Improvisation in Brazil: A study of the free music improvisation scene in Brazil (January - June 2014)

As part of the 2013 HEA Professor Sir Ron Cooke International Scholarship, I was invited to carry out research at several universities in Brazil. These included the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the University of São Paulo (USP), The Federal University in Bahia (UFBA), and the Federal University in Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (UFMG).
I investigated two of the most radical elements entering the higher education music curricula – technology and improvisation. Specifically, I sought to examine the teaching practices of free improvisation and the use of digital technologies in Brazilian higher education music systems.
The work commenced in January 2014 and concluded in June 2014.
I documented over 50 video interviews with a range of musicians from across the above mentioned universities, as well as with musicians working outside of the academy.