Inside the collaborative inter-arts improvisatory process: Tertiary music students’ perspectives

Abstract

While research has explored aspects of inter-arts collaboration at professional and primary level, there is little on inter-arts collaboration in the tertiary environment. This article explores aspects of the learning of tertiary music students undertaking a short-term collaborative inter-arts improvisation project with dance and theater peers, focusing on how and what learning occurs within the inter-arts collaborative improvisatory environment and the role of the individual in collaboration. Collaboration occurred most commonly through a homogeneous style within a complementary or co-equal approach. A rationale and structural elements, time, space and resources were important and learning occurred through different styles of dialogue – verbal, especially ‘cumulative’ in style, music and movement. The literature and the study’s findings noted several stages in the transformation of existing knowledge and of the individual through collaborative activities, and the majority of responses were in the first levels. This information could serve as a guide for teachers of tertiary collaborative inter-arts improvisation for the type of planning needed in relation to student levels, structure, time, project design, space and resources, and the learning likely to occur.