Recommended Reading
Improvisation is a vital skill for any musician. When performing or composing music the emphasis should always be on creativity and the practice of improvisation is the best way of improving your creativity. From Bach to Messian, from Art Tatum to Keith Jarrett; great musicians are often great improvisers.
When studying Jazz Piano improvisation is vital. Essentially one should aim to be constantly improvising when performing, whether that be in the form of a solo or interpritation of a melody; or in comping behind a soloist or melody. Therefore the remit of a teacher should be to provide the student with a basis in theory to draw from and the ability to realise what they hear when improvising.
When Studying Composition it is vital to come from a moment of improvisation when forming a new piece of music. The role of a teacher is to provide the student with the ability to expand these improvised ideas into a piece of music, based on theory and developed intuition.
