Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0251 - Improviser's Orchestra

Collective improvisation is a powerful creative methodology in music making. Its roots go deep in the history of African-American culture, and its practitioners in our time are abundant across countries and cultures. This course will celebrate its use in creating artistic, political, and spiritual community, while taking a rigorous approach to exploring its aesthetic possibilities. The IOC is open to all instrumentalists, including voice and electronics. We welcome students from diverse musical lineages and experiences. The course requires weekly rehearsals outside of class with small groups, weekly listening and reading with periodic papers, and a commitment to weekly individual instrumental work. We work each week as a full orchestra, and will present a final concert of our work at the end of the semester.

Independent Work Prerequisite: This course is for third semester students and higher.