Course Description

Why do we improvise? When do improvise? How do we improvise? What kinds of skills does it take to improvise? How might consciously cultivating the skills of an improviser be useful to us regardless of what field we may pursue? What is the role and value of improvisation in our lives? The contemporary music genres of jazz, blues and various sub-genres and practices of creative jazz and improvisational music, all require that performers be able to make up music on the spot. In this course, we will study the complex and often mysterious phenomenon of improvisation as it applies to this music, as well as more diverse fields of study, and to our daily lives.

Creative Discovery Course Grant Experience

A Creative Discovery Grant was instrumental in supporting students in MU128, Now's the Time (How, When, and Why We Improvise) to engage in a deep and rich inquiry into the phenomenon, uses, and processes involved in improvisation. This allowed them to gain confidence in facing and working with the unknown and fostered cross-disciplinary thinking and problem-solving. The grant supported presentations and workshops with guest speakers from across campus and the larger community in the performing and visual arts, creative writing, comp lit, business management, EECS, community activism, ethnic studies, computer programming and the culinary arts through activities such as instrument building, musical score creation, sound practice, theater games, spontaneous poetry writing and recipe creation, and several musical performances, both by and for the students. THANK YOU!