Dr. James Oshinsky is a psychologist, an educator, and a lifelong musician. He teaches improvisation at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY and serves on the staff of Music for People, a nonprofit promoting broad participation in music making. Jim is the author of Return to Child, a book detailing the humanistic approach to improvisation espoused by the late cellist David Darling, and of the Music Doctor Improv Cards, a tool for teaching small ensemble improvisation. A longtime advocate of community drumming, Jim has also written forewords for books by Arthur Hull and Simon Faulkner, identifying the ways their work applies to group leading and counseling in settings beyond the drum circle. Jim is interested in ways to integrate rhythmic, melodic and compositional aspects of improvisation. He maintains a library of resources for educators which he shares by request.
James is also the author of Simple and Daring, a book which uncovers the vast mystery of improvisation. Based on the pioneering improvisation workshops of the late cellist David Darling, Simple and Daring presents suggestions for teaching Social Music Improvisation to children and adults at all levels of ability and experience. There are specific ideas for incorporating improvisation into the common practices of band, orchestra, and chorus in schools.
