Robert Kaplan
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Phone: 480-965-3014
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BDH 116 TEMPE, AZ 85287-0304
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Mail code: 2602Campus: Tempe
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Robert Kaplan is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and musician in dance. His work, Living Musically™, uses improvisation as a model or metaphor to understand the world and live well in it, providing tools and strategies to improve mind-body focus as a foundation for team skills (communication, conflict, enabling others). His work within healthcare and the arts offers tools to support the notion that being “present,” self-aware, and team-aware are critical in all endeavors. He has worked as a composer, teacher and musician in dance since 1976 having taught and performed at major national and international dance festivals since 1980 including National Craft of Choreography Conferences (NARB/RDA), the International Ballet Teacher’s Conference in Vail, CO, the American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival. His book, Rhythmic Training for Dancers, CD-ROM, An Interactive Guide to Music for Dancers, and Instructor’s Guide, were published internationally by Human Kinetics, Inc. Over seventy of his scores for choreography have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Mexico by such artists as Mel Wong (30 for Mel), Ze’eva Cohen, Sarah Stackhouse, Senta Driver, Ann Ludwig, Elina Mooney, Dairakudakan, Susan Marshall and Douglas Nielsen. Trained as a classical pianist, Kaplan always improvised, including work with Kirk Nurock’s Natural Sound Ensemble and stints in musical groups with guitarist, composer/producer, David Torn, multi-percussionist/composer Geoffrey Gordon and composer and saxophonist Thomas Chapin. He is a founding member and former President of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance and has been the recipient of numerous Meet-the-Composer grants as well as University grants, is a Full Professor, and music director for dance in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre at Arizona State University, and a Clinical Professor (CS) in the Department of Medical Humanities in the Creighton University School of Medicine.
He is currently conducting a Feasibility Study of an Improvisation Intervention for Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia and Chronic Illness through the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging at ASU. The study is "Finding Ease in Caregiving."
Recent sketches and works in progress can be heard on https://soundcloud.com/robkaplan.
Rob Kaplan 40 Years at ASU Legacy Videos 🎥
- M.M. Music and Composition, Arizona State University 1997
- Bachelor's degree. Music Education (Piano Performance and Composition), Hartt School of Music 1977
Research Interests:
• Improvisation in performance and as a tool for curricular, personal and collaborative inquiry
• Contemplative pedagogy
• Composition for dance
• Rhythmic Awareness for dance
Exploring the use of somatic improvisation for improving well-being and reducing stress of informal caregivers of individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Living Musically℠ — Improvisation as Interactive Mindfulness — a way of being in the world
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Emphasizing principles of mindfulness, improvisation, and collaboration cultivates self-awareness, forging productive and creative relationships and interactions with others and our environment.
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Developing the ability to build responsive and reciprocal awareness needed across the lifespan.
Creative Health Collaborations
Co-Principal Investigator:
- Finding Ease: Expansion of an Improvisation Intervention for Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia. [-], PI: Kaplan, R., I: Guest, M.A. (2%, Summer) Edson Discovery Pilot Award for Dementia Caregiving, July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023, Total Grant Funding $25,000.00
- An Improvisation Intervention for Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia (R. Kaplan, co-PI) Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, Arizona State University. Funding Period: 2020-2021, Total Grant Funding $43,996.00
Team Member:
- Interprofessional by Design™: Meeting at the Crossroads to Accelerate Leadership Competency and Readiness for Transition to Interprofessional Practice (Co-PI). Support from National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Minnesota; Funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation ($100,000). [S. Harrell, PI/Project Director]. 2016-2018
- Handbook, Kaplan, R., Sanborn, H., Lamb, G., Guest, M.A., Thompson, J. (2022). A Learner’s Guide to Finding Ease in Caregiving. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University.
- Book chapter, “Developing Creative Competencies Through Improvisation—Living Musically,” for the book, Creative Learning in Higher Education: International Perspectives and Approaches, Routledge, release date August 2016.
- Night Bird Song: The Incandescent Life of a Jazz Great. Appearance in the film, and served as a consultant, for the documentary by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo. Screened throughout the US and Europe (Phoenix in December, 2016). “Best Story” award at the Nice Film Festival.
- Rhythmic Training for Dancers, textbook and Interactive Guide to Music for Dancers, CD-ROM plus Instructor’s Guide CD-ROM, Human Kinetics, Inc., March, 2002.
- Kaplan,Robert G*. SOUND DANCE. AZ COMM ON THE ARTS(7/1/1996 - 6/30/1997).
- Organized and facilitated the Interactive Mindfulness Improvisation Symposium at ASU, January 15-16, 2017.
Courses
2024 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
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DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 590 | Reading and Conference |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 584 | Internship |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 226 | Music & Kinesthetic Comm Dance |
DCE 236 | Somatic Movement Applications |
DCE 482 | The Alexander Technique |
DCE 582 | The Alexander Technique |
2024 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 161 | Creative Practices II |
DCE 561 | Grad Creative Practices II |
DCE 300 | Dancing Histories |
DCE 336 | Somatic Mvt Dev & Facilitation |
DCE 536 | Somatic Practices |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 584 | Internship |
2023 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 560 | Grad Creative Practices I |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 590 | Reading and Conference |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 584 | Internship |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 226 | Music & Kinesthetic Comm Dance |
DCE 236 | Somatic Movement Applications |
2023 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 161 | Creative Practices II |
DCE 561 | Grad Creative Practices II |
DCE 300 | Dancing Histories |
DCE 336 | Somatic Mvt Dev & Facilitation |
DCE 536 | Somatic Practices |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 584 | Internship |
2022 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 560 | Grad Creative Practices I |
DCE 330 | 3rd-Yr Movement Practices I |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 590 | Reading and Conference |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 584 | Internship |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 226 | Music & Kinesthetic Comm Dance |
DCE 236 | Somatic Movement Applications |
2022 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 161 | Creative Practice II |
DCE 561 | Grad Creative Practices II |
DCE 231 | 2nd-Yr Movement Practices II |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 598 | Special Topics |
MUP 598 | Special Topics |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
2021 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 560 | Grad Creative Practices I |
DCE 270 | Second-Year Seminar I |
DCE 330 | 3rd-Yr Movement Practices I |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 584 | Internship |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 484 | Internship |
2021 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 161 | First-Yr Creative Practices II |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 561 | Grad Creative Practices II |
DCE 231 | 2nd-Yr Movement Practices II |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
2020 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 560 | Grad Creative Practices I |
DCE 270 | Second-Year Seminar I |
DCE 330 | 3rd-Yr Movement Practices I |
2020 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 493 | Honors Thesis |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 161 | First-Yr Creative Practices II |
DCE 261 | 2nd-Yr Creative Practices II |
DCE 561 | Grad Creative Practices II |
DCE 231 | 2nd-Yr Movement Practices II |
DCE 484 | Internship |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |
2019 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
DCE 492 | Honors Directed Study |
DCE 560 | Grad Creative Practices I |
DCE 270 | Second-Year Seminar I |
DCE 330 | 3rd-Yr Movement Practices I |
DCE 583 | Fieldwork |
DCE 580 | Practicum |
DCE 499 | Individualized Instruction |
DCE 590 | Reading and Conference |
DCE 680 | Practicum |
DCE 683 | Fieldwork |
DCE 584 | Internship |
DCE 593 | Applied Project |
DCE 693 | Applied Project |