The International Contemporary Ensemble members offer a performance-oriented course that is a continuation of our practicum-based work with Ensemble Evolution, called “Evolution of the Ensemble.” Drawing on the experience of the Ensemble musicians Rebekah Heller, Joshua Rubin, Nathan Davis, and Fay Victor, a group of 10-15 performers, composers, interpreters will form, over the course of the semester, your own ensemble; - improvising together, - interpreting graphic scores, and writing text scores, graphic scores (and any other forms you may dream up) for one another. A main focus of the course will be creating a new “objective” critical framework for your ideas and your work collectively. Some questions we will examine throughout the course, alongside members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, include: What is a piece? What is a score? What does it communicate, and for whom is it written down? What aspects of control and freedom, rules and permission, are at play? This course explores the many forms of the document that binds composers and interpreters, encompassing Western classical and chart notation, graphic notation, and text instruction in equal measure. The course will also focus on developing the clarity of language and communication of the students’ own work, using historic examples as guides for study and discussion from John Cage, Yoko Ono, George Lewis, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Pauline Oliveros, and examples from traditionally notated music. Using instruments/voices and reading new drafts in each class period, students are encouraged to frequently change roles between composer (communicating a piece through three different modes of notation) and performer (interpreting each version and offering feedback), all the while maintaining an open discussion on methods and process.