As an amateur jazz musician I spend 3-6 hours per week working on improvisation. In NY I studied with Al Golladoro, a virtuoso extraordinaire. Now in MA I learn from Jeff Harrington, a saxophone professor from Berklee College of Music, and for the past year I’ve played weekly in a student combo practicing improv under the direction of Dan Fox. I’m blessed with the chutzpah to venture outside my comfort zone. I’ve landed on several fundamental principles while studying improv:
- Listen first, play next
- Know the underlying tune
- Keep my place
- If nothing else, feel the rhythm
- Less is more
- A good sound beats dexterity
- Forget it all and have fun
The lessons of improv serve me well as patient, caregiver, nurse, and leader. Subsequent blogs will dive into improv and the other hats, but I can distill it down as follows:
- Listen first, act next
- Excel as a team member on a good team
- Know the goal and the related systems
- Keep it simple
- Enjoy life
