Warm-Up Games

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Trumpet players – Fee Buckton! In the videos below, you can watch Fee introducing herself and her love for the trumpet as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in her Resource Pack.

These exercises from Fee will allow your students to become comfortable playing their instrument in front of others, and to break through that first barrier of performance nerves. They will also get the chance to explore how everybody has their own unique voice, and how important it is to listen and value everyone in the room. 

Warm-Up Exercises

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Trombone players – Dylan Orba! In the videos below, you can watch Dylan introducing himself and his love for the trombone as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Dylan will introduce improvisation in a non-intimidating way, focusing on playfulness and experimentation rather than structured solos. They will also help your students to become more comfortable making spontaneous musical choices without overthinking.

Call & Response

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Trumpet players – Olivia Cuttill! In the videos below, you can watch Olivia introducing herself and her love for the trumpet as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in her Resource Pack.

Call and Response is used all the time in everyday life. When someone sneezes and is responded with a “Bless you”, or when someone says “Knock knock”
and is replied with “Who’s there?”, all of this is call and response. Call and Response is also used constantly in music. It famously features in Samba schools, work songs and gospel music. It can be used in many ways and this Resource Pack will help you to explore some of those with your students. 

Working with Ensembles of Mixed Instrumentation

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Saxophonists – Flo Redmonds! In the videos below, you can watch Flo introducing herself and her love for the saxophone as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in her Resource Pack.

These exercises from Flo will explore how in music our roles can often seem quite rigid, with bass players playing the bass line and frontline players performing the melody. Your students will have the chance to create a piece using only melody and rhythm, and understand how they can have a go at playing different roles to usual.

Introduction to Composition

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Saxophonists – Alex Wardill! In the videos below, you can watch Alex introducing himself and his love for the saxophone as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Alex will allow you to work with your students to practice melody writing and apply different techniques such as rhythmic manipulation, call & response phrasing, conjunct motion, chord inversions and guide tone lines, all through a series of written exercises and discussions. 

Exploring Rhythm and Improvisation

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Drummers – Georgia Ayew! In the videos below, you can watch Georgia introducing herself and her love for the drums as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in her Resource Pack.

These exercises from Georgia will give your students a deeper understanding of how rhythm can shape and enhance improvisation, as well as the ability to create engaging musical phrases using only a few notes.

Improvisation for Beginners

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Saxophonists – Jamie Harms! In the videos below, you can watch Jamie introducing himself and his love for the saxophone as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Jamie will help your students to take their first steps into the world of improvising! These exercises can be done by musicians of any level, and will provide a strong groundwork in how to practise coming up with new ideas.

Intermediate Improvisation

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Pianists – Andrew Chen! In the videos below, you can watch Andrew introducing himself and his love for the piano as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Andrew will help your students to build on their existing improvisational language through the lens of rhythm – or, to put it differently, they will be introduced to and become familiar with some rhythmic concepts that can enhance their existing melodic language.

Advanced Improvisation

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Guitarists – Ralph Porrett! In the videos below, you can watch Ralph introducing himself and his love for the guitar as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Ralph will help your students to understand how improvisation is more than just playing notes – it’s about crafting a musical story. They will explore how to develop a deeper sense of melodic presentation during an improvised solo, enhancing their ability to shape phrases with greater lyricism and a sense of storytelling.

Cool Down Exercises

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Drummers – Miles Pillinger! In the videos below, you can watch Miles introducing himself and his love for the drums as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in his Resource Pack.

These exercises from Miles will help your students to look at improving their internal pulse, focus, awareness, and reactivity, whilst also aiming to help relax the mind after a challenging session.

Cool Down Exercises Pt. 2

These exercises have been created by one of NYJO’s Bassists – Myra Brownbridge! In the videos below, you can watch Myra introducing herself and her love for the bass as well as demonstrating one of the exercises that you can find in her Resource Pack.

Our body and mind are linked and when we’re trying a new skill, such as improvisation, or we feel nervous or excited, our muscles have a tendency to tense up. To help increase our confidence, it’s important to develop an understanding of the connection between mind and body, and to foster a sense of self-acceptance in our journey as creative, improvising musicians. The activities in this Resource Pack will help you to do this with your students!