The International Society for Improvised Music (ISIM) is an organisation, founded by renowned musicians and scholars, devoted to improvisation in all its forms. Founder and president of the organisation Ed Sarath stresses the importance of improvisation in music education, and how much work remains to be done in that area:

‘Even after decades of appeals for reform, the majority of music majors still graduate with little or often no experience with improvisation. And in jazz education, while improvisation is well-covered, it is confined to a relatively narrow stylistic expanse in light of the richness of the jazz tradition and the overall musical world.’

In today’s globalised world of music improvisation often is the mode in which musicians interact; not only in jazz, but in all kinds of music. Sarath points out that improvisational skills are of great value also in non-jazz settings:

‘At present there is a large volume of style-based improvising methods, particularly in jazz, and these are of great value. However, there is a great shortage of methodologies that deal with improvisation from what might be called a “trans-stylistic” vantage point, methodologies that focus on the processes of spontaneous invention and interaction as they might apply across styles. The ability to transcend stylistic boundaries is very important for today’s musicians.’

ISIM offers an elaborate website on these and related topics, as well as the possibility to subscribe to a newsletter. Click here to visit the website.