Guest artists Ayman Fanous (guitar), William Parker (bass), and Tatsuya Nakatani (percussion) perform an avant-garde concert at VCU, September 2013. (photo credit Antonio García)

Chapter 5: Personal Reflection

Here I present my own views on the topic, along with practical exercises and elements educators may contemplate in order to prompt their own priorities to the surface. I believe that in order to grade a Jazz Improvisation student fairly and effectively, we have to start with reflecting on what we’re trying to teach and why, followed by how we can illustrate it, practice it, and observe it. Only by doing so can we best prompt students to find their creative reach.