Experimentation in Improvised Jazz: Chasing Ideas challenges the notion that in the twenty-first century, jazz can be restrained by a singular, static definition. The worldwide trend for jazz to be marginalised by the mainstream music industry, as well as conservatoriums and schools of music, runs the risk of stifling the innovative and challenging aspects of its creativity. The authors argue that to remain relevant, jazz needs to be dynamic, proactively experimental, and consciously facilitate new ideas to be made accessible to an audience broader than the innovators themselves. Experimentation in Improvised Jazz explores key elements of experimental jazz music in order to discern ways in which the genre is developing.
The book begins with an overview of where, when and how new ideas in free and improvised jazz have been created and added to the canon, developing the genre beyond its initial roots. It moves on to consider how and why musicians create free and improvised jazz; the decisions they make while playing. What are they responding to? What are they depending on? What are they thinking? The authors analyse and synthesise the creation of free jazz by correlating the latest research to the reflections provided by some of the world's greatest jazz innovators for this project. Finally, the book examines how we respond to free and improvised jazz: artistically, critically and personally. Free jazz is, the book argues, an environment that develops through experimentation with new ideas.
A new report by the Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) takes on the difficult task of articulating the value of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) disciplines to Australia's future. The report, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Degrees: Powering Workforce Transformation Through Creativity, Critical Thinking and Human Interaction, reviews recent literature and analysis to present the case for a greater understanding of how HASS skills are becoming increasingly relevant to our future workforce.
University of Melbourne Vice President (Engagement) Adrian Collette AM has been announced as the incoming CEO of the Australia Council for the Arts. Adrian has extensive arts leadership experience including 16 years as CEO of Opera Australia and as Managing Director of Reed Books, Elsevier. He has been a member of the Australia Council Board since 2013. He will take up the CEO position in January 2019.
The first issue is available at: https://australianmultilingualwriting.org/issue-1/amwp-issue-1/.
63% of grants awarded to female artists.
A recent research report, Time to Listen, commissioned by Arts Council England and produced by the University of Nottingham, has revealed the need for urgent changes in arts and culture provision in schools. The three-year study Tracking Arts Learning and Engagement, gathered data from over 6000 11-18 year olds and their teachers, and reinforces the positive impact that arts and cultural learning has on student confidence, creativity, wellbeing, empathy and independent thinking, yet it reveals that school is the only avenue for arts engagement for over one third of students.
"We all have a role to play in securing high quality access to the arts and culture for young people. This research tells us how valuable arts subjects and experiences are for students in schools - but it also tells us they are under significant threat. I call on Vice Chancellors across the country to play our part in securing the future of arts subjects in schools and universities by ensuring they are appropriately valued in our institutions. I ask Russell Group universities to review their approach to facilitating subjects and ensure we aren't inadvertently telling young people that choosing arts subjects at A Level will close down their options."