Compovisation
Course / Workshop collective musical creation
by Diego Kohn
Composer / violinist / improviser
Course developed during my Master studies in free improvisation at the Musik Hochschule in Basel
Fundamentation
This idea works as a course or workshop for any type of music institution either independent groups. It is intended for musicians and / or music students of different levels and genres that are interested in a creative and collective practice of music. Recipients can be an ad-hoc assembly or assemblies already formed as well as composers, instrumentalists, improvisers and sound artists in general.
The course is offered as a platform for collective experimentation. The main objective of the course is to provide an open system-game-language of musical organization so the course participants can experiment, create or develop their own language.
All these ideas are developed on the grounds of the practice of free improvisation on the one hand and the teaching of a sign language and a glossary of graphics on the other. Systems of signs and graphics are open to be enriched according to the needs of the group. Modern musical events including multimedia and new technologies are also considered.
This course covers knowledge and experience from free improvisation, conduct music and composition processes in real time and deferred time. However, concepts of individual composition applied to the collective creation is also considered as part of research and development. The exchange of views, discussions and feedbacks are present throughout the course.
The course of Compovisation aims to:
- Develop tools to stimulate individual and collective musical creation.
- Create favorable conditions for the search and experimentation in music.
- Help to develop a language or style of a musical group.
- Encourage communication skills among participants.
It is important to note that this course is not called «improvisation» or «improvisation assisted by signs» although improvisation (free, patterned, individual or group) as the conduction signs are a solid part of the experience on which the system of this course is based. However, the course aims to go beyond the improvisation or the practice of a system of signs, trying to be used as a tool in constant development, accomplishing important aspects of music performance, composition spontaneous or in real-time and deep listening.
Diego Kohn
