Stress the importance of freezing INSTANTLY,
in whatever position you find yourself in.
After the group has got the hang of it, the teacher starts adding instructions
during the freeze.
After the music stops and everyone freezes, the teacher says, "Go!"
and each student launches immediately into a spontaneous improvisation,
suggested by the position in which he or she is frozen.
Only let the improvisation go for a few seconds, then yell, "stop!"
Start the next piece of music, and once again the students move to the
music.
Repeat this many times, side-coaching as necessary to make sure the
students are really letting their body position suggest their improvisations.
After this has gone on for a while, the teacher may say, "Let your next
improvisation carry you toward another member of the group-for a real reason."
I usually end the lesson with an improvisation that brings everyone
together in the middle of the space.
Go back to the top.
Discussion
If this is first time I am doing this lesson with a particular group, I
usually discuss it with them afterwards. We discuss the way that the music
enhances the exercise--because it creates more varied movement. Without
the music--and the differences in the music--all of the "freezes" would
tend to be similar, and thus the improvisations would lack variety. Why
does music have so much emotional content? (Of course one can only have
this kind of discussion with a fairly sophisticated group, but my middle-schoolers
really get into it. My students are always begging me to do this again.
Go back to the top.
Matt Buchanan
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