Creative Ability Development
UPDATE 2024:
I continue to offer a combination of online and in-person lessons. In person lessons are held indoors or outdoors in Monrovia, weather permitting, with hand sanitizing, masks, and all eligible persons vaccinated before beginning in-person lessons.
I continue to offer a combination of online and in-person lessons. In person lessons are held indoors or outdoors in Monrovia, weather permitting, with hand sanitizing, masks, and all eligible persons vaccinated before beginning in-person lessons.
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What is CAD?
The Creative Ability Development method, or CAD, uses musical improvisation as a way to help students find and share their own, unique musical voice. CAD was developed by Alice Kay Kanack & Dr. Sera J. Smolen as a series of learning games designed to teach music students how to tap into their innate creativity. CAD teaching philosophy starts from the same premise as Suzuki teaching: Everyone can learn. Everyone is creative, and everyone can improvise, given the right environment and the time to practice. |
In lessons...
CAD work will be incorporated as a part of your long-term Suzuki style lessons and group classes. If you're taking short term lessons, you can choose CAD work as the focus of a set of 4 or more lessons. |
There are a few rules:
Creativity or improvisation is the art of making choices. The rules of CAD are designed so students can feel at ease making creative choices. Just as you would isolate a new technique to work on without being distracted by other concerns (for example, a student might practice intonation separately from rhythm before putting them together), CAD's rules are designed to help students focus on making musical choices without being distracted by concerns over perfecting technique (which can be practiced separately from CAD, before putting them together). During the CAD part of private lessons, during CAD group class activities, and while practicing CAD at home, there are three rules:
Creativity or improvisation is the art of making choices. The rules of CAD are designed so students can feel at ease making creative choices. Just as you would isolate a new technique to work on without being distracted by other concerns (for example, a student might practice intonation separately from rhythm before putting them together), CAD's rules are designed to help students focus on making musical choices without being distracted by concerns over perfecting technique (which can be practiced separately from CAD, before putting them together). During the CAD part of private lessons, during CAD group class activities, and while practicing CAD at home, there are three rules:
- There's no such thing as a mistake. If anyone makes a musical choice they don't like during CAD work, or if a sound comes out differently from how the student imagined it would, it is not a 'wrong' choice, but instead it is a part of our search - an experiment to find out what we will eventually like. What might be called "mistakes" in another context are actually a path to success in CAD.
- Applause & Silence: When creating music with others, we respect & share ideas with the whole group - by listening attentively (Silence), and by acknowledging the musical idea afterwards (Applause). Silence can come by listening or watching; Applause can come in the obvious form of clapping, but more often in CAD lessons or groups, "applause" shows up in a smile, a nod of encouragement, or (best of all), when someone is inspired by hearing another students' work.
- Never criticize a friend: We are all friends in CAD classes. While constructive criticism is helpful and necessary in other contexts, it can only function if a student gives up their own choices to try out the critic's ideas. Since the goal of CAD work is to give students the chance to make their own musical choices, musical criticism becomes useless in the midst of practicing CAD work. Since there's no such thing as a mistake (see Rule 1), it is impossible to criticize another person's musical idea.
Materials
In addition to playing CAD learning games during lessons and group classes, CAD work, like any other type of musical learning, needs to be practiced on a daily basis. Students can practice at home with audio recordings and some simple instructions. Beginning CAD books with audio recordings are published by Alfred under the Fun Improvisation series; the more advanced Basslines & Fantasies book & with audio recordings for use at home, along with the Improvising String Quartets for more advanced ensemble work, can be purchased at creativeabilitydevelopmentpress.com
In addition to playing CAD learning games during lessons and group classes, CAD work, like any other type of musical learning, needs to be practiced on a daily basis. Students can practice at home with audio recordings and some simple instructions. Beginning CAD books with audio recordings are published by Alfred under the Fun Improvisation series; the more advanced Basslines & Fantasies book & with audio recordings for use at home, along with the Improvising String Quartets for more advanced ensemble work, can be purchased at creativeabilitydevelopmentpress.com
