Improvisation Courses and Workshops

Idea
Improvisation in Early Music is like learning to speak a language. But, a language that we are often already accustomed to reading and/or hearing. It is not as hard as you might think! Improvisation is a skill that can be learned. We too, did once start from scratch. In our experience, once you start, you won’t be able to stop!

Our workshops give an overview of styles and methods in historical improvisation. The main idea revolves around learning a skeletal structure, which can then be clothed in different ways. Friedrich Erhardt Niedt mentions in his treatise that the same harmonic pattern can bring forth a 100 different pieces, if you know how to use the skill of variation creatively.
Our workshops aim to teach creativity, give people the opportunity to experience improvisation as a fun way to learn, provide a different angle on interpreting, communicating and stage presence and work on the musicality of the students.

Experience
Following up teaching done as assistents of Patrick Ayrton, as of september 2014 the Scroll Ensemble will teach historical improvisation at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague in the Netherlands.

The ensemble gave workshops at the Conservatories of the Hague, Bydgoszcz (PL) and Katowice (PL). On the 28th and 29th of june 2014 a workshop will be presented at the Early Music Summer school in Warszawa.

The Scroll Ensemble also organises jam sessions to give people the opportunity to dip a toe in improvisatory waters, or share with others what they found on their creative journeys.

Recommendation
“The format of The Scroll Ensemble Seminar with improvisation course was perfectly worked out and executed. It was appreciated very much by the participants. The improvisation course, which culminated in a students’ presentation, was illuminating and inspiring.”

prof. Urszula Bartkiewicz
Chairman, Department of Harpsichord, Organ & Early Music at the Music Academy of Bydgoszcz (PL)

Contact us if you would like to know more!