Improvisation Vs Structure

I have recently started work at a prison, working with prisoners with mental health conditions and learning difficulties, in two seperate groups. As a foundation for the sessions, I am using African drums, and drumming within a teaching style, even though the context is very clearly therapeutic. Having a foundation such as the drumming provides a safe, masculine and creative basis for the work. I thought that prisoners could then develop their musical and verbal self expression away from the drumming, should they wish, and return it to as and when they choose.

The initial sessions have been amazing, and really exceeded my expectations, and my fears. We used the blues as a song structure after the drumming naturally developed into vocalising/chanting. The blues gives a really great strong and set structure, and also a free space for improvisation within the lyrics.

For example:

I woke up this morning (structure)
Got outta bed (structure)
I miss my baby (improvised)
can't get her outta my head (improvised)

I woke up this morning
Got outta bed
how my gonna keep going
without a place to rest my head

(these lyrics are mine, and not the prisoners own work, to protect confidentiality)

This technique was first introduced to me at the 2005 World Congress of Music Therapy in Brisbane by Joseph Moreno. Further info about it and him can be found through the following links

microblues

It seems in this work, and I wondered if in our lives and businesses too, keeping open a space that is free and available for improvisation within a firm structured foundation makes amazing things happen, or at least keeps open the possibility of them happening.