Facilitating Collective Free Improvisation Learning in Teacher Education.

This article focuses on collective free music improvisation (CFMI) as a socio-communicative practice that develops musicians' relationships, identities, and communication skills, particularly among culturally diverse participants. It addresses the challenge of preparing preservice music teachers (PMTs) to incorporate CFMI into their teaching by outlining a theoretical framework and practical pedagogical strategies used in a compulsory CFMI course at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. The course emphasizes developing three interconnected competencies—personal musical language, socio-musical interactions, and shared understanding—to enable PMTs to facilitate inclusive, democratic, and culturally responsive improvisational music-making. The article highlights CFMI's potential to foster autonomy, musical identity, and openness toward children's creative potential, while acknowledging the need for adaptable teaching approaches tailored to diverse educational contexts.