Open Improvisation Lab

Open Improvisation Lab – a series of improvised performances by members of the public – open to anyone to join! Bring an instrument, sing, dance, recite poetry, or otherwise creatively contribute to a night of freely improvised music and multimedia expression. Hosted every other Monday at Bantha Tea Bar.

Community Agreements

We want to create a space for people from different backgrounds, with all different levels and types of musical training, to improvise together. This means we will navigate collective sound making while doing our best to let go of musical underlying assumptions and remain open to process. We can ask the questions: What does the sound want to be? What feels interesting to us? How can we have a positive conversation across traditions / cultures / backgrounds / levels of training? To ensure this is successful, we want to introduce 5 community agreements that will help make this event one that is welcoming and free of negative judgment.

  1. We agree to approach one another with openness, respect, and kindness. You do not have to like everything that everyone does, but we do ask that you are respectful of others’ aesthetic choices both on and off the bandstand. As Pauline Oliveros would say, “lift off judgment.”

  2. We agree to use this space for in-the-moment communication via improvisation, with little to no prior planning. By approaching improvisation without preconceptions, we can explore the present moment unmediated by abstract values. The value in what we’re doing lies in the process, not necessarily the outcome.

  3. We agree to be mindful of ethics and boundaries when improvising. Some important considerations include:

    1. Differences in volume between instruments. In particular, be wary of drowning out flutes, violins, acoustic guitars, and other quiet instruments.

    2. Volume in terms of hurting people’s ears.

    3. People’s physical space. Don’t do anything to violate anyone’s consent or damage others’ belongings.

  4. We encourage discussion of musical decisions, so long as consent is given for critical feedback. As with the improvisations, we ask that you approach these discussions with openness, respect, and kindness.

  5. We ask that everyone respect the facilitators. The facilitators are here to make sure the session runs smoothly, and that space is held for everyone to meet each other improvisationally on as equitable a footing as possible.