Improvisational approaches: improvisation in composing, performing and working with assistive technologies

Between 2006 and 2013, whilst teaching together at University of South Wales in Cardiff, Challis and Smith adopted improvisation as a strategy for both performance and composition within a context of testing and calibrating new instruments for users with various abilities and needs; working towards the shared goal of musical inclusivity and participation. Challis’s background is in digital musical instrument design and accessibility and Smith’s background is in musical inclusion through, amongst other strategies, participation. This combination of research and practice was also used as a framework for teaching improvisation to Undergraduate Students in Popular Music where techniques, technologies being explored within the classroom were taken into a rich variety of community settings.