String Project Los Angeles

Webster's defines improvisation as the creation of music in real time. That idea may seem daunting to many novice players, but after Monday's visit from String Project Los Angeles, our Junior and Middle School Orchestra members have a much better sense of how accessible improvisation is. Two members of String Project Los Angeles, violinist Luis Mascaro and cellist Jacob Szekely, enthusiastically demonstrated a "one note improvisation," where musical techniques and ornamentation were used, but the note remained constant. Poly musicians then created a list of ways they could change their sound. Suddenly, the idea of improvising seemed easy! Students had fun coming up with new ideas, and several volunteered to perform with the SPLA musicians for the class. For more information on the program, including their summer camps (coming to Pasadena this August!), click here.