In the article "Contemplating the nature of Adolescent Group Improvisations", Katrina McFerran-Skewes presents a learned and creative analysis of improvisation as a therapeutic tool with adolescent populations. McFerrran-Skewes's approach is rooted in a psycho-dynamic/developmental orientation that places choice, control, and freedom of expression/interpretation for the individual at the forefront of her improvisational interventions. Guided by this personal philosophy, her use of improvisation is free of structure and open-ended. For McFerran-Skewes, the use of rhythm and verbal processing were fundamental elements to her adolescent's group improvisations; the musical element of rhythm allowed the groups to connect musically and than verbal processing was utilized for the group to share there experiences in the more familiar medium of language (McFerran Skewes, 2003).
McFerran-Skewes's use of free improvisation (non-referential and unstructured) with her adolescent groups developed slowly in there early sessions:
The first two sessions found the participants unable to share a rhythmic ground, although by the second sessions attempts were being made. Session 3 sees the beginning of shared pulse playing although the changing speed proves too complicated for some (McFerran Skewes, 2003).
The difficulty experienced by the group in establishing an initial connection with free improvisation may have been reduced significantly if the group had already had some experience in improvising within an identifiable structure. Musically speaking, in Western Cultures, free improvisation is generally far removed from popular and classical music traditions and relegated to the territory of the Avant-garde, as the presence of dissonance, lack of structure, and atonality can be startling and disorienting to the unenlightened listener. Although this quality of music may be unfamiliar to the lay person, I do believe, that free improvisation can be an effective intervention with adolescent groups, but as a second or third step in there experience with group improvisation. In my opinion, if an individual were to gain exposure and experience in improvising music through more structured modes like referential improvisation (i.e. using themes of anger, sadness, joy, etc.) or musical form (as in jazz or the blues) the act of free improvisation would be less alien to the client and thus allowing for communication and a connection to occur faster in the music.
Jukko Tervo, in his article "Music Therapy with Adolescents", approaches improvisation with adolescent groups by structuring it into three stages: 1. the stage of interest, 2. the stage of learning, 3. the stage of improvisation. In the first stage, Tervo is hoping to foster a positive, creative, and inviting atmosphere in which adolescent clients would be independently motivated to participate in the improvised music experience. The second of Tervo's stages provides the adolescent with the experience and exposure to begin improvising music. For Tervo, this second stage, which is done individually with the therapist, lays the foundation for the therapeutic relationship, as the therapist assists the client in navigating the potentially unfamiliar and frustrating ground of creating music. The support the client receives from the therapist at this point in therapy is essential for Tervo, as he states "This is usually a very difficult feeling in adolescence as one must face so many fundamental developmental issues [when playing an instrument] which can't immediately be mastered or understood"(Tervo, 2005). The final stage is where the improvisations begin to happen in a "secure and supportive atmosphere" (Tervo, 2005), and the adolescents begin to create music together spontaneously.
The above model for adolescent group improvisation by Jukko Tervo provides the adolescent with a supported and guided path for improvising musically in a group. It is of note that Tervo does not only use free improvisation but also utilizes structured songs in which his clients can improvise over. The introduction that Tervo gives his clients in step two of his method is an important feature of this approach, I believe, as it familiarizes the clients with what potentially can be drastically unfamiliar territory. I do believe it is possible to orient adolescents to improvisation with out having individual sessions with each client prior to group therapy (as Tervo does), as for some music therapists, this will not be a logistically feasible option. It is my opinion that if a therapist were to introduce improvisation to a group through structured improvised interventions (i.e. referential improvisation, musical form, etc.) they would eventually be able to transition into the boundary-less domain of free improvisation with out having to encounter the confusion and frustration of not knowing what to do, and thus allowing for connection and communication to occur earlier in the music improvisation.
McFerran-Skewes, K (2003). Contemplating the Nature of Adolescent Group Improvisations. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved from https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/133/109
Tervo, J (2005). Music Therapy with Adolescents. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved from https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/216/160