Contemporary Music Students' Experience of Improvisation in the Classroom

Contemporary Music Students' Experience of Improvisation in the Classroom

Improvisation is a central part of many contemporary musicians’ practices – from developing an accompaniment from chord symbols to ‘playing a solo’ in an ensemble. Despite the ubiquity of the practice, improvisation skill - outside of jazz programs – is seldom explicitly addressed in contemporary pop music curricula in Australia. This study took place over three years in a small music department in regional Queensland, Australia, where the researchers interviewed student musicians in an undergraduate contemporary music program. The purpose of this study was to collect participants’ ideas about how a one-semester course in improvisation influenced their ideas about musicianship. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews with participants after the course where many were encountering the structured practice of improvisation for the first time. The results capture a wide range of positive responses to the course material, describing changes in listening to and hearing music and how the study changed their understanding of ‘music theory’ and its role in practical music-making. Data was also captured concerning their challenges and apprehensions around the challenge to their musicianship and musical confidence prompted by improvisational activity.

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