The keyboard.... discovering a playground

Reflections following an improvisation workshop

in Diane Favreau's piano class

Viviane and Béatrice sit side by side at the piano, exploring the playground. Black keys, white keys lightly touched, hammered, effects inspired by the approaching Halloween.... In short, an adventure that breaks with the pre-established rules of the usual repertoire. At first, it's confusing, it’s intriguing. They wonder what they "must" do. Instead of having to do, I remind them that they have the choice, the freedom to decide where their 7 and 9-year-old imagination take them. The piano keyboard becomes a place of discovery, a place of learning stimulated by the pleasure of "playing".

Renaud and Aeryn discover improvisation as a duo, with Renaud providing the accompaniment and Aeryn creating a melody guided by her listening. As a musical guide (I prefer this term to the word teacher), I was amazed at the momentum and freedom Aeryn, a novice piano student, was taking. Clearly, she enjoyed discovering the melody that merged with the accompaniment. A beautiful moment that I fortunately recorded....

For Alice and Charlotte, we ventured into the blues territory, an inspiring style that offers a fine balance between structure and freedom. Of course, I suggested a minimum of blues vocabulary, but what a novelty for them to have fun discovering patterns and melodies without reading them from a score. Charlotte also explored the possibilities based on a few chords from one of her repertoire pieces. And, since she has started accompanying ballet classes, why not juggle with different metrics, such as measures in 3/4 time, for example…

The teacher of these participants, Diane Favreau, who has previously attended my workshops for pianists, organized this activity for her students. Always in search of new approaches, her commitment, both musically and pedagogically, is inspiring....

It's always a pleasure for me to share these moments of discovery. I also observe that these moments of musical interaction reinforce my convictions confirming that improvisation is not only a creative and playful activity, but also an enriching avenue for any pianist, regardless of their age or level of experience.

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