Friday, January 12, 2024

Fwd: Call for contribution


The Conference on AI and Music Creativity is an annual conference bringing together a community working on the application of AI in music practice. The AI and Music research focus is highly interdisciplinary with topics ranging from performance systems, computational creativity, machine listening, robotics, sonification, and more.

The theme of AIMC 2024 conference - which will take place September 9-11 at Oxford University - is Interconnections between Music AI and other fields, where we are interested in how the Music AI community considers connections and intersections with other fields of research and practice. We encourage authors, composers, performers, and artists to examine the intersection between their work in AI and other fields - see below for indicative topics. We encourage contributions that articulate not only how other fields inform Music AI research and practice, but how Music AI contributes or may contribute to other fields.

Dates

March 10th submission closes

April 1st - notification to authors

September 9 conference opens


All submissions will be created on pubpub.org while the review process will be handled through a conference management systems. Detailed instructions about the process will be available under the Call tab in the conference webpages (link above). Paper submission should be anonymised. This is not required for music or workshop/tutorials submissions.


Papers

Papers are up to 5000 words, not including Abstract, Acknowledgements, Ethics Statement, or References. Please consider the list of indicative topics for the conference. We encourage multimedia embedded in the paper, so pictures, illustrations, videos, sound files and <iframes>. We also encourage links to code repositories. Submitted works should be original, i.e. not published elsewhere or under review. 

Paper submissions should demonstrate rigorous research methodology and will be evaluated according to their novelty, academic quality, appropriateness, importance, readability, ethical standards and paper organisation.

  • Authors names should be excluded from the front matter and in all references (e.g. replace with XXX XXX).

  • Supplementary materials referenced in footnotes and links such as GitHub repositories should be uploaded to an anonymous account. The author's account(s) can be used for the camera ready.

  • Authors can indicate preference for presentation (15 minutes) or poster.


Workshops and Tutorials

We invite proposals for workshops and tutorials. These sessions should be interactive and focus on new technologies, systems or artistic practices. Proposals should specify the number of participants who can be accommodated and the duration (e.g. hour, half day, full day) and indicate the skills, experiences or artefacts that participants will come out with. 

Submission Details:

  • Workshop or Tutorial session title

  • List of contributors 

  • Name/Affiliation and a 150-word biography for each contributor

  • A 800-1000 word (excluding references) description (including an abstract) that should detail

    • Review contextualising the practice field relevant to your work.

    • Methods taken in developing the work

    • The hands-on nature of the workshop/tutorial (e.g. how will this be distinct from a long presentation)

  • A technical rider detailing:

    • Technical equipment you will provide 

    • Technical equipment which you will require

    • Setup details such as tables, space requirements, power, visuals, audio.

    • Proposed duration

    • Any accessibility requirements.

  • Other documentation (web links etc)

Music

Music submissions should relate to AI in either specific or broad terms. This includes, but is by no means limited to:

  • music featuring AI as a creative tool

  • music generated by AI, or using AI performance systems

  • sonification

  • electroacoustic music

  • experimental and improvised music

  • live coding and live electronic music

  • beat-based music

  • Algorave music

  • music exploring computational creativity

  • music exploring machine listening

  • music with or about robotics

  • music adapted from AI

  • music using AI-related instruments

  • music featuring AI-generated text or visuals

  • any other related areas

Music which does not directly use AI but relates to it programmatically or aesthetically, or music which comments on and/or explores new perspectives on AI, is also encouraged.

Submissions will be required to detail how the music relates to AI and the conference theme of Interconnections between Music AI and other fields. They will also be required to provide a technical description of the piece including details such as speaker/microphone setup and electronics processing where appropriate.

Accepted submissions will be programmed at AIMC 2024 in one of three performances:

  • Performance 1, a concert at the Wolfson College auditorium, will feature 1-4 professional instrumental players, optional live or fixed electronics and video. Exact instrumentation will be decided based on accepted submissions. Submissions should indicate if AIMC should provide performers.

  • Performance 2, at an Oxford University performance space, will feature a flexible stage and electronics/projected visuals set-up suitable for music with more complex technical requirements. No live performers are provided, but musicians are welcome to perform their own works, or provide their own performers (this should be indicated in the submission)

  • Performance 3 is a club night at the Old Fire Station. This is a very flexible space with multiple rooms and areas. The event will feature music suitable for a club night including (but not limited to) beat-based, ambient, live electronic and algorave music.

Music submissions are submitted on PubPub and should include the title, online links to recordings and/or scores, a description (800-1000 words) of how the project relates to AI and the theme of the conference including contextual information relating the piece to relevant practices. In addition, submission should indicate which performance options it is suited for, and any access, technical, or performer requirements as well as short programme notes.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Fwd: WAAE Summit Athens 2024 - Submission deadline extended!

The submission deadline for the WAAE Summit that will take at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, October 17-19 2024, has been extended until January the 22nd.

The Department of Music Studies and the Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in collaboration with the Departments of Physical Education and Sport Science, Primary Education and Educational Studies, are delighted to invite artists, researchers, educators, practitioners of Arts Education to participate in the 2024 WAAE SUMMIT on "ARTS, NATURE, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION: HARMONY IN UNITY".
The conference will delve into the dynamic relationship between the arts, nature, technology, and education, exploring their synergies through innovative research and practice, aiming to transform and re-orient the educational experience.

We would love to see you in Athens!

All the best,
Smaro

_________________________________________
Smaragda Chrysostomou

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Notes2Blocks

https://helenjournal.org/december-2023/notes2blocks-making-learning-music-accessible-to-all

Music was one of the first forms of human communication transmitted through aural practices of passing musical sounds through the generations, and ancient artwork indicates that it may have even pre-dated language.  Science-based research has confirmed that music can be a powerful neural transmitter in the brain. Musical notation, given its complexity in the Western tradition, can be a challenge to learn and is generally an inaccessible language for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.  

To help those who are unable to read traditional notation, Music Therapy Gateway in Communications (MTGIC), a nonprofit organization that advocates for biomedical music protocols to be mainstreamed into healthcare and education, has developed a unique visual music notation system called Notes2Blocks. By matching a simple color grid on the chart with a color-coded key on the keyboard, persons who are physically or developmentally disabled can follow the charts to play music. The app was unveiled at the Chattanooga Autism Center's annual conference in September 2023 and is now available on the MTGIC website as a free resource.  


Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Fwd: [DMRN-LIST] Two 3-year Research Fellow positions in Immersive Audio Technology


— 
RESEARCH FELLOWS IN IMMERSIVE AUDIO TECHNOLOGY
University of Surrey (UK)
Location: Guildford (35 minutes by fast train from London)
Salary: £36,024 p.a. - £41,732 p.a. (plus yearly uplifts subject to performance review, up to a maximum of £44,263 p.a. if appointed at top end of the scale)
Post Type: Full Time
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on 15 January 2024

Applications are invited for two full-time Research Fellows to be based in the Institute of Sound Recording (IoSR) at the University of Surrey and to work on the EPSRC project CIAT ("Challenges in Immersive Audio Technologies") conducted in collaboration with King's College London, and the University of Southampton. There are 6 positions available, two at each institution. Candidates are encouraged to apply for multiple posts if they feel that their experience is well aligned with the positions.

The proposed start date for the posts is the 1st March 2024, but it can be deferred, if required. The posts will be offered on a full-time fixed-term contract for 36 months or until 28th February 2027 (whichever comes sooner).

Immersive technologies will transform not only how we communicate and experience entertainment, but also our experience of the physical world, from shops to museums, cars to classrooms. Despite significant progress in the computer vision community, long-standing fundamental challenges adversely impact on audio technologies, preventing immersion into realistic acoustic scenes in which the audience feels transported to an alternate reality.

Specifically, state-of-the-art immersive audio technologies (a) suffer from computational requirements preventing real-time creation of shared, interactive immersive audio experiences, and (b) are limited in their ability to efficiently deliver shared, high-quality auditory experiences to multiple listeners. CIAT's vision is to transform the state of the art by developing a principled, scalable and reconfigurable framework for capturing and reproducing only perceptually relevant information.

Successful candidates will gain extensive opportunities for:
  • Collaboration and networking between the three partner institutions and with external academic collaborators, stakeholders, and industry partners, including Stanford CCRMA (US), BBC (UK), SONOS (UK), National Gallery (UK);
  • Travel, including international conferences and workshops, as well as extended research visits at the partner institutions and Stanford CCRMA;
  • Access to state-of-the-art research facilities and resources, e.g., the IoSR-hosted reference listening room, and the ISVR-hosted anechoic chamber.
At Surrey we are recruiting in two areas:
  • (A): Immersive Audio Reproduction, which will involve developing novel psychoacoustic-based technologies for 3D sound reproduction, and
  • (B): Perceptual Evaluations, which will involve exploring human auditory perception and designing and executing subjective listening evaluations.
The successful applicants will have a range of skills, including some of the following: strong, independent research skills; a PhD, or close to completion, in engineering, computer science or related area; an excellent (A) signal processing and/or (B) acoustics background; experience with (A) developing new immersive audio reproduction methods and/or with (B) designing and executing formal listening experiments.

The IoSR is home to the Tonmeister degree in Music and Sound Recording, which produced a stream of highly successful graduates (including two Oscar winners, ten Grammy winners, and twelve BAFTA winners), and is a leading centre for research in acoustic engineering.

We offer a generous pension, relocation assistance where appropriate , flexible working options including job share and blended home/campus working locations (dependent on work duties), access to world-class leisure facilities on campus, a range of travel schemes and supportive family friendly benefits including an excellent on-site nursery.

The University of Surrey is committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities for all.  We place great value on diversity and are seeking to increase the diversity within our community.  Therefore, we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.

Informal enquiries may be made to the Surrey project lead, Dr Enzo De Sena e.desena@surrey.ac.uk
The adverts of the positions at the other institutions are available here (KCL), here and here (Soton).

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Fwd: [DMRN-LIST] Timbre Tools hackathon, 23-25 February 2024

On 23-25 February 2024, we'd like to invite you to take part in the first Timbre Tools Hackathon. This is a fun and informal event organised by the Communication Acoustics Lab at the Centre for Digital Music (C4DM) of Queen Mary University of London. 


Here are some details on the event: 

https://comma.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/timbre-tools-hackathon/ 


The basic idea is to spend a couple of days developing an interesting tool that supports the creative process of the digital instrument maker through a more sound-based, timbre-first practice. Aka a timbre tool!


Activities will take place at QMUL's Mile End campus but remote participation from anywhere in the UK and abroad is welcomed. 


This event is a great opportunity to collaborate with researchers at C4DM and the strong UK and international music and audio technology community in one place. Participants from all stages of practice and research are welcomed.


You can register here: 
https://forms.office.com/e/MRfVeSMSFn
 


We have started putting together a living document of resources for working with and designing timbre: https://github.com/comma-lab/timbre-resources  

Community contributions via pull requests are welcomed.


If you have any comments or questions about the hackathon, please email c (dot) saitis (at) qmul (dot) ac (dot) uk. Please also feel free to forward these details to your networks or anyone you think may be interested.


Best wishes

Haokun, Jordie, Bleiz, and Charis


--
Dr Charalampos Saitis
Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Queen Mary University of London

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Fwd: Research Special - out now!

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Today - it's a research special!

Our newest Inspiring Voices episode is a research special featuring an in depth conversation with Professor Graham Welch from University College London's Institute of Education. Listen to this fascinating research deep dive now.

 

Inspiring Voices is a great listen for teachers, school leaders, teaching students, community workers, music leaders, singing leaders, choir leaders, charity and mental health workers.

 

You can find our podcast on all of your favourite podcast platforms including - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music. Videos are also available on our YouTube Channel.

 

Have a listen and let us know what you think - we'd love to hear from you! You can also leave our podcast a review on Apple or Spotify.

 

With best wishes,

Celi Barberia

Joint Head of Foundation

Let's talk singing research

Baz talks to leading researcher Professor Graham Welch about why humans sing, why and how it is good for our health and wellbeing, and how people involved in this work should become researchers themselves, to help increase our understanding.

 

More Inspiring Voices episodes

 

"If you can't say it, sing it" - Sophie Garner on the power of songwriting with young people.

 

"Co-creators in the same room" - Aga Serugo-Lugo on the magic of group singing and creating connection.

 

'Singing and music-making in secure settings' - Chris Morris on working in the most challenging settings.

 

"You couldn't go and have a war with someone you've been singing with" - Jane Wheeler on her international work.

 

Being real - the effective practitioner - Mark Bick on community music and working with vulnerable young people.

 

Listen to the whole series.

Watch the trailer below for a taste of the first season of Inspiring Voices

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