Study Levels: Undergraduate
Faculty: Richard Thomas, Mark Armstrong, Paul Robinson, Tim Watts
Royal College of Music
The Art of Improvisation
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is aimed at both composer/performers and Principal Study Performers who have an existing command of their instrument but would like to develop improvisational skills. A prerequisite for opting for this course is a willingness to go outside of your comfort zone. The course is mainly assessed through submitted recordings of improvisations within the following headings: Jazz Improvisation (Mark Armstrong), Baroque ornamentation (Richard Thomas), Sonic Meditations (Tim Watts) and Improvising to external stimuli (Paul Robinson). Those of you with existing experience of improvising will be encouraged to select an option unfamiliar to you. Although the practical side of the course is based in practices from Western Music, the asynchronous content will consider improvisational practices in a wider global context.