Experimental Music Workshop Facilitating Participant Transformation: Characteristics and Significance of Imus Music

This study aimed to explore the characteristics and potential significance of Imus Music, an open workshop in which everyone in experimental music can participate. Accordingly, qualitative and inductive analysis was conducted based on individual interviews with two participants and focus group interviews with two organizing musicians and an occupational therapist. Initially, the participants expressed self-denial and uncertainty about self-expression. However, their self-esteem improved with the progression of their involvement in the workshop. The musicians prepared meticulously to provide an enjoyable and heterogeneous experience. An occupational therapist implemented strategies to help the participants engage positively with the musicians' objectives. Overall, the findings suggest that the significance of Imus Music lies in the distinctive features of its workshop environment and music, which facilitate participants' engagement with experimental elements such as improvisation and contingency and enable them to experience a previously unfamiliar sense of freedom.