KSMUS 223 — Creative Improvisation

2 credits
Spring
Faculty

Prerequisite: KSMUS 211 . The final phase of the keyboard skills sequence. This course introduces students to diverse improvisation frameworks for the keyboard, exploring models from Baroque to contemporary music (Bach, Schubert, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Ligeti) as well as ideas and models from the World-Music and Free-Jazz traditions (including modal improvisation, rhythmic textures, and speech melodies). Students will develop a wide vocabulary of improvised material, gaining the ability to quickly react to musical decisions while developing confidence, naturalness, and aesthetic insight.