Critical Autoethnography and Musical improvisation: Reflections and 21st century dimensions

This chapter considers how reflective practice demonstrates a cyclical potential; of self-reflexivity and reviewing personal, critical processes, and maintaining ongoing capacities for exploration and discovery. The chapter views the self-critical and selfaffirming processes of an improvising musician, and the meaning-making derived from autoethnographic objects, collaborations and collectives, within communities of practice and the wider creative music politic. The chapter utilizes autoethnography to critically self-reflect the author's learning journey as educator-practitioner-researcher and the 'double-consciousness' inherent as both insider and outsider to these paradigms. Issues of meaning in artefact and creative practices are explored and addressed, and the development and enhancement of self from performing artist to multi-dimensional performative researcher, and the self-critical awareness ushered by this journey.