The Otoasobi Project: Improvising with Disability

Abstract

This video features excerpts from improvised performances of The Otoasobi Project of Kobe, Japan. The performance footage include "Oto-no-Shiro", "Oto-no-Umi", and "Oto-no-Kikiippatsu".

This paper discusses a community-oriented, improvisation-focused initiative known as The Otoasobi Project. First, I situate the project in relation to the felds of free improvisation, “outsider music,” and music therapy. Then, in reference to several video excerpts, I discuss The Otoasobi Project, examining the ways in which individuals with learning disabilities, musicians, and music therapists have been able to make improvised music with one another, forging an inclusive space for musical and social interaction that has had both aesthetic and therapeutic benefits.