More than one way to skin a scat: A workshop for vocal improvisers

Stefanie, Renée

Abstract

Cziksentmihaly (2004) describes flow as a state that will most likely be achieved in a moment where level of challenge and the amount of skill a person has meets at a mean point of “arousal” (challenge) and “control” (skill). As a performing vocalist of more than 20 years, I most often achieve this sense of ‘flow’ when improvising. Whilst I am certain that the sweet spot between challenge and skill is a large contributing factor, I equally attribute this to the circumstance of the moment. Landau and Limb (2017, 28) show that whilst improvising it is common to experience “deactivations in the prefrontal cortex, an area involved in cognitive control and self-monitoring” and for those of us who regularly tussle with imposter syndrome, this can be a powerful elixir.
For some, however, the concept of improvisation may conjure up an expectation of knowledge and skill that first time vocal improvisers may feel is beyond their reach. My challenge as an educator is to facilitate awareness of the skills my students possess and provide catalysts to prompt them in applying those skills in meeting the perceived challenges of improvisation.
This workshop will invite participants to experiment with some of the prompts and frameworks I have used when teaching improvisation. Those in attendance will be invited to vocally improvise over blues changes, responding to various ideas. This will include trading 4’s, structured improvisation, extrapolation on motifs, and exploring more abstract approaches through visualisation and characterisation.

Citation

Stefanie, R. (2023, May). More than one way to skin a scat: A workshop for vocal improvisers. Presented at 2023 APME Conference: A New Landscape for PME: Community, Collaboration, & Critique, Loyola University, New Orleans

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 2023 APME Conference: A New Landscape for PME: Community, Collaboration, & Critique
• Start Date: May 31, 2023
• End Date: Jun 3, 2023
• Acceptance Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2025
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed