Innovation Through Creative Improvisation Workshop

BERKELEY, Calif. - Feb. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- You don't have to be a musician or jazz artist to reap the benefits of creativity. With simple exercises that incorporate music, sound, language, movement, and rhythm you’ll learn to be spontaneous and inventive. These skills can reduce inhibition and crank up innovative ideas. Not only that but now science has caught up to what every "artist" already knows, it's good for your brain!

According to an article in the Creativity Post by Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., "If we are to understand the underlying mechanisms of creative production, what is important is not so much the context for which the result was produced, but rather the hypothesis that creative thinking can lead to different types of inventions and disparate processe." What this means is the more one is engaged in an activity that inspires creativity, the more one can connect to the creative process. Using these types of musical and spontaneous exercises would appear to be beneficial in not only the creative process but perhaps in helping with life issues as well including; grounding, being in the moment, problem solving, communication and teamwork.

The workshop will be taught by professional educator and musician Ellen Johnson who discovered that the same exercises she's been using for building her music and acting improvisational skills kept her and her students spontaneously creative in both work and life. For the last 30 years she's been performing and studying with some world class improvisational jazz innovators (Bobby McFerrin, Sheila Jordan, and Charles McPherson among many others) along with her many years doing acting improvisation. "I have seen amazing things happen to people from allowing themselves to let go using music and theater games," said Johnson. "Music and the arts are one of the best ways to stimulate the brain to be creative, focused, intuitive and even meditative. Not to mention it's an enjoyable way to get there."

Ellen Johnson will be giving a workshop, Innovation Through Creative Improvisation, on Sunday, February 23rd from noon to 3:00 pm at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA. Advanced registration is $50 and the day of the workshop is $60. www.jazzschool.org

Call the Jazzschool at 510-845-5373 or register online at: http://jazzschool.org/event/innovation-creative-improvisa...

creativity is a fundamental activity of human information processing - See more at: http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/musical_creativity_and...