Improvisation in Jazz
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PBS Learning Media
Improvisation in Jazz
In this lesson, students will learn about the practice of improvisation, one of the defining elements of jazz, by learning about the history and development of the practice, and by experimenting with improvising with their teacher and classmates. Two video clips feature jazz musician Louis Armstrong, his improvisation on the trumpet and his use of scat singing, while a third clip introduces Kansas city jazz and the practice of instrumental improvisation with “head arrangements.”