Improvisation is been widely thought as a practice that promotes democratic values such as equality, autonomy, and the questioning of authorities (Wright & Kanellopoulos, 2010). Since anyone can take part in improvisation activities, it has a heritage of social inclusivity, where participants learn to negotiate and adjust to different opinions, being all equal. (Sawyer, 2007). Moreover, it has been proved that improvisation plays a significant role in the development of students’ cognitive and social skills as well as individual autonomy (Beagle, 2010). 

The aim of the workshop is to explore how improvisation and democracy are practical connected through group collaboration, responsiveness and sharing of ideas. Through the activities, we will rethink improvisation as a social practice of interaction and freedom of choice. The workshop will focus on improvisation practices mainly through vocal interaction, singing songs and body percussion. Participants will experience spontaneous creative moments as well as adapt in real time music situations through the elements of melody, pitch, time and dynamics in a highly interactive way. Different music ideas will enable a dialogue and high diversity of voices will create space for multiple ideas, challenges and perspectives. Through the vocal ensemble participants will listen, respond and create music together imitating a democratic society through communication and dialogue. 

Learning through the experience of improvisation, a variety of activities will encourage personal expression, autonomy and freedom. Using as a basic principle the valuable aspects of the Orff-Schulwerk music approach, participants will improvise through speech, singing and movement in order to discover creative aspects of their personalities. Activities will take place in a circle, in couples and in groups in a freely but also guided context. Participants will go through the process of self experimentation, and through interaction they will take a chance to improvise, imitate ideas within the group, elaborate on them and construct their own music. Improvisation will act as a bridge to basic composition ideas. Moreover, participants will cultivate their capabilities in music improvisation through: group games, rhythm technique, melody exploration, music forms and phrasing. The workshop material can be used in a broad range of music education such as preschool and primary education, music in the community, but also general music school. 

Participants will explore the common paths between musical improvisation and democratic principles through interactive exercises, discussions, and group performance. They will experience firsthand how collective creativity, active listening, and shared decision-making shape both music and society. 

• Music and sound education experiences, values, and practices
• Social musical settings
• Inclusion, marginalization, bullying and exclusion
• Music education for social justice and equality
• Meaningful musical experiences
• Music and communities

Katerina Adamopoulou (Ph.D) currently is a music teacher in a private school in Greece. She has a professional background, with 15 years of experience music education and piano pedagogy. Her primary research interests are music improvisation, vocal improvisation and teaching practices through the Orff-Schulwerk. The last years she has presented research papers in music education conferences. She holds a Master's degree in Music Management from Westminster University in London and has graduated from the Orff-Schulwerk studies in Moraitis school of Athens. She has gained a Jazz Vocal diploma and holds a diploma in classical piano performance from the National Conservatory of Athens.