[jjulius]

Not to get off on a tangent, but this reminds me of my middle school jazz band. There'd definitely be structured rehearsals, but the days that our director threw that all out the window and emphasized improvisation were the best.

We'd get to class, he'd tell us what song to pull out, and he'd just start us off like normal. Plod along, get to the usual solo section and the person slated to perform the solo does their own thing, but the director doesn't allow us out of those looped bars. Nope, without telling us, he points to the next person and has them solo. Then the next. Then the next.

Suddenly, we've reached the end of class and he finally lets us move on and finish the song after tons of people got a chance to work on their improv.

Yeah, we were in middle school and weren't top notch musicians or anything, but those still remain some of my favorite musical experiences.

[alan-hn]

Experimentation is a key part of learning how things work together, and when they don't. Having learning too structured can impair deeper understanding