A World of Possibilities - Master Lessons in Organ Improvisation (Jeffrey Brillhart)

From the Preface:

"Over a decade ago, I began a lovely adventure teaching organ improvisation at Yale University. When I started my teaching career, I had no idea that my work with dozens of talented graduate students would lead to the publishing in 2011 of my first book, Breaking Free. Nor did I anticipate how much I would grow to love teaching, or that it would become one of the greatest passions in my life.My heartfelt thanks go to Professor Martin Jean and Thomas Murray for their support of my work at Yale University and for entrusting their students to me.

Having used Breaking Free as a teaching resource at Yale in workshops and with private students, I eventually realized that there was room for another book. Whereas Breaking Free functions as a sourcebook for improvisation exercises and ideas, A World of Possibilities serves as a companion to Breaking Free, taking the form of teaching units, each with several detailed assignments. These assignments come from the experience of using Breaking Free in my teaching, where I have experienced firsthand what works most effectively in learning how to improvise.

I once heard renowned Swiss organist and improviser Rudolf Lutz describe his students as a garden and himself, as the gardener. I also like the analogy of a science laboratory. While some experiments might yield less than expected, most teach a great deal. Perhaps the experiment will lead to a moment of self-discovery. Perhaps it will inform the student about what nearly worked. Perhaps it will lead to a wholly new direction of exploration."