Your individual artistic potential is at the heart of EAMT’s master’s programme in Contemporary Improvisation. Through a range of improvisation practices, you deepen your musicianship, develop your own artistic voice and bring your ideas to life. The programme welcomes students from diverse musical and artistic backgrounds, bringing together expert teaching, artistic resources and collaborative opportunities to support their individual development. You have a say in your learning, from choosing teachers to shaping artistic projects. An accepting approach to improvisation, peer mentoring and a supportive learning community nurture both artistic development and personal wellbeing.

Developing relationships and opportunities for your future artistic life is integral to the programme. Close collaboration with institutions including the Sibelius Academy, Prins Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre connects you with musicians across the Baltic and Nordic regions and beyond. As a founding participant in METRIC, EAMT also connects you with a wider European network of higher music education institutions. International projects and encounters with guest artists create opportunities to form ensembles, develop lasting collaborations and initiate professional projects. Past guests include Agustí Fernández, Sergio Castrillón, Dror Feiler, Henry Bok, Charlotte Hug, Lucas Niggli, Alistair MacDonald, Arnas Mikalkėnas, Liudas Mockūnas and Christoph Baumann.

Performances and practical projects connect your ideas with audiences and different working environments. Students collaborate with festivals including COMMUTE, HETKfEST, MÜRIAADfest and Estonian Music Days. The programme includes visits to secondary and music schools, offering opportunities to share improvisation through workshops and participatory performances that engage pupils as creative partners. Experimental and collaborative composition practices develop the interpretative and collaborative skills needed for ensembles working where composition and improvisation meet. Local residencies offer further opportunities to develop artistic work and build professional connections.

Established in 2011, the programme has continued to evolve, building on EAMT’s longstanding tradition of improvisation teaching. Individual and collective practice develops listening, musical imagination, technical resources and artistic judgement, supported by critical reflection. Interdisciplinary collaboration runs throughout your studies, developing constructive ways to work with people from different fields. These experiences support an independent, adaptable artistic practice, with improvisation connecting your individual development, collaborative work and engagement with the wider artistic and educational community.