Friday, July 22, 2016

the oft discussed examiner's scanned passport over email... one more time!

Simply DO NOT send your scanned passports to anybody over email.
This has nothing to do with adherence to legislation; this is moronic,
borderline criminal, practice that very careless people in University
HR departments encourage.

This is today's response to one of them... second in two days
(although yesterday's response was not so polite, due to the heat!)

please feel free to share, quote, or disregard!

Evangelos

-------------------------

Dear Jane Doe [obvious alias here],
I am happy to accept.

I am also happy to provide evidence about my eligibility to work in
the UK (despite the fact that your are approaching me in order to act
as **internal** examiner, as full time employee of UCL, a college of
the University of London, a sibling institution to Yours -- but I will
not play this oft discussed on social media card!)

May I also raise the minor issue that I do not wish to be **employed**
by your institution; I am only willing to act as **examiner** of one
of your students. I have examined doctoral theses all over the world
without the need to obtain a working permit or visa for that purpose.
I therefore think that your HR department needs to rehearse a
different notion, other than employment, for academics that offer this
type of service to their field, and research in general. This is also
supported by the fact that a 'salary' of £150 would be highly
inappropriate, for something that requires anything between 60 and 100
hours of a senior academic's time, in focused reading, editing, and
reporting.

I will certainly not send you a scanned copy of my passport through an
unsecure channel of communication such as email. I have to report that
I find it shocking that during these times of heightened security, a
prestigious institution that is part of the University of London, with
a world leading department in computer science and digital
technologies, is conducting this type of practice. Sadly, this is
performed by many an HR department all over the U.K.
I have a responsibility, as chartered Fellow of the British Computer
society to object to this malpractice.

I am happy to produce my passport in person, and should you need to
keep a photocopy of the photo pages, the Head of Your Department will
have to sign a disclosure, wherein your data protection measures of
archived paper material will be clearly outlined. I will counter-sign
this, reserving my legal right to act accordingly, in case of your
failure to protect this document. In case you require to keep a
digital copy of the passport, this will have to be watermarked, so
that, in case of a breach of security, responsibility can be
taken/assigned accordingly.

I hope that this is clear and apologise for the mild inconvenience.
But this is exactly what this is about, the convenience of HR
departments' employees, cleverly disguised as adherence to
legislation; I find this to be unacceptable and potentially dangerous
practice!

Do let me know how you wish to proceed upon consultation with your Head of HR.

Also, please keep in mind, that I do not wish to cause any
inconvenience to the student and their supervisor; I am therefore
willing to examine the thesis gratis, if that would help not having to
deal with adopting this pseudo-employment paradigm. A donation of £150
from your institution to a charity of your choice would be appreciated
in this case.

with all best wishes,
Evangelos

--
Dr Evangelos Himonides FBCS CITP
Reader in Technology, Education and Music
University College London


On 22 July 2016 at 11:21, [Shared] Council Researchdegrees
<researchdegrees@putnameofunihere.they.all.do.it> wrote:

> Dear Dr Himonides,
>
> I am writing to ask if you would be willing to act as the internal examiner
> for the following candidate:
>
> Candidate: Virginia Wolf [obvious alias here as well]
>
> Thesis title: a multimodal framework for mapping HEI HR department madness [made up title, obviously]
>
> Degree for which entered: PhD
>
> Supervisor: Dr Super Visor
>
> Expected date of thesis submission: 1st August 2016
>
> Examiners are required to read and write a preliminary report on the thesis,
> and together with their co-examiner to conduct an oral examination and write
> a subsequent joint report. Examiners are paid a fee of £150 plus expenses.
> Further details on the examination process will be sent out with the thesis.
>
> Dr Ex Ternal of the Pokemon Go University [it's hopefully now obvious that these are aliases] has been invited to act as the external examiner in this case.
>
> I would be grateful if you could confirm whether or not you are able to
> accept this invitation to act (confirmation by email is fine). Before
> responding to this invitation, please read the information below on
> eligibility to work in the UK. Regretfully, putnameofunihere.they.all.do.it is unable to appoint examiners who cannot provide evidence of eligibility to work in the UK.
>
> Travel and expenses claims
>
> Information about the maximum rates for travel and expenses claims that will
> be reimbursed by putnameofunihere.they.all.do.it is at
>
> http://url.here
>
> Section 9 is about travel and subsistence.
>
> The rates for meals are
>
> Breakfast £7.00
> Lunch £10.00
> Evening Meal £20.00
>
> For all expenses claims original receipts must be provided. If you pay by
> contactless card methods please request a tax receipt. In line with HMRC
> guidance putnameofunihere.they.all.do.it is unable to reimburse claims without original receipts and photocopies cannot be accepted. For travel in London using an Oyster Card, if the card is registered with Transport for London an e-receipt for travel
> can be obtained. Train travel is re-imbursed at standard rates only. Please
> submit claims within 3 months of the date of expenditure.
>
> Proof of eligibility to work in the UK
>
> In order to comply with Right to Work checks required by the UK Home Office
> all examiners are asked to provide proof of their eligibility to work in the
> UK including those who are British or European Economic Area (EEA)
> nationals.
>
> The initial check must be done before the examination, even if you have
> worked for us before. In accepting this invitation to examination, please
> would you send me by email a scanned copy of your passport photo/information
> page and any relevant visa you may currently hold.
>
> If you do not hold a passport issued by a member state of the European
> Economic Area and you live and work outside the UK, you will need to enter
> the UK through the Permitted Paid Engagements route. For some non-EEA
> nationals (those classified as 'visa nationals' by the Home Office) this
> will mean that you will require a visa to enter and work in the UK and you
> must obtain this before you travel to the UK.
>
> For other non-EEA nationals (those classified as 'non-visa nationals' by the
> Home Office) you will not require a visa to enter via the Permitted Paid
> Engagements route provided you are coming to the UK for less than 6 months.
> You must however declare that you are entering via this route at the UK
> border check. Please bring your letter of invitation from putnameofunihere.they.all.do.it to act as an examiner to show at the border check.
>
> To check if you need a visa please see
>
> https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
>
> Information about the Permitted Paid Engagement visa is at
>
> https://www.gov.uk/permitted-paid-engagement-visa/overview
>
> Please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries at any point.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Jane Doe

Monday, July 18, 2016

The Journal of Music, Technology, and Education 10th Anniversary Special Issue

The Journal of Music, Technology, and Education 10th Anniversary Special Issue

 

Title: Music, Technology, and Education: Cultural Perspectives

 

Editor: Dr Andrew King (University of Hull, UK)

Associate Editors: Professor Andrew R Brown (Griffith University; Australia); Dr Evangelos Himonides (UCL; UK); Dr Alex Ruthmann (NYU; USA); and Dr Jonathan Savage (Manchester Met University; UK).

 

SCIMago Journal Rank Indicator = 0.506 11th (Q1) out of 112 music publications World-wide (source SCImago; 2016)

 

The reasons for this special issue are to mark the 10th anniversary of the Journal of Music, Technology and Education alongside the Hull UK City of Culture celebrations in 2017.  The aim of the issue is to share ideas and discuss research with foci on technology, pedagogy, music, and culture from a ranged of viewpoints. Themes for the papers could include how culture can inform: curricula design; creativity; composition; consumption; interdisciplinary work; performance; philosophical perspectives; production; software; and song writing.

 

Papers should be between 5-8k words and will need to be submitted before 20 January 2017. Colleagues are welcome to share abstracts with the editor before this date or express a general interest in contributing to this volume.

 

Full details and guidelines for authors can be found on our publishers website:

 

http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=152/

 

Papers and enquiries should be submitted to the editor Dr Andrew King (a.king@hull.ac.uk).

 

In addition to the special issue, The University of Hull will also be hosting a conference between 3–5 April 2017 within the area of Musical Cultures. Keynotes addresses for the conference include: Professor David Huron (Ohio State University, USA), Professor Patricia Shehan-Campbell (University of Washington, USA), Professors Mine Dogantan-Dack (University of Oxford, UK) and Professor Daniel Leech Wilkinson (King's College, London, UK). The submission process for this conference is separate to this call for papers and colleagues should use follow the guidelines on the conference website:

 

http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/drama,-music-and-screen/conferences/musical-cultures-conference.aspx

 

 

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Fwd: International Conference “Musicology Applied To The Concert: Performance Studies At Work”


Call for Papers

 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

"MUSICOLOGY APPLIED TO THE CONCERT: PERFORMANCE STUDIES AT WORK"

 

1-3 December 2016

International University of Andalusia

"Antonio Machado" Campus, Baeza, Jaen (Spain)

 

BACKGROUND

Performance studies are encouraging a massive turning point in musicology. To such an extent that many scholars are claiming to rethink a fundamental premise of the discipline, namely the change of a traditional orientation of music as text to a recent one of music as performance. This perspective takes then performance as the object of study and the concert as the privileged space where it takes place. This conceptual change challenges established methodologies and scholarly practices, while bringing together more easily musicologists and musicians. This International Conference aims to impulse the recent debate promoted by performance studies within Iberian musicology. It will consist of a series of keynote presentations, experimental lab-concerts, selected papers and practical workshops.

 

 

GUEST PARTICIPANTS

• Keynote speakers:

John Sloboda (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London)

Pablo L. Rodríguez (Universidad de La Rioja / El País)

Aaron Williamon (Royal College of Music, London)

Miguel Angel Marin (Universidad de La Rioja / Fundacion Juan March)

 

• Lab-concerts: Ensemble Armonia Concertada (Switzerland/Spain), Capella Prolationum & Ensemble La Danserye (Spain) (16th- and 17th- century music)

 

• Workshops: Conjunto Ars Longa de La Habana (Cuba) & Albert Nieto (Spain) (18th-, 19th- and 20th- century music)

 

 

SUBMISSIONS

Proposals for 20-minutes papers or workshops are welcome. Potential topics include:

• Creative experimentation

• Analysis and performance

• Historically Informed Performance (HIP)

• Embodiment

• History of performance

• Discology and recording practices

• Gestural meaning in performance

• Composer-performer collaborations

• From score to performance

• Performance philosophies

• Improvisation and arrangements

• Concert programming

• Creative role of listeners

 

Applications should include:

• Title of the paper or workshop proposed

• Abstract (maximum 250 words)

• Full name, contact details, and institutional affiliations (if any)

• Short biography (maximum 150 words)

• Audio-visual and other requirements (data projection, CD/DVD player, piano, etc.)

 

Proposals should be sent as email attachment (.doc, .docx, .rtf) to Ana Lombardía (<ana.lombardia3@gmail.com>)

- Deadline for submission: 12 September 2016

- Deadline for notification of selected proposals: 22 September 2016

- Official languages: English and Spanish

 

Conference organization will provide accommodation on demand in the 17th-century University building. Baeza was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003 together with Ubeda for its outstanding Renaissance old city. Tourist routes will be offered to conference members.

 

 

ORGANIZERS

• International University of Andalusia (UNIA)

• Research Group "Music in Spain: Composition, Reception and Performance" (MECRI), University of La Rioja

• Early Music Festival of Ubeda & Baeza (member of REMA and FestClasica)

 

 

SCIENTIFIC DIRECTION

• Miguel Ángel Marín (University of La Rioja / Juan March Foundation)

• Javier Marín-López (University of Jaen / Early Music Festival of Ubeda & Baeza)

 

For more information, please contact Ana Lombardía: ana.lombardia3@gmail.com

 

www.unia.es

http://www.unirioja.es/mecri/CongresoBaeza2016_eng.shtml

www.festivalubedaybaeza.org

 

 

 +++

 

CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL

"MUSICOLOGÍA APLICADA AL CONCIERTO: LOS ESTUDIOS SOBRE PERFORMANCE EN ACCIÓN"

 

 

1- 3 diciembre 2016

Universidad Internacional de Andalucía

Campus "Antonio Machado" de Baeza, Jaén (España)

 

 

 

PRESENTACIÓN

Los estudios sobre performance están impulsando un profundo cambio de dirección en la musicología. Hasta tal punto que muchos investigadores han sugerido reformular una de las premisas fundamentales de la disciplina: el cambio de una orientación tradicional que entiende la música como texto a una más reciente que considera la música como performance. Esta perspectiva toma, pues, la performance como objeto de estudio y el concierto como el espacio privilegiado en el que tiene lugar. Este giro conceptual desafía las metodologías establecidas y las prácticas académicas, al tiempo que vincula de manera más directa a musicólogos e intérpretes. Este Congreso Internacional se propone impulsar el reciente debate promovido por los estudios de performance dentro de la musicología ibérica. El congreso se articula a través en una serie de ponencias invitadas, lab-conciertos experimentales, comunicaciones libres y talleres prácticos.

 

 

INVITADOS

• Ponentes:

John Sloboda (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Londres)

Pablo L. Rodríguez (Universidad de La Rioja / Diario El País)

Aaron Williamon (Royal College of Music, Londres)

Miguel Angel Marín (Universidad de La Rioja / Fundación Juan March)

 

• Lab-conciertos: Ensemble Armonia Concertada (Suiza/España), Capella Prolationum & Ensemble La Danserye (España) (música de los siglos XVI y XVII)

 

• Talleres: Conjunto Ars Longa de La Habana (Cuba) y Albert Nieto (España) (música de los siglos XVIII, XIX y XX)

 

 

PROPUESTAS

Los interesados pueden presentar propuestas de comunicación y de talleres sobre los siguientes posibles temas:

• Experimentación creativa

• Análisis y performance

• Interpretación Históricamente Informada

• Corporización

• Historia de la interpretación y de la performance

• Discología y prácticas de grabación

• Significados del gesto en la interpretación

• Colaboraciones compositor-intérprete

• De la partitura a la performance

• Filosofías de la interpretación

• Improvisación y arreglos

• Programación de conciertos

• El papel creativo del oyente

 

La propuestas deben incluir:

• Título de la comunicación o taller propuesto

• Resumen (máximo 250 palabras)

• Nombre completo, información de contacto y afiliación institucional (si procede)

• Breve biografía (máximo 150 palabras)

• Medios audio-visuales y otros requerimientos (proyector, reproductor de CD/DVD, piano, etc.)

 

Las propuestas deberán remitirse como archivo adjunto (.doc, .docx, .rtf) a Ana Lombardía (<ana.lombardia3@gmail.com>)

- Fecha límite para la presentación: 12 Septiembre 2016

- Fecha límite para la notificación de propuestas seleccionadas: 22 Septiembre 2016

- Idiomas oficiales del congreso: español e inglés

 

La organización proporcionará alojamiento a aquellos interesados en la Residencia de la Universidad, ubicada en un edificio del siglo XVII. Baeza fue declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO en 2003 junto a Úbeda por su sobresaliente casco histórico del Renacimiento. Se ofrecerán visitas turísticas a los participantes.

 

 

ORGANIZADORES

• Universidad Internacional de Andalucía, Baeza (UNIA)

• Grupo de Investigación "Música en España: Composición, Recepción e Interpretación" (MECRI), Universidad de La Rioja

• Festival de Música Antigua de Úbeda y Baeza (miembro de REMA y FestClásica)

 

DIRECCIÓN CIENTÍFICA

• Miguel Angel Marín (Universidad de La Rioja / Fundación Juan March)

• Javier Marín López (Universidad de Jaen / Festival de Música Antigua Úbeda y Baeza)

 

Para más información, por favor contacte con Ana Lombardía: ana.lombardia3@gmail.com

 

www.unia.es

http://www.unirioja.es/mecri/CongresoBaeza2016.shtml

www.festivalubedaybaeza.org



Calling PARENTS of under 5's* Please complete this survey on how you engage in musical and other activities with your little one. Thank you!

This survey is intended for parents of infants (3 months -1 year and
11 months) or children of the preschool age (2-5 years) and should be
completed by the primary caregiver (i.e., the parent or carer that
spends more time with the child; in the case of equal parenting,
either parent could take the survey). It has been created through a
collaboration between Middlesex University and Goldsmiths University
of London and it aims to collect information regarding musical
experience in the family and interactions between parents and their
children. The survey should only take 10-15 minutes and data will be
anonymised.
If you are a parent of two children within the age range mentioned
above (3 months-5 years) please complete this survey for your youngest
child.

https://mdxl.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5yxKaZ3X8uTndjL

The Lived Experience of Improvisation

The Lived Experience of Improvisation

IN MUSIC, LEARNING AND LIFE

 

SIMON ROSE

Published by Intellect Ltd

Distributed by University of Chicago Press

261 pages | 7 x 9 | © 2016

 

Improvisation is crucial to a wide range of artistic activities—most prominently, perhaps, in music, but extending to other fields of experience such as literature and pedagogy. Yet it gets short shrift in both appreciation and analysis of art within education. This is in no small part due to our tendency to view the world in fixed categories and structures that belie our ability to generate creative, groundbreaking responses within and between those structures.
           
 The Lived Experience of Improvisation draws on an analysis of interviews with highly regarded improvisers, including Roscoe Mitchell, Pauline Oliveros, and George Lewis. Simon Rose also exploits his own experience as a musician and teacher, making a compelling case for bringing back improvisation from the margins. He argues that improvisation is a pervasive aspect of being human and that it should be at the heart of our teaching and understanding of the world.

The book will appeal to those with an interest in the creative process of improvisation - musicians, artists, teachers, researchers and others. Its analysis and discussion of improvisation is interdisciplinary and relevant across fields.

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/L/bo25032241.html

 

Monday, July 4, 2016

Fwd: PhD in Semantic Audio and Music Informatics at Centre for Digital Music

Applications are invited 1 fully-funded PhD studentship, allied to the
5 year EPSRC and Digital Economy funded Programme Grant: Fusing Audio
and Semantic Technologies for Intelligent Music Production and
Consumption (FAST-IMPACt or FAST - see www.semanticaudio.ac.uk).

FAST-IMPACt aims to answer questions such as: How can next generation
web technologies (Ontologies, Linked Data, Metadata) combined with
music content analysis in the studio bring new value and functionality
to producers, creators, consumers and intermediaries of music content?
And how will both ends of the music value chain benefit from more
engaging interactions (enhanced productivity, increased enjoyment and
immersion) while creating or consuming music? And can intermediaries
add value with semantically enhanced services?

Helping us pursue this vision are national and international partners
from academia and industry, including BBC R&D, Abbey Road, Solid State
Logic, International Audio Labs and more.

Candidates must have a first-class honours degree or equivalent, or a
good MSc Degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Sound &
Music Computing or equivalent. Candidates should be confident in
digital signal processing and/or machine learning, and have
programming experience in, e.g. MATLAB, Mathematica, Python, Java, C++
or similar. Experience in research and a track record of publications
is very advantageous. Formal music training or sound engineering
experience is also advantageous.

Positions are available immediately. Only 1 place is available with
full fees and stipend; but additional positions may be available for
self-funded or part-funded applicants. Please apply online via the
Queen Mary University of London application system, quoting the
specific project(s) of interest. Enquiries may be addressed to
mark.sandler@qmul.ac.uk.

Projects titles are below. Fuller details of each of the projects
below are available at http://tinyurl.com/jye2x69



[SAMI1] Studio Science: improving feature extraction in the studio;
delivering new experiences to the consumer

[SAMI2] Enhancing the music listening experience

[SAMI3] Song level audio features for navigating large music collections

[SAMI4] Note level audio features for understanding and visualising
musical performance

[SAMI5] Audio features for MIR based on human hearing physiology and
neuroscience and on acoustics

[SAMI6] Compression of individual instrument stems for compact
multi-track audio formats


--
professor mark sandler, CEng, FIEEE, FAES, FIET, FBCS
royal society wolfson research merit award holder

director of the EPSRC/AHRC CDT in media and arts technology (MAT)
director of the centre for digital music (c4dm)

school of electronic engineering and computer science
queen mary university of london

mark.sandler@qmul.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7882 7680
+44 (0)7775 016715
twitter: @markbsandler,
follow the FAST-IMPACt Programme Grant @semanticaudio

Fwd: A New Partnership in Performance Science

THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON ANNOUNCE A
MAJOR INTERDISCIPLINARY PARTNERSHIP IN PERFORMANCE SCIENCE.

The Centre for Performance Science is an ambitious collaboration aimed
at tackling major challenges of performance across a wide array of
domains, from the arts, education and business to medicine, science
and sport.

Led jointly by Professor Aaron Williamon (RCM) and Professor Roger
Kneebone (Imperial), the CPS draws on dynamic collaborations already
in place across the two institutions, spanning the arts, medicine,
engineering, natural sciences, and business.

Professor Colin Lawson, Director of the Royal College of Music, said:

"We have a long and distinguished history of partnership with Imperial
College. Together, we produce world-leading research and offer
internationally distinctive programmes of study, such as our joint BSc
in music and physics. The new Centre is a dynamic initiative that will
give us further insight into performance itself, allowing us to
enhance the ways in which we train and support performers."

Professor James Stirling, Provost of Imperial College London, said:

"Performance obviously takes centre stage in music, but understanding
how to perform well is a key part of success in any field, and not
least in the College's core engineering, science, medicine, and
business disciplines. With our new Centre, we are excited about
looking across a wide range of disciplines in order to interrogate the
core processes and products of performance."

For further information about the Centre for Performance Science,
including current research, courses and information on how the CPS is
already impacting on society, see www.PerformanceScience.ac.uk.



Twitter: @CPerfSci

Facebook: www.facebook.com/performancescience

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPT9XBWOjg0XsAJAyhgcOA

Fwd: Programme announcement: Making Time in Music, University of Oxford, 12-14 September 2016

Making Time in Music: an international conference Monday 12 -
Wednesday 14 September 2016 Faculty of Music, University of Oxford

With invited contributions from:

Georgina Born (Professor of Music and Anthropology, University of
Oxford) Vijay Iyer (Jazz pianist/composer and Franklin D and Florence
Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts, Harvard University)

A draft conference programme is available here:
http://www.music.ox.ac.uk/makingtimeinmusic/conference-programme/

Registration is open and can be booked here: http://goo.gl/cQUym0

The capacity to be in time together lies at the heart of all
music-making and is one of the most profound of human capabilities;
being in time together is implicated in social bonding, altered
states, and foundational pleasures associated with music. The ways in
which we play in time together, also mark out difference - between
genres and between instruments (and instrumentalists), between studio
and live performance, between the virtuoso and the beginner.

In this conference, we address the complexity of making time from a
range of perspectives and in so doing, will bring into dialogue,
social, cultural, psychological, aesthetic, critical and educational
understandings of musical time and timing.

We look forward to scholars joining us from different disciplines and
whose interests span very different forms of music-making.

If you have any questions or difficulty with the registration process,
please email makingtime@music.ox.ac.uk.

The conference committee is: Dr Mark Doffman, Dr Jonna Vuoskoski, and
Dr Toby Young (all University of Oxford) and Dr Emily Payne
(University of Leeds).

http://www.music.ox.ac.uk/makingtimeinmusic

Dr Emily Payne
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, John Cage and the Concert for Piano
and Orchestra AHRC Project School of Music, University of Leeds, Leeds
LS2 9JT, UK Tel. +44 (0)113 343 8209 / +44 (0)7816 401211
Email: E.L.Payne@leeds.ac.uk
https://leeds.academia.edu/EmilyPayne