Outline

Overview

This unit continues to develop through performance and investigation into experimental modes of presentation, to help students develop vital aural and improvisational skills which will significantly enhance their compositional process. As the student gains experience improvising, skills are developed for making informed 'split-second' decisions based on intuition and musical responsiveness. The ‘Sounds of Surprise’ performance provides a thrilling close to this essentially two semester experience of spontaneous music creation.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Composition and Music Technology
Credit points	3
Prerequisites ?	CMPN1000
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Daniel Rojas, daniel.rojas@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Contribution	Engagement & Contribution Assessed based on in-class participation, listening, preparedness, punctuality, risk-taking, and verbal contributions over the semester.	30%	Multiple weeks	Ongoing, assessed holistically	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Portfolio or journal	Creative & Reflective Portfolio A curated submission including a written reflection, a creative prompt/design for group improvisation, and peer feedback summary. Optional short audio/video solo example to support written reflection.	35%	STUVAC	ca. 500–700 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
In-person practical, skills, or performance task or test	Early Learning Task – Improvisation Participation & Reflection Short ensemble improvisation task during class plus brief reflective statement.	5%	Week 03	Approx. 10–15 min (in-class)	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
In-person practical, skills, or performance task or test	Final Ensemble Performance Final group and/or small ensemble improvisation presented in a live setting. Assessed on listening, collaboration, creativity, and professionalism.	30%	Week 13	Approx. 15–20 min (in-class during Week	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Performances, Engagement & Contribution, Creative & Reflective Portfolio.

Assessment criteria

The following assessment criteria are used for performance work in this unit of study:

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Comprehensive and outstanding technical control and musical integrity in relation to developmental expectations. Musical individuality consistently projected to create a persuasive personal representation of the work. Performance flair indicative of soloist standard. A mark of 95 or above indicates extraordinary technical virtuosity and musical artistry.
Distinction	75 - 84	Excellent technical, musical and stylistic achievement. Consistently coherent and expressive performance. Some personal interpretation of the work suggesting soloist potential.
Credit	65 - 74	Confident technique with evidence of solid musicality and some stylistic achievement. Occasional lapses indicative of unresolved technical, artistic and/or stylistic issues. Projects potential for further development.
Pass	50 - 64	Satisfactory level of preparation and musical engagement. Some inconsistencies in musicianship, style and/or technique. Musical imagination and overall performance sense developing though some insecurity in this area.
Fail	0 - 49	Unsatisfactory technical achievement and/or unsatisfactory level of musical and artistic engagement. Limitations may be of such a scale and consistency as to call into question the student’s future direction in the programme.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction – Listening, Presence, and the Meaning of Improvisation. Lecture: the cultural, historical, and personal dimensions of improvisation. Discuss workflow and protocols.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	The Body and mind as the first Instruments. Exploration of embodiment in improvisation. Awareness exercises, instrumental gesture, composure, and ensemble performance.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Composing in Real Time. Discussion on what it means to compose through improvisation. Introduction of form-building and motivic development in ensemble improvisation. Early Learning Task assessment.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Deep Listening and Environmental Awareness. Exercises and reflections inspired by Pauline Oliveros and acoustic ecology. Ensemble work focusing on listening to space, texture, and silence.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Freedom Within Form. Constraint-based improvisation. Explore structures such as games, cues, and modal systems. Ensemble performances using guided structures.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Silence, Breath, and Timing. Working with silence, restraint, and intentionality. Cultural perspectives on silence in improvisation. Ensemble performance with minimalist cues.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Improvisation and Personal Identity. Reflections on personal voice, cultural inheritance, and individuality in musical expression. Mid-semester group improvisations and dialogue.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Improvisation in Dialogue. Reframing improvisation as an act of generosity. Peer-led ensemble prompts and shared creation. Student-generated structures tested in group performance.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Defining Your Improvisational Language. Students articulate their improvisational vocabulary and influences. Class shares and responds. Ensemble performance based on personal voice maps.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Toward Performance: Ensemble Unity and Intent. Focus on refining ensemble interaction, responsiveness, and clarity of interaction ahead of the final performance. Students explore multiple approaches, strengthen musical communication, and rehearse with an openness to evolving ideas and possibilities.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Final Rehearsals and Artistic Consolidation. Further ensemble exploration, rehearsal, and refinement ahead of the final performance. Students revisit approaches developed throughout the semester, consolidate ensemble awareness, and clarify their collective improvisational strengths—without pre-determining outcomes.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Final Ensemble Performance – Assessed. Public performance at Con Café. Assessed on creativity, listening, collaboration, and professionalism.	Lecture (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Full (100 per cent) and punctual attendance is a requirement in all activities where students have a role as active participants in the class or activity. Active participation includes situations where the student's contribution is to perform, rehearse, or direct rehearsals in a small or large ensemble, or to give seminar and tutorial papers or presentations or undertake assessment tasks. Active participation also includes all one-to-one studio teaching and supervision. Except in cases of illness or misadventure, failure to attend activities or classes where a student is an active participant will be seen as failure to meet the requirements of the unit of study.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 3 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 60-75 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate the ability to improvise with awareness, creativity, and responsiveness particularly in ensemble contexts, drawing on a developing personal musical vocabulary
LO2. Engage in collaborative musical dialogue with openness, sensitivity, and generosity, showing an ability to listen deeply and contribute constructively to group improvisations
LO3. Consider and reflect on a range of global and historical improvisatory traditions, recognising their distinct vocabularies, cultural contexts, and compositional frameworks, with a view to integrating relevant elements into one’s own evolving musical language.
LO4. Articulate the characteristics of one’s own evolving musical language using appropriate terminology for describing rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre, texture, and form
LO5. Apply improvisational strategies to explore compositional thinking, including form-building, motivic development, constraint-based creation, and real-time decision-making
LO6. Contribute thoughtfully to verbal and written discussions on improvisation, demonstrating curiosity, critical reflection, and a respectful engagement with the work of others
LO7. Develop an embodied understanding of musical expression by cultivating awareness of the body as the primary instrument through which improvisation is performed and experienced.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

A revised course in all aspects.

Additional information

Suggested & Recommended Reading Only:

Acosta, R. (2018). Experimentation and improvisation in Bogotá at the end of the twentieth century. In Experimentalisms in practice: Music perspectives from Latin America (pp. 227–250). Oxford University Press.

Borgo, D. (2005). Sync or swarm: Improvising music in a complex age. Continuum.

Cox, C., & Warner, D. (Eds.). (2004). Audio culture: Readings in modern music. Continuum.

Gorton, D., & Östersjö, S. (2016). Negotiating musical relationships: Improvisation in Western and non-Western traditions. Music & Practice, 4.

Lewis, G. E. (2004). Improvised music after 1950: Afrological and Eurological perspectives. In D. Fischlin & A. Heble (Eds.), The other side of nowhere: Jazz, improvisation, and communities in dialogue (pp. 131–162). Wesleyan University Press.

Oliveros, P. (2005). Deep listening: A composer’s sound practice. iUniverse.

Solis, G., & Nettl, B. (Eds.). (2009). Musical improvisation: Art, education, and society. University of Illinois Press.

Lehmann, A. C., Sloboda, J. A., & Woody, R. H. (2007). Psychology for musicians: Understanding and acquiring the skills. Oxford University Press.

Bailey, D. (1993). Improvisation: Its nature and practice in music. Da Capo Press.

Burnard, P. (2012). Musical creativities in practice. Oxford University Press.

Borgo, D. (2007). Free jazz in the classroom: An ecological approach to music education. Jazz Perspectives, 1(1), 61–88.

Manuel, P. (1998). Improvisation in Latin dance music: History and style. In B. Nettl & M. Russell (Eds.), In the course of performance: Studies in the world of musical improvisation (pp. 128–150). University of Chicago Press.

Nettl, B., & Russell, M. (1998). In the course of performance: Studies in the world of musical improvisation. University of Chicago Press.

Nachmanovitch, S. (1990). Free play: Improvisation in life and art. Tarcher/Putnam.

Peters, G. (2017). The philosophy of improvisation. University of Chicago Press.

Dreyfus, L. (1996). Bach and the patterns of invention. Harvard University Press.

Nooshin, L. (2003). Improvisation as “other”: Creativity, knowledge and power—The case of Iranian classical music. Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 128(2), 242–296.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

CMPN1003: Composition Through Improvisation 2

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links