393 research outputs found
Promoting live music in the UK: a behind-the-scenes ethnography
Live music promoters have hitherto been academically neglected (and often publicly maligned) individuals and organisations. This thesis, then, shifts the academic focus from the recording industries towards live music and towards the figures behind-the-scenes who connect artist, audience and venue in the live music environment. To do so, this work explores the practices and experiences of promoters in the UK; it focuses on Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bristol, and is based on ethnographic research at case study venues. The thesis offers a phenomenological perspective on what promoters do and why, and their role as mediator with key figures such as artists and agents, as well as their relationships with the state. It argues that promoters are cultural investors (and exploiters), importers and innovators who both shape and are shaped by the live music ecology within which they operate. Finally, the thesis examines the three stages of the promotional process – planning, publicity, production – to argue that promoters are key figures not only in the construction of the musical lives of contemporary British citizens, but also in the rich cultural (and economic) ecology of cities, towns and villages in the UK
DESIGNING A CURRICULUM FOR CREATIVITY
The author argues that a curriculum rich in creativity enables all individuals, artistically inclined or not, to engage with the creative process. For human beings, creative processes are, and have been, integral to our evolution, progress and future. The richness that a creative process can give any aspect of our lives is invaluable, and it is this capital that will have significant impact on our futures. Creativity is a cross-disciplinary skill and should be found in all areas of the primary curriculum.It is suggested that a curriculum that lacks creativity at its heart, including not only the content but the teacher-driven pedagogy and supportive, creative leadership, will not prepare young people for what lies ahead. As the Durham Commission (2019) states, the application of creative thought is necessary to thrive in a range of jobs and we are currently failing to demonstrate to students how knowledge can be used in creative ways and be a driver for change
The Column Density Distribution Function at z=0 from HI Selected Galaxies
We have measured the column density distribution function, f(N), at z=0 using
21-cm HI emission from galaxies selected from a blind HI survey. f(N) is found
to be smaller and flatter at z=0 than indicated by high-redshift measurements
of Damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) systems, consistent with the predictions of
hierarchical galaxy formation. The derived DLA number density per unit
redshift, dn/dz =0.058, is in moderate agreement with values calculated from
low-redshift QSO absorption line studies. We use two different methods to
determine the types of galaxies which contribute most to the DLA cross-section:
comparing the power law slope of f(N) to theoretical predictions and analysing
contributions to dn/dz. We find that comparison of the power law slope cannot
rule out spiral discs as the dominant galaxy type responsible for DLA systems.
Analysis of dn/dz however, is much more discriminating. We find that galaxies
with log M_HI < 9.0 make up 34% of dn/dz; Irregular and Magellanic types
contribute 25%; galaxies with surface brightness > 24 mag arcsec^{-2} account
for 22% and sub-L* galaxies contribute 45% to dn/dz. We conclude that a large
range of galaxy types give rise to DLA systems, not just large spiral galaxies
as previously speculated.Comment: 13 pages, low resolution figures in the appendix, MNRAS accepte
Local Column Density Distribution Function from HI selected galaxies
The cross-section of sky occupied by a particular neutral hydrogen column
density provides insight into the nature of Lyman-alpha absorption systems. We
have measured this column density distribution at z=0 using 21-cm HI emission
from a blind survey. A subsample of HI Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS) galaxies
have been imaged with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). The
contribution of low HI mass galaxies 10^7.5 to 10^8 M_solar is compared to that
of M_star (10^10 to 10^10.5 M_solar) galaxies. We find that the column density
distribution function is dominated by low HI mass galaxies with column
densities in the range 3x10^18 to 2x10^20 cm^-2. This result is not intuitively
obvious. M_star galaxies may contain the bulk of the HI gas, but the
cross-section presented by low HI mass galaxies 10^7.5 to 10^8 M_solar is
greater at moderate column densities. This result implies that moderate column
density Lyman-alpha absorption systems may be caused by a range of galaxy types
and not just large spiral galaxies as originally thought.Comment: 5 pages, including 1 figure. To appear in "Extragalactic Gas at Low
Redshift" (ASP Conf. Series, Weymann Conf.
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ANCIL in action: progress updates on A New Curriculum for Information Literacy
Secker & Coonan’s 2011 research on A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL) positions information literacy as a vital, holistic and institution-wide element in academic teaching and learning. Rather than taking a competency-based approach in which abilities and performance levels are delineated prescriptively, ANCIL is founded on a perception of information literacy as a continuum of skills, competences, behaviours and values around information, centred in an individual learner engaged in a specific task or moving towards a particular goal. ANCIL offers both micro- and macro-level approaches to reviewing the information literacy support offered in an institution. With its emphasis on active, reflective and transferable elements in learning, ANCIL lends itself well to practical course design and lesson planning. By reviewing the structure and content of individual sessions through the ANCIL lens, it is possible to enhance information literacy teaching significantly even where provision is restricted to one-shot or front-loaded training sessions.
In addition, ANCIL’s holistic mapping of information literacy, together with the interprofessional and collaborative approach this entails, allows departments or whole institutions to audit where, how and when provision is offered to and encountered by the student in the course of his or her learning career.The original ANCIL project research was supported by the Arcadia Programme at Cambridge University Library
Maids: A Retelling of a Retelling of The Odyssey
Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College
Evolution of damped Lyman alpha kinematics and the effect of spatial resolution on 21-cm measurements
We have investigated the effect of spatial resolution on determining
pencil-beam like velocity widths and column densities in galaxies. Three 21-cm
datasets are used, the HIPASS galaxy catalogue, a subset of HIPASS galaxies
with ATCA maps and a high-resolution image of the LMC. Velocity widths measured
from 21-cm emission in local galaxies are compared with those measured in
intermediate redshift Damped Lyman alpha (DLA) absorbers. We conclude that
spatial resolution has a severe effect on measuring pencil-beam like velocity
widths in galaxies. Spatial smoothing by a factor of 240 is shown to increase
the median velocity width by a factor of two. Thus any difference between
velocity widths measured from global profiles or low spatial resolution 21-cm
maps at z=0 and DLAs at z>1 cannot unambiguously be attributed to galaxy
evolution. The effect on column density measurements is less severe and the
values of dN/dz from local low-resolution 21-cm measurements are expected to be
overestimated by only ~10 per cent.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS letter
From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury:The Impact of British Music Festivals
Festivals are at the heart of British music and at the heart of the British music industry. They form an essential part of the worlds of rock, classical, folk and jazz, forming regularly occurring pivot points around which musicians, audiences, and festival organisers plan their lives. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the purpose of this report is to chart and critically examine available writing about the impact of British music festivals, drawing on both academic and ‘grey’/cultural policy literature in the field. The review presents research findings under the headings of: •economy and charity; •politics and power; •temporality and transformation; •creativity: music and musicians; •place-making and tourism; •mediation and discourse; •health and well-being; and •environment: local and global. It concludes with observations on the impact of academic research on festivals as well as a set of recommendations for future research
The impact of (jazz) festivals:An Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded research report
Festivals are an essential part of the jazz world, forming regularly occurring pivot points around which jazz musicians, audiences and organizers plan their lives. Funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, the purpose of this report is to chart and critically examine available writing about the impact of jazz festivals, drawing on both academic and 'grey'/cultural policy literature in the field. The review presents research findings under the headings of economic impact; socio-political impact; temporal impact and intensification and transformation of experience; creative impact--music and musicians; discovery and audience development; place-making; the mediation of jazz festivals; and environmental impact. It concludes with a set of recommendations for future research, which identifes gaps in the feld. To accompany the article, a 100-entry 40,000-word annotated bibliography has also been produced, which is freely accessible online
Why concert promoters matter
Forming a companion piece to Frith’s 2007 article on why live music matters, this paper argues that there is a need to refine accounts of the music industries to reflect live music’s growing dominance. It does so by focusing on the rock/pop concert promoter and posits that in contrast to traditional definitions, the role of the promoter is astonishingly flexible and adaptable. The authors argue that the promoter necessarily ‘wears many hats’ and offer three promotional models to understand the work that promoters do. To illustrate this and to understand the development of live music promotion in the UK from 1955 onwards, the article compares and contrasts historical research with contemporary ethnography
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