Collective Free Music Improvisation as a Sociocommunicative Endeavor: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article is a review of literature that conceptualizes the practice of collective free music improvisation as a sociocommunicative endeavor, with its appended value and implications to musicians and music learners. Researchers have revealed that this conceptualization breaks down cultural and stylistic music boundaries to establish understanding and empathy among diverse and unique performers—through live music interactions and communication on an egalitarian and evolving platform that is negotiated by all participants. To enable collective free music improvisation pedagogically, researchers have highlighted the importance and ways of approaching it as a form of social interactionism, developing a personal music language to converse fluently and meaningfully, and establishing shared understanding among fellow improvisers as the foundation for music interaction. Together, these pedagogical implications may be synergized to inform ways in which classroom free improvisational practices may nurture expressive and confident improvisers rooted in the reality of the moment, as well as in the music conversations with one’s self and others.

Musical Collaboration in Rhythmic Improvisation

“…Cross-cultural similarities in rhythmic patterns [ 39 , 40 ] further support the possibility. Unlike solo music, however, musical collaboration through improvisation requires the social exchanges of musical motifs with dynamic responses and adjustments [ 17 , 19 , 41 ]. The need for such complex interaction might be the reason why children are incapable of performing collaborative improvisation in music until later in life [ 42 ].…”

Learning collective free music improvisation as a socio-communicative endeavor: Preservice teachers’ journey in a teacher preparation course in Singapore

“…Abril's group also comprised Andy, Chloe, and Henry, while Adrienne's group also included Indra, Jared, Megan, and Valerie (all pseudonyms). I served as course facilitator given my prior experience as a practitioner, educator, and researcher in free music improvisation (e.g., Ng, 2014Ng, , 2019aNg, , 2019b.…”

The Value of Learning Collective Free Music Improvisation: Preservice Music Educators’ Perspectives

“…Participants were inexperienced improvisers willing to learn to freely improvise and conduct free improvisation lessons in their future classes. I served as the course instructor and facilitator, given my prior experience as a practitioner, educator, and researcher in free music improvisation (e.g., Ng, 2014Ng, , 2019aNg, , 2019b. At the start of the course, the PMTs formed two groups with member names being pseudonyms.…”

“…The course also drew from Augustyniak's (2011Augustyniak's ( , 2015 recommendation for both formal and informal pedagogies to be incorporated in an improvisation curriculum to address diverse student learning needs. The concepts and skills introduced in the course were based on my literature review (Ng, 2019a) on the enablers of CFMI, categorized under sociointeractive skills, music language, and shared understanding. Each improvisation session ended with my leading a focus group where PMTs discussed how their learning experiences informed their understanding of CFMI in music and music education.…”

“…When free improvisers perform collectively, they make real-time attempts to communicate with each other to sustain music congruence, allowing music material to emerge through spontaneous sociomusical interactions and the changing contexts of music-making. Hence, collective free music improvisation (CFMI) can be conceptualized predominantly as a socio-communicative endeavor (Ng, 2019a).…”