A spontaneous kind of music making (Alperson, 1984), improvisation is a form of musical thought (Azzara, 1993). Although definitions vary, there is agreement that improvisation is a complex, multidimensional process (Biasutti, 2015) that includes the generation, assessment and performance of novel sequences of sounds in real time within certain constraints (Kratus, 1995). Improvisation is not limited to expert musicians nor to specific music genres such as jazz. Young children are also known to improvise in everyday life, yet this behavior is gradually overshadowed by the rules and conventions found in the music of one’s culture (Ilari et al, 2018). Unsurprisingly, many musicians do not engage with improvisation due to the fear ‘of making mistakes,’ lack of opportunities, or tools. Based on our experiences as musicians, educators, and scholars, and in our belief that anyone can improvise when given the proper nurturing and tools, we argue for the need of developing an improvising mindset.Various studies have found a correspondence between auditory stimuli such as pitch and loudness and other modalities (Fortuna, 2020), as in many examples from art history. Kandinsky, Klee, and Albers have stressed the relationship between visual art and music. In the music domain, Salvatore Sciarrino believed that musical compositions and art share similar structures (Fortuna, 2020). Activities that engage auditory and visual modalities may foster a deeper understanding of the connection of music and art (Fortuna, 2020; Huovinen et al, 2013). Thus, visual materials and other outside stimuli can foster a mindset for improvisation.In this three-part workshop, we present activities that can help foster the development of a mindset for improvisation through the visual arts in students from different age groups. We begin with a brief review of research in improvisation. In the second part, volunteer attendees will engage and collaborate in improvisation through visual prompts selected by the first author, an experienced jazz composer and improviser. The third part includes a discussion with conference attendees along with implications for music education.Our multimodal approach broadens students’ understanding of music as part of an interconnected artistic ecosystem, encouraging thinking across sensory and creative boundaries. It also nurtures essential twenty-first-century skills such as creativity, adaptability, and self-expression. Using visual art as a stimulus for improvisation fosters students’ observation, translation, and deep listening skills, while also nurturing the development of their artistic voice.