Contributors: Jeffrey Agrell, H. Christian Bernhard, Thomas R. Graham, Leonard A. Grasso, Alice M. Hammel, Megan Hendrix, Michael Parker, Jill Reese, John P. Riley, Daniel J. Shevock, Alden H. Snell II, Jon M. Stapleton, Smith R.K. Waylett, Richard S. Webb
 

Musicianship: Improvising in Band and Orchestra provides philosophical, theoretical, and practical tools that have been desperately needed for band and orchestra teachers hoping to bring improvisation to their students.

As Maud Hickey states in the Foreword, "Improvisation should be as natural as drawing freely with crayons." Yet improvisation has remained elusive from most band and orchestra programs.

This remarkable book contains practical lesson plans as well as all the necessary background information to help conductors incorporate improvisation into their work, with ensembles of any size or ability level. The lesson plans contain step-by-step instructions, including outlining prerequisites and detailed procedures that are flexible enough to apply to ensembles at a wide range of skill levels.

Topics covered include: improvisation readiness strategies, working with large ensembles, a classroom case study, and teaching in a diverse environment.

This book, edited by David A. Stringham and H. Christian Bernhard, is the latest in a pioneering series with dozens of other contributors. The Musicianship series editor Clint Randles has also produced a companion volume focusing on the equally challenging issue of composition.

This important book will help band and orchestra conductors make improvisation a mainstay of their classrooms—as standards mandate—and will, of course, be of benefit to all students.