Designing relational pedagogies with jam2jamXO

This paper examines the affordances of the philosophy and practice of open source and the application of it in developing music education software. In particular I will examine the parallels inherent in the ‘openness’ of pragmatist philosophy in education (Dewey 1916, 1989) such as group or collaborative learning, discovery learning (Bruner 1966) and learning through creative activity with computers (Papert 1980, 1994). Primarily I am interested in ‘relational pedagogies’ (Ruthmann and Dillon In Press) which is in a real sense about the ethics of the transaction between student and teacher in an ecology where technology plays a more significant role. In these contexts relational pedagogies refers to how the music teacher manages their relationships with students and evaluates the affordances of open source technology in that process. It is concerned directly with how the relationship between student and teacher is affected by the technological tools, as is the capacity for music making and learning. In particular technologies that have agency present the opportunity for a partnership between user and technology that enhances the capacity for expressive music making, productive social interaction and learning. In this instance technologies with agency are defined as ones that enhance the capacity to be expressive and perform tasks with virtuosity and complexity where the technology translates simple commands and gestures into complex outcomes. The technology enacts a partnership with the user that becomes both a cognitive and performative amplifier. Specifically we have used this term to describe interactions with generative technologies that use procedural invention as a creative technique to produce music and visual media

The effects of computer-assisted keyboard technology and MIDI accompaniments on group piano students' performance accuracy and attitudes.

Recommendations from the results include using CAI such as the Guide Mode to help group piano students improve in pitch accuracy during the early stages of learning new repertoire. After students feel comfortable with the pitches, practicing with MIDI accompaniments but without the Guide Mode may assist in the development of rhythmic continuity. However, teachers should not assume that the technology is an automatic way of improving piano performance. More time to practice with the technology outside of the classroom setting may be needed to observe any longer term effects on students' performance.Perceptions of MIDI accompaniments and the Guide Mode's effectiveness in helping students improve performance accuracy were generally positive. In open-ended responses, a majority of the participants from the Guide Mode group expressed that practicing with the Guide Mode was the most helpful part of the practice sessions. Students also reported that they made greater improvement when they practiced hands separately. Some subjects also stated that the use of MIDI accompaniments helped keep their rhythm steady. Other subjects believed that the use of technology had no effect on their performance.This study investigated the effects of musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) accompaniment and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) technology on group piano students' performance accuracy and attitudes. Subjects ( N = 29) in this quasi-experimental design were non-keyboard music major college students in four intact third semester piano classes. Two of the classes were assigned to a group that practiced with the Guide Mode on Yamaha Clavinova keyboards and MIDI accompaniment, while the other two classes were assigned to a group that practiced without the Guide Mode but with MIDI accompaniment.The researcher compared the posttest scores to the pretest scores within subjects for significant differences in performance accuracy due to the treatment. Differences in pretest and posttest scores were also compared between the Guide Mode group and the MIDI-only group. Four outliers were identified as possibly skewing the data. When the outliers were removed, the group that practiced with the Guide Mode (n = 19) demonstrated significantly better improvement in total pitch errors in comparison to the control group (n = 10), p < .05. No significant difference in rhythmic errors emerged between groups. Within groups, participants made significant improvement in overall accuracy from pretests to posttests.Subjects' performances of two piano compositions were first recorded as pretests. Afterwards each class practiced the same two compositions with their respective treatment for two weeks in class. Subjects then recorded the two compositions as posttests. Three judges evaluated the pretest and posttest recordings for accuracy in pitch and rhythm. A Likert-type questionnaire investigated subjects' attitudes toward practicing with the Guide Mode and MIDI accompaniment

Video Game Audio Techniques Applied to Board Game Companion Applications

Video games have been one of the most popular forms of entertainment since the turn of the 20th century. Starting in pinball machines that developed into arcade games and now lovingly into virtual reality, console, and handheld gaming systems, video games have become a normal factor in people\u27s lives. It is no mystery why they are so popular; games not only give us a sense of accomplishment beyond what our physical and mental limits could achieve, but also evoke our imaginations by drawing us into a new world that is magical or something we would never have seen before. Think about an arcade--inside there are flashing lights, loud music; some cabinets even call out to you. Every sound is designed to entice the players. That remained the case as video games improved. To deepen the immersion for the player, the sounds need to be more realistic: there are more dialogue options; the sounds are varied and authentic; and they respond to what the player does. The storylines and relationships are deeper, and the players begin to feel honest emotions towards the characters in the story. Video games are so popular that other games have fallen out of popularity, board games included. Board games are nostalgic, and bring back fond memories for many people, but when placed against video games, the old classics barely stand a chance, specifically with younger generations. Board games typically require multiple players in the same space/location and a decent understanding of the rules. There are no flashing lights, music, or any of the immersion methods seen in successful video games. However, within the last decade, board game developers have begun releasing applications that can accompany board games. The games can still be played without the apps, but with the companions apps player can now play alone or with people. There are sounds that introduce monsters, and some, like Mansions of Madness, have dialogue you can hear from the enemies. These games have become very popular, and several games released now have advertised their companion application as well. Dead of Winter released an app that plays sounds of a blizzard, creaking, and low suspenseful tones, as well as narration. The app is designed to replace the event cards and supply background ambiance. Ultimate Werewolf guides the players through the game, explaining the rules, and plays background music and sound effects. Now the question is: how can we make board games more immersive? This paper will explore the history, techniques and successful immersion techniques of video games, and then explore what can be applied to a board game companion application

Ground-breaking: Scientific and sonic perceptions of environmental change in the African Sahel

Soils surrounding ancient settlements can hold evidence of the activities of past societies. To seek an understanding of how past societies have reacted and contributed to environmental change requires many data sources. The real-time audiovisual installation Ground-breaking problematises the presentation of such data gained through the image-analysis of soil materials. These data are used to connote environmental events and consequent human responses. Combining these data with audiovisual synthesis and environmental recordings, a basis for developing conceptualizations of new locales undergoing environmental change is presented; the visual and sonic narratives developed allowing the art-science interface to be explored

SERVICE-PROCESS CONFIGURATIONS IN ELECTRONIC RETAILING: A TAXONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC FOOD RETAILERS

Service-processes of electronic retailers are founded on electronic technologies that provide flexibility to sense and respond online to the dynamic and complex needs of customers. In this paper, we develop a taxonomy of service-processes in electronic retailing and demonstrate their linkage to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The taxonomy is grounded in a conceptual classification scheme that differentiates service-process stages on a continuum of flexibility. Using data on electronic service-processes collected from 255 electronic food retailers, we identified eight configurations for the taxonomy. We also collected and analyzed publicly reported customer satisfaction survey data that were available for 52 electronic food retailers in the study sample. The results of this analysis indicate positive and significant correlation of the ordering of the taxonomy configurations with (i) customer satisfaction with product information, product selection, web site aesthetics, web site navigation, customer support, and ease of return, and (ii) customer loyalty. Taken together, the results of our empirical analyses demonstrate that the taxonomy captures information and variety within and across the electronic service-process configurations in ways that can be related to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.Marketing, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Preliminary report on KETs priorities declared by regions in the context of their work on Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3)

The KETs preliminary report consists of information on KETs and Smart specialisation that the S3 Platform has developed and diffused in different forms, as well as relevant information that has been identified by participation in different kinds of events. The first part of the report focuses briefly on the role of KETs in smart specialisation as a means of regional development, i.e. the policy rationale for regions to invest in KETs. The second part summarises policy recommendations and tools with regard to Smart Specialisation and KETs, as have been identified in events on the topic, where the S3 Platform has participated. The third part provides maps on regional priorities related to KETs. The data for this section come from the new web-based priority mapping tool called Eye@RIS3. This tool displays a range of priorities identified and declared by regions for their RIS3 and includes, the names of the regions that are in the database (69), the names of those that have indicated a priority with relation to KETs (48 in total), a list of the priorities related to KETs (96 -around 20% of the total number of listed priorities), connection to regional innovation scoreboard, and connection to patent data as an indicator of regional capabilities. The report presents the following initial conclusions and envisaged next steps: i) Regions tend to indicate that in the context of the RIS3, exercise horizontal priorities need to be defined and that these could involve the diffusion and/or application of KETs; ii) still there are many questions related to state aid and financing of KETs; iii) all types of regions aim for KETs: not only leaders, but all of the range from leader to modest; and iv) around 2/3 of all regions whose data are included in the "Eye@RIS3" database mention KETs as a priority of their RIS3. Around 20% of all priorities declared by regions whose data are included in the "Eye@RIS3" database are related to KETs.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

An approach to melodic segmentation and classification based on filtering with the Haar wavelet

We present a novel method of classification and segmentation of melodies in symbolic representation. The method is based on filtering pitch as a signal over time with the Haar-wavelet, and we evaluate it on two tasks. The filtered signal corresponds to a single-scale signal ws from the continuous Haar wavelet transform. The melodies are first segmented using local maxima or zero-crossings of ws. The segments of ws are then classified using the k–nearest neighbour algorithm with Euclidian and city-block distances. The method proves more effective than using unfiltered pitch signals and Gestalt-based segmentation when used to recognize the parent works of segments from Bach’s Two-Part Inventions (BWV 772–786). When used to classify 360 Dutch folk tunes into 26 tune families, the performance of the method is comparable to the use of pitch signals, but not as good as that of string-matching methods based on multiple features