people tend to forget that in the past, art 
  music performers tended to be good improvisers.  today, kids are not 
  usually taught improv in school... 
   
  ** lame, isn't it? i had comp teachers who definitely 
  looked down their noses at improv - - and, of course, cage and some 
  others also did as well: "we tried improvisation and it didn't work" is 
  the quote i remember hearing . . .