I know what you are thinking:
1. “Where have you been?”
2. “I hate seeing that your recent posts are all Weekly Tweet archives.”
3. “What does Bossypants have to do with anything music related? Isn’t that the point of your site?’
My answers:
1. Grad schooling! But have no fear, I’m only taking 2 Maymester courses at night so I will have more time to do more creative things and write about music! Unfortunately, I’ve been a ghost at #MusEdChat, and will unfortunately have to remain as one as my class is on Monday nights. BUMMER! But alas, I shall return eventually! I miss enriching my mind with music conversation!
2. Me too. It’s pretty lame. I’m hoping to change that very soon, and now!
3. The book itself has nothing to do with music, but a lot of Tina Fey’s career advice is relatable to other creative fields!
So here it is!
I’m a huge Tina Fey fan. I think she’s a great writer, and I love her style of comedy. I did improv in high school, and it was one of my favorite experiences because I truly feel that it shaped the person I am today. There are incredibly valuable skills in improv that can apply to any career involving creativity and/or collaboration.
The first rule of improvisation is to agree and say yes. If two people are starting a scene and it goes like this:
Person 1: Oh my gosh, is that a blimp in the sky??
Person 2: No…that’s just a big cloud.
…then you have a really poor, and awkward scene. It can’t go anywhere! However, if it goes like this:
Person 1: Oh my gosh, is that a blimp in the sky??
Person 2: YES…and I don’t want to frighten you…but your dog is on it but I can’t tell you why right now…
…then you have agreed that there is in fact a blimp in the sky, and that Person 2 knows it’s deal. Tina Fey explains it perfectly:
Now, obviously in real life you’re not always going to agree with everything everyone says. But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to “respect what your partner has created” and to at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a YES and see where that takes you. As an improviser, I always find it jarring when I meet someone in real life whose first answer is no. “No, we can’t do that.” “No, that’s not in the budget.” “No, I will not hold your hand for a dollar.” What kind of what is that to live?
-Tina Fey, Bossypants
The next rule is to say “yes, and.” If the conversation goes something like this:
Person 1: I can’t believe Taylor Swift is coming to my birthday party!
Person 2: I know, right!?
…then that also brings them to an awkward halt. But if Person 2 had their game on, the conversation could go like:
Person 1: I can’t believe Taylor Swift is coming to my birthday party!
Person 2: I know, especially when we already invited Kanye West…now what are we going to do??
…then there is suddenly a plot and they need to figure out what on earth they are going to do with Taylor and Kanye in the same room. Tina Fey translates this step as not being afraid to contribute. (Aside: Is it weird that I address her by her full name every time? I can’t help it, she’s just one of those people I guess!) It is each party’s responsibility to contribute!
The next rule of improv is to make statements. Asking questions all the time puts a lot of pressure on the other party. Tina..Fey.. puts it best saying:
Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles. We’ve all worked with that person. That person is a drag.
And the best part of all these rules? There are no mistakes. I love this. You just can’t be wrong! Sure, maybe you could be a little absurd, but it just can’t be wrong! Tina Fey summarizes:
In improv there are no mistakes, only beautiful accidents.
There is so much we can all learn from a little improv lesson. We live and work in a world where collaboration is becoming a great force in various advancements, especially in Music Education. We work together to advocate, we collaborate on projects, we perform together, and now we are having global discussions and exchanging ideas. An improvised scene with one actor could be minimally effective, but it’s guaranteed movement with more than one. We cannot be heard advocating for our programs alone. We cannot continue to develop and advance our profession without exchanging knowledge and ideas. Basically, we cannot work alone.
Working with others, and knowing how to be worked with are two important lessons for any professional. Nobody wants to work with the close-minded, or the “debbie downer.” Embrace the knowledge and contributions of your colleagues! Sure, not everyone is going to contribute gold to every project or conversation, but it can certainly be a stepping stone to where you need to go.
And lastly, improvisation encourages creativity. It doesn’t REQUIRE it, though! I love a creative process, and improv is quite an interesting one. In the acting sense, your scene begins and ends in a span of 5-10 minutes. Seeing what you start with and where you end up is always an entertaining ride. But how great? Instant results of your creativity! It worked. It didn’t. It was hilarious. It was embarrassing. The crowd wants more. The crowd got up and left. Good or bad, you know exactly where you stand and what needs to happen next! Though our situations may not provide “instant” results, they will absolutely provide accurate results. The fundraiser you planned for your program wasn’t as much of a hit as you wanted it to be. What next? Your school decided to keep your program because of your team of advocates. What next?
Think about the rules of improvisation the next time you are tackling a new project. It may work to your advantage!
And if you love to laugh, read Bossypants. It is hilariously ridiculous.
This work by Lindsay Morelli is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
