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1University of Jyväskylä, Finland; 2University of Edinburgh, UK
Positionality has been increasingly proposed as important for researchers’ and music educators to recognise and reflect on, as their experiences, beliefs and values may influence curriculum design and pedagogical activities. We argue that this is even more pertinent for those teaching improvisation due to the learning outcomes often being more open and the stark differences in approaches to teaching for, and assessing of creativity. In addition, the professional creative field of improvisation intersects with different art genres and art forms; consequently a wide range of practices, and musical references may inform those who teach improvisation.
Drawing on research on positionality (Avecedo et al., 2015; Noel & Paiva, 2021) and improvisation pedagogy (Siljamäki & Kanellopoulos, 2020), this workshop encourages participants to explore social and musical positionings by reflecting on how their view of improvisation and the classroom influences the practices and choices made in the pedagogical moment of improvising. The workshop includes demonstrations, individual and group exercises and reflective discussions. At the beginning of the workshop, we will negotiate guidelines for a safe space collaboratively.
The workshop is designed by two interdisciplinary researchers and experienced improvisation pedagogues keen on facilitating understandings of positionality and its’ influences.
We acknowledge that the potential for improvisation to create spaces where diverse voices can be heard inherently is not given (Henley, 2018; Mwamba & Johansen, 2021) but guided by, for example, the teacher’s chosen orientation in improvisational activities towards creative, musical, social or wellbeing goals (see Siljamäki & Kanellopoulos, 2020). We also propose that these choices come with different power dynamics (e.g., in how much choice a student has) which also may support or hinder the ways in which diversity is heard, recognised and developed.
In this workshop, we aim to collaboratively construct a platform for understanding the complexities and importance of positionalities as pedagogues.
