Improbasen is a center in Oslo, where children can learn about jazz and improvised music. We operate all around the world, you can visit us, and we can visit you.
We engage deeply in developing networks for musicians, educators and all good people dedicated this this field.
We have developed teaching methods based on combining handcraft with creativity, ear training, and comunication, aiming to make children enjoying music. Our regular students are between 7 og 14 years old. They all get weekly training in harmony, chord progressions ear training and various approaches to improvisation.
The students benefit a lot from always being able to practise what they learn during individual lessons in a band context, thus turning their training into a social experience. The students also do several monthly performances on some of the best venues for jazz in Norway, including Nasjonal Jazzscene.
Many of the foremost jazz musicians in Scandinavia and Europe have visited us to share their knowledge. We have cooperation partners all over Europe, in Japan and in South America.
The concept gets a lot of attention from the music business. It seems also that starting at this early age, enables us to recruit a lot of female instrumentalits, thus contributing cosiderably to the gender balance in jazz. Music researchers have studied the methods, and a major work about it will be published on Routeledge during November 2020.
Improbasen has also established the international festival "Kids in Jazz" that takes place in Oslo every August, gathering youg talents from around 12 countries including Japan and South America.
We do a lot of workshops for children, colleagues and teachers, including presentations on Universities and conferences. We always appreciate being contacted by colleagues and new friends.