Music as Collaboration

Collaboration lies at the heart of music practice and production. While acknowledging ‘the great composers’ and the DIY (Do It Yourself) recording movement has often redirected focus toward the individual, music remains, fundamentally, a deeply social activity. This course brings music students together to build on their existing skills on how diverse musical practices can be blended, with musicians assuming multiple roles while collaborating in an inclusive environment. Students will develop a creative, innovative, and original project that challenges their existing skills and pushes them beyond their artistic comfort zones. Through this process, students will learn to work effectively across stylistic, interpersonal, and technical contexts. They will also navigate the challenges that can arise in a collective creative process, where compromises and collaboration foster growth and unexpected solutions. These challenges will be viewed as opportunities to build adaptability, and a deeper understanding of the creative process. Students will also engage with critical perspectives on creativity, collaboration, and innovation in music. In groups, they will collaborate to develop a large-scale project, delivered either through a live performance or as a set of recorded works. Collaborations may change from semester to semester. They may include but are not limited to: Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Choir, Piano Duo, Contemporary Classical Ensemble, Rock Band, Pop Ensemble, Soul Band, Funk Band, R&B Vocal Group, Indie Band, Alternative Band, Metal Band, Singer-Songwriter Collective, Jazz Combo, Big Band, Free Improvisation Ensemble, Jazz Vocal Group, Electroacoustic Ensemble, Laptop Orchestra, Experimental Noise Collective, Live Looping Ensemble, Folk Band, Bluegrass Ensemble, Global Musics Group, Cross-genre Fusion Ensemble, Multimodal Performance Group. In these groups, students may contribute in one or more ways, including performing on an instrument, music direction, composing pieces, or recording pieces. Students may complete this course twice for a maximum credit value of 12 units, provided a different type of collaboration is taken in each instance/semester. Please note that the course content, assessment structure, and reading list may change depending on the collaboration and the expertise of the lecturer convening the course. Please refer to the class summary for the specific term in which you wish to enrol for a detailed description.