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."

Book 2 of the Creative Ability Development series25 Improvisational Puzzles for Violin, Viola, Cello, or PianoThis newest addition to the series includes two recording discs for improvisational practice. With the end goal of creative fluency in all 12 keys, this single and compact book includes a wealth of animal-themed fantasy pieces, finger charts, and practice strategies for violin, viola, cello, and piano, making it perfect for siblings playing different instruments.

Alice Kay Kanack's method focuses on enhancing the natural creative ability of children through the use of improvisation. The book begins with an introduction to the philosophies of her method, then guides the parent or teacher through a series of improvisational games to play with the child. A CD is included, with 27 different songs and games.

Free Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms. An international bestseller and beloved classic, Free Play is an inspiring and provocative book, directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured, and how finally it can be liberated—how we can be liberated—to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice. Stephen Nachmanovitch, a pioneer in free improvisation, integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity, drawing on unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors. The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. Free Play brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.

Teach yourself authentic bluegrass fiddle with this book. The book contains clear instructions on the basics: bowing and left-hand techniques, solos, backup, personal advice on performance, and much more, as well as a complete selection of the best bluegrass songs to learn from. Written by Matt Glaser, chairman of the String Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston since 1980.

A MASTERFUL BOOK ABOUT BREATHING LIFE INTO ART AND ART INTO LIFE "Stephen Nachmanovitch's The Art of Is is a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, living in the present. To the author, an improvisation is a co-creation that arises out of listening and mutual attentiveness, out of a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It is a product of the nervous system, bigger than the brain and bigger than the body; it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, unprecedented and unrepeatable. Drawing from the wisdom of the ages, The Art of Is not only gives the reader an inside view of the states of mind that give rise to improvisation, it is also a celebration of the power of the human spirit, which — when exercised with love, immense patience, and discipline — is an antidote to hate." — Yo-Yo Ma, cellist

Jazz Fiddle Wizard is a book/CD set tailored for advanced violinists who want to learn to improvise in the jazz tradition. the book contains practical theory lessons, presenting rhythms and scales that are immediately put to use. Concepts are introduced progressively, requiring comprehension of previously introduced techniques and terminology. Each lesson includes a theory section and an exercise or performance section.The book's companion play-along CD provides professional full rhythm section accompaniment for each exercise and tune. As the method was designed for college students and advanced players, no violin tracks are included on the CD. the Stuff Smith solo from "Knock, Knock- Who's There?" transcribed at the onset of the book is readily available at http://www.rhapsody.com/stuffsmith/tracks.htmlThis method assumes that the reader/player has a basic technical command of the instrument and reads standard music notation at an elementary level or higher. Jazz Fiddle Wizard is the most challenging of Martin Norgaard's fiddle improv books. If you are a novice jazz player, the author recommends beginning with Jazz Fiddle Wizard Junior, Books 1 & 2 followed by Getting Into Gypsy Jazz Violin, all of which include violin tracks on their respective companion CDs.Jazz Fiddle Wizard works in conjunction with the www.jazzfiddlewizard.com website, offering a unique interactive experience in which the reader is invited to pose questions directly to the author. This method has been field-tested with college students and other players from different musical backgrounds and at various levels of technical proficiency. the bottom line on this product is that IT WORKS!

This book is written to accomplish three purposes: (1) to teach music theory and scales as applied to fiddle tunes in the American and Celtic traditions; (2) to teach fiddle improvisation; and (3) to present additional material to help the fiddler who wants to play in other popular styles. Addresses major, minor and blues scales, diminished chords and more. Useful to any instrumentalist, this is not just another collection of licks, nor is it a book of transcriptions. This book teaches the theoretical framework of fiddle tunes and of fiddle soloing; the scales and arpeggios that fiddlers actually use, whether they know it or not. If you improvise or play variations on tunes now, this book will help you understand what works and why.

Beginner Jazz Soloing For Violin teaches a creative method for jazz improvisation that's been road-tested at hundreds of workshops.