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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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.

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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 different roles to usual.

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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 the Resource Pack linked below. 

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.