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Improv Exchange

Each issue, we highlight a reader’s brief composition that might be used in the classroom. Use this as inspiration for your own improvisations and share the results!

Welcome to the Improv Exchange, a new regular feature in Dalcroze Connections is issue’s column features the work of Aaron Morrison, a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and passionate music enthusiast. He is currently an undergraduate student studying composition with Nancy Galbraith at Carnegie Mellon University (where Dalcroze eurhythmics is part of the curriculum), graduating this May. His music is influenced by jazz pianists, minimalist composers, and video game soundtracks, among countless other sources of inspiration.

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In it, you'll find inspiration to help kickstart your own improvisations at home or in class.

Like the play of light on an early spring morning, “Spring Rain” has a bright but wistful feeling. e harmonic backdrop moves between perfect fourths and major thirds, diatonic harmony in G b, and relationships of thirds as the sunlight breaks through in the lovely B b major at the end.

You might start by using chord tones to create a melody (taking the lead of the actual melody), especially as the harmony planes up and down. Enjoy the release into the G b major tonality at bar 13 when it finally lands on the ii7-V7 (A bm7 to D b7), and indulge yourself in the lovely major third of the final chord before the clouds dim again.

Spring Rain

If you feel up to it, share your results with Dalcroze Connections, whether it’s a realized composition, an audio file of your playing, or an anecdote of how your students responded.

To get you started, we shared some of our own variations on this piece at dalcrozeusa.org/blog, You’ll also find Aaron’s own chord voicings and our interview with the composer.

Share an improvisation this piece inspired or submit a new composition for next issue!

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