Experiments on technology-assisted free improvisational practices with an ensemble of saxophone

Free Improvisation (FI) has been increasingly used as a tool for musical education because it provides an exploratory environment that facilitates learning motor skills, appreciating sonorities, and interacting with others. In this work, we take a step further in this paradigm by using Ubiquitous Computing (UC) technology to facilitate FI by providing active feedback to the musicians about their performance. We call this approach TAFI (Technology-Assisted Free Improvisation). Experiments in FI sessions with a saxophone ensemble indicate that TAFI fostered creativity and participation both in in-person and in remote (network-connected) FI sessions