Improvisation, Enaction, and Self-Assessment

Abstract

This chapter explores the challenging question of curriculum and assessment for music improvisation pedagogy. It begins by offering a critical review of standard approaches to improvisation pedagogy, arguing that they often neglect the processes of discovery and collaboration that more open or “free” approaches afford. It then discusses the challenges that free improvisation poses to traditional modes of practice and assessment in music education. The chapter considers the argument that improvisation, in its fullest sense, cannot be taught and assessed according to standardized models; it is not something to be inculcated in students, but rather is a fundamental disposition that should be nu..