Striking a Chord: Music Improv @ The Focus Theater
Written by Tommy Delp
Some things just go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Eggs and bacon. Cookies and milk.
If those pairings make you too hungry, why not try music and improv?
This December, join Kat Kuo for the Music Improv Boot Camp and its accompanying show, These Boots are Made for Improv-in’!
Hitting the Right Note
Music-based improv comedy comes in various flavors. For many people, the first thing they think of is a fully improvised musical, with singing, dancing, and an overarching story.
There are also plenty of other ways to incorporate music into improv though. On Whose Line Is It Anyway?, music is often used as a part of various short-form games, such as Hoedown and Greatest Hits.
That being said, even seasoned improvisers are sometimes intimidated by music-based improv, but just like any other skill, it can be mastered with patience and practice. In a way, it branches off traditional improv and just layers additional concepts on top, such as rhythm and melody.
If you like singing and have a basic understanding of improv, the Music Improv Boot Camp is for you.
Why singing though? What does it add that can’t be accomplished in a traditional improv scene?
For Kuo, the singing aspect allows an improviser to take their character work one step further.
“You are singing to help heighten the emotional moment in a scene,” Kuo said. “When you look at a Broadway musical, a character sings when they are so full up to the top with feelings that they can't do anything else.”
For many people, the thought of having to rhyme their lines throws them off, but Kuo believes that’s secondary to embracing these strong emotional moments.
“I don't care if anybody in my class ever rhymes … because what matters the most is that they figure out what the emotional hook is, and they sing about it,” Kuo said.
In a way, this is the core of music-based improv and what keeps it connected to other forms of comedy.
“The whole point of improvised storytelling is that you hook your audience in emotionally, and that they care about you, how you're feeling, and how your character is feeling,” Kuo said.
The members of Mouth Harpo. Clockwise from top left: Shaun Jones, Kat Kuo, Dakota Hinchman.
Getting the Band Together
The Music Improv Boot Camp is a two-week intensive on all of the above.
Kuo has been doing improv since 1998 and has focused on music-based play during her time as a member of ComedySportz Buffalo. She will be leading the workshop with the help of multi-instrumentalist and accompanist, Shaun Jones.
As previously mentioned, minimal experience is required to sign up for the boot camp, but anyone who does should at least understand the basics of improv.
“You should know what a scene is,” Kuo said. “And you should understand the concept of going on stage as a character.”
The class culminates in a graduation show that also features Kuo and Jones’ music-based improv troupe, Mouth Harpo.
Their set, which takes the form of an improvised concert, is an eclectic mix of short- and long-form improv. Kuo, Jones, and their fellow bandmate, Dakota Hinchman, take on the roles of indie rock stars.
“The audience tells us the names of their favorite songs by us that we then turn around and perform right in front of them,” Kuo said.
Mouth Harpo is a great example of how music-based improv allows the audience to interact with the performers in a way that is completely different from traditional improv.
“It’s the joy of making music together and then making the audience feel like it’s a part of it,” Kuo said.
If that sounds like fun, consider signing up for the Music Improv Boot Camp, which meets on Wednesday, December 3rd and December 10th, from 6 PM to 8 PM. The graduation show, These Boots are Made for Improv-in’, is on Friday, December 12th.