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Fun Improvisation for Violin: Violin Book & CD

$21.95 USD
$21.95 USD
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Fun Improvisation for Violin Cover Image
Fun Improvisation for Violin: Violin Book & CD

Fun Improvisation for Violin: Violin Book & CD

The Philosophy and Method of Creative Ability Development

By Alice Kay Kanack

Item: 00-0773CD
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Description
In a speech at the 1984 Matsumoto Summer Conference, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki nicknamed Alice Kanack "Mozart's mother" in response to her innovative work in the development of the creative part of the brain. He added to this his hope that as a result, someday all children might create their own music. After twelve years of research and testing, the Fun Improvisation for... series was developed. Each book contains philosophical and practical advice on how to use the 28 musical exercises to develop a child's innate creative ability to its highest level. The basic instructions allow even a twinkler to use these exercises, while the advanced instructions provide a challenge to the most advanced player.

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Additional Details
Series: Suzuki Method Supplement
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 68
ISBN10: 0-87487-773-3
ISBN13: 978-0-87487-773-1
UPC: 029156270303
SKU: 00-0773CD
Instrumentation: Violin

More about this title

About the Author: Alice Kay Kanack

Alice Kay Kanack

Alice Kay Kanack earned her nickname "Mozart's Mother" from Dr. Shinichi Suzuki himself, who recognized her groundbreaking work in unlocking creative potential within young musicians' developing minds. Over four decades, she has researched and taught the pedagogy of musical creativity, publishing extensively through Alfred Publishing and her own Creative Ability Development Press. Her work spans training programs at prestigious institutions like Columbia University's Teachers College, the Lucy Moses School, and the Sibelius Academy in Finland.

As founder and driving force behind the Creative Ability Development movement, Kanack has built a school bearing her name in Rochester while continuing to tour internationally, leading workshops and demonstrations. Steven Doane, Professor of Cello at both Eastman and the Royal Academy of London, credits her with pioneering the integration of improvisation as a fundamental daily practice for musicians of all ages. Her recent publications include Improvising String Quartets, Basslines & Fantasies and Playing From the Heart, each grounded in her philosophy that creative expression strengthens musical identity from childhood onward.

Why we love this

Kanack's framework transforms improvisation from something mysterious into a learnable skill with clear progressions. The dual-level structure means you can use the same 28 exercises across years of teaching, beginners work with basic instructions while your advancing players tackle sophisticated creative challenges within the same material.

What to expect

The exercises invite playfulness without losing musical integrity. Students discover their own voice within structured frameworks, moving beyond note-reading into genuine musical decision-making. There's freedom here, but not chaos, the boundaries actually enable creativity to flourish.

Who it's for

This book reaches Suzuki violin students at any level, from twinklers working through foundational books to advanced players seeking creative outlets beyond prescribed repertoire. It pairs naturally with any Suzuki volume, functioning as a creative complement to standard method work.

How to get the most out of it

  • Start with the CD as a listening model. Students absorb phrasing and stylistic choices long before they attempt their own variations, building an internal reference library they can draw from.
  • Isolate one exercise across several weeks rather than cycling through all 28 quickly. Deep familiarity with a single framework produces richer improvisations than surface-level exposure to many.
  • Encourage students to notate their own successful improvisations afterward. The act of writing down what they created shifts improvisation from ephemeral play into compositional thinking.

How to use it

Fold the exercises into weekly individual lessons as a 10-minute creative segment, allowing students to improvise while their technical practice stays focused elsewhere. At studio recitals or informal gatherings, student improvisations become performance opportunities that showcase musical thinking rather than just execution.

Skills your students will build

  • Generating melodic phrases within harmonic frameworks
  • Listening and responding to harmonic progression
  • Making real-time musical decisions and adjustments
  • Building confidence in self-directed musical expression
  • Developing personal musical voice and stylistic choices
  • Understanding form through experiential creativity rather than analysis alone

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