If you feel afraid when you hear the word improvisation then you have a problem. If you feel so nervous when you hear it that you think about something else so you can avoid feeling it, this is a sign. Some critic is taking up residence in your mind and who the hell is she or he for talking to you so badly?! Who is talking to you like that?! It is never the voice of Joy. Sometimes it’s our old band director. Our old section leader. A teacher from a masterclass. Or our sister, aunt, or mom. Sometimes it’s our inner critic. She can be a real bitch! Right?! I’ve had to learn to thank her and say, “Thanks Becky, but Not Now.” Why thank her?!?!?!? Because she serves a purpose: to embarrass me before anyone else can, so we don’t embarrass ourselves. Usually, it works. But God knows embarrassing ourselves can’t always be avoided! I used to feel like embarrassment was a negative feeling, to be avoided feeling or talking about at all costs. Now I know that embarrassment is a normal human emotion, and while it doesn’t feel good, it won’t hurt me. I don’t need to be afraid of feeling it. It’s okay and normal to feel embarrassed, and it’s okay to tell your friends you feel embarrassed… so long as they’re supportive friends! (like we are in Flutarians!) The fact is that if you want to be an improviser, you have to embrace embarrassment. It won’t be long before you feel it only rarely. But in the beginning, like a baby learning to walk, you may feel it frequently! You gotta crawl before you walk, right? But… if the Jam is fun, you’ll soon forget! Come crawl some sweet melodies with me tonight at Wed Improv Games or check the Flutarian Skool calendar for the next events. I'm doing an Intervals workshop tomorrow! PS - Most people quit somewhere between improv attempt 3 and 12—not because they lack ability, but because they mistake early discomfort for lack of potential. Come blaze through your first 100 mistakes with us and build your improv confidence! Will tomorrow work? 😝

I found this video my grandpa took of me years ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bng7LTing9f/

Have you improvised with a drone tone yet today? This week? This month? This year? Here's mine in Eb. Post yours in the Improv Waterfall!

Check out @Amanda Huber's bass flute meditation from earlier today!! Isn't it dreamy? I'm curious what thoughts come to your mind when you listen. I'm glad I could inspire you to publish a bass flute meditation video!!! And dust off that YouTube Channel! YouTube is a great place to create an improv progress journal of sorts too, because you can publish as "Public" the ones you're proud of and keep the ones that are less polished as "unlisted" where you can share them with anyone who has the link (like here) without it being public to the world. It's nice to hear your bass flute sounds. Plus those synth sounds are interesting! I'm curious to hear more about your process for making this track. PS - I'm posting this in the 🔊Listening List Category. This category is for sharing with us recordings that are inspiring you!

Hope you're improvising a little unaccompanied thing on your flute every time you pick it up! Here's mine in Eb. Have you played an improv in Eb lately?