«Jazz it up» I: press på improvisasjonsbegrepet – forpliktelse

Abstract

Improvisation has mainly been studied in music and drama. Previous research on improvisation, both by pedagogues and musicians, has been based on practical-aesthetic subject areas, especially the music genre jazz, and transferred to educational practice in general. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the significance of such a transfer: Can improvisation from musical theories and experiences be transferred to educational practice in school and upbringing? The analyzes are carried out on the premises of pedagogy and didactics, anchored in the didactic triangle, the form formation principle, and the concept of interaction. The possibilities and limitations in improvisation are examined via degrees of underlying factors in improvisation, illustrated with continuum scales. The main finding is that such a transfer cannot be done directly, and that previous practice may have acted as external and internal pressure, which may have limited the complexity and potential of improvisation as a pedagogical method. It may have inhibited the further development of improvisation as a general contribution to didactics and pedagogical practice. The experiences from music especially lack the inclusion of obligation and risk, something that every educational practice in school and upbringing is subject to, but which a jazz band does not need to take care of. A definition of “didactic improvisation” is introduced, which can also point the way for further research and pedagogical theory construction in this area.