ATS2307 · Creative improvisation in music practice

Overview

You will explore improvisation as a central practice in contemporary music-making. Improvisation has been at the heart of the development of music of many genres, and this unit provides an environment in which students of varied musical interests and backgrounds can explore the role and potential of improvisation in your own practice and developing artistic identity.You will examine key concepts and theories of improvisation, including creativity, interaction, trust, freedom, listening, and decision-making, and investigate how these ideas shape the ways in which musicians generate and develop musical material in real time. Through practical workshops and collaborative music-making, you will explore improvisation as a process of musical dialogue in which performers respond to one another, make choices, and shape musical outcomes collectively. Emphasis is placed on attentive listening, responsiveness, and the confidence to explore musical ideas through experimentation and creative risk-taking. The unit integrates conceptual understanding with musical practice. You will engage with theoretical perspectives on improvisation and apply them through collaborative performance, developing their ability to initiate ideas, respond to others, and shape musical form in the moment. While improvisation is explored primarily through music, the unit also recognises improvisation as a broader human activity that informs how we think, respond, socialise, and adapt in creative situations.

Areas of study: Critical performance studies Music

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Analyse and explain key concepts, strategies and techniques of musical improvisation and their role in a range of performing arts practice;
2. Critically evaluate the role of improvisation in contemporary music performance and broader disciplinary, cultural, and ecological contexts, drawing on relevant theoretical and practical perspectives;
3. Create and present original performance work that demonstrates improvisational processes through interactive listening and informed creative decision-making in both individual and collaborative performance contexts.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.