Towards Adapting ImageNet to Reality: Scalable Domain Adaptation with Implicit Low-rank Transformations

Images seen during test time are often not from the same distribution as images used for learning. This problem, known as domain shift, occurs when training classifiers from object-centric internet image databases and trying to apply them directly to scene understanding tasks. The consequence is often severe performance degradation and is one of the major barriers for the application of classifiers in real-world systems. In this paper, we show how to learn transform-based domain adaptation classifiers in a scalable manner. The key idea is to exploit an implicit rank constraint, originated from a max-margin domain adaptation formulation, to make optimization tractable. Experiments show that the transformation between domains can be very efficiently learned from data and easily applied to new categories. This begins to bridge the gap between large-scale internet image collections and object images captured in everyday life environments

Reflection, Reflexivity, Learning and the Influence of Formalised and Experiential Piano Training

This autoethnographic study examines how music learning is influenced by teachers and socio-cultural environments and how this influences not only our musical journeys but the way we view our lives, of the progress we have made, the goals in which we hope to achieve, and the way we perceive we will achieve them. This study explores how my musical background, understanding, learning, music-making abilities, and skills have shaped my present beliefs, attitudes and identity as a musician, educator, and researcher. Focusing on teacher pedagogy and practice, the study reveals how prevailing teacher-centred and didactic approaches to teaching impact the perspectives and experiences of learning, and how music teachers have the ability to motivate, and encourage, but also demoralise and dissuade the musical learner. This study highlights understanding of reflective and reflexive teacher practice and how this can unlock impactful pedagogical and relational attributes, articulating teacher development in becoming the better musician and teacher. This study revealed important insights into the way in which I now experience and understand music through a more insightful and deeper awareness of the influences and contexts that impact the way learners engage in music instruction

Experimental Approaches to the Composition of Interactive Video Game Music

This project explores experimental approaches and strategies to the composition of interactive music for the medium of video games. Whilst music in video games has not enjoyed the technological progress that other aspects of the software have received, budgets expand and incomes from releases grow. Music is now arguably less interactive than it was in the 1990’s, and whilst graphics occupy large amounts of resources and development time, audio does not garner the same attention. This portfolio develops strategies and audio engines, creating music using the techniques of aleatoric composition, real-time remixing of existing work, and generative synthesisers. The project created music for three ‘open-form’ games : an example of the racing genre (Kart Racing Pro); an arena-based first-person shooter (Counter-Strike : Source); and a real-time strategy title (0 A.D.). These games represent a cross-section of ‘sandbox’- type games on the market, as well as all being examples of games with open-ended or open-source code

A Study of Pedagogical Approaches to Inform Instructors on How to Help Ease the Transition of a Flute Student Switching to Oboe

Young band students are seldom allowed to begin on the oboe, due to the specialized difficulties of the instrument. It is more prevalent for a student to begin on another instrument, such as the flute, and transition to the oboe after some initial experience. Many students switch to oboe from flute, since both instruments have similarities in fingering and wind technique. However, there are significant differences between the two instruments. These differences include embouchure formation, articulation, octave keys and alternate fingerings, intonation adjustment, and double reed care. If a student is not able to receive individualized instruction during this transitional process, damaging habits can form that inhibit student growth, enjoyment, and can cause injury. Presenting accessible oboe exercises and pieces with a focus on specific techniques suitable for the converting flutist will assist in preventing adverse habit formation during the early stages of conversion. This thesis will attempt to provide such information by outlining shared similarities between the flute and oboe, as well as detail nuanced differences between the two instruments that the primary flutist will need to overcome in order to be successful on the oboe

Thinking across music learning contexts : developing a new research methodology framework by which to retrospectively examine musicians’ cumulative learning strategies

Musicians often learn music from combinations of available music learning contexts (MLCs). Little is understood about how musicians relate content from one MLC to content from another/others to form cohesive understandings of musical concepts. Research into the ways in which we combine learning from multiple MLCs is required, but first, groundwork to develop an appropriate methodology to investigate musicians’ cumulative learning strategies is necessary. This propaedeutic study, framed by cumulative learning theory, implements constructivist grounded theory to refine a research framework for the retrospective investigation of music learning across contexts. Central to this framework is the use of mind maps and interviews as key forms of data collection. This study seeks the optimal combination of these two data sources to provide insights into the ways in which musicians relate content from one MLC to content from another/others. The research framework developed may be useful for application across a wide range of disciplines and, in music, understanding the learning strategies of musicians may facilitate further work into how to improve formal institutions’ curricula as well as teaching strategies employed in various MLCs

Extending Human-Robot Relationships Based in Music With Virtual Presence

Social relationships between humans and robots require both long term engagement and a feeling of believability or social presence toward the robot. It is our contention that music can provide the extended engagement that other open-ended interaction studies have failed to do, also, that in combination with the engaging musical interaction, the addition of simulated social behaviors is necessary to trigger this sense of believability or social presence. Building on previous studies with our robot drummer Mortimer that show including social behaviors can increase engagement and social presence, we present the results of a longitudinal study investigating the effect of extending weekly collocated musical improvisation sessions by making Mortimer an active member of the participant's virtual social network. Although, we found the effects of extending the relationship into the virtual world were less pronounced than results we have previously found by adding social modalities to human-robot musical interaction, interesting questions are raised about the interpretation of our automated behavioral metrics across different contexts. Further, we found repeated results of increasingly uninteruppted playing and notable differences in responses to online posts by Mortimer and posts by participant's human friends