Bounce & Cadence | Call for music and audio research (March 30)

Do your research, research and creation, or creation projects deserve attention? Are you looking for a place to talk with colleagues about a capstone project, independent study, a fantastic course assignment, performance, or production?

If yes, please respond to this call.

We are pleased to be able to invite proposals for participation in the 2023 Bounce & Cadence Symposium for Music and Audio Research to be held at the University of Lethbridge on 30 March, 2023.

Before beginning your proposal, please read the call for participation. In addition, read about the types of participation that you can propose on our activities page:

Oral presentation
•Performance practice demonstration
•Participate in a student exhibition with (1) tabletop exhibit, (2) poster or, (3) short research pitch

We are also very happy to announce that Bounce & Cadence awards participants. All projects will be eligible irrespective of the form in which the project is presented for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place monetary awards.

For 2023, we are also pleased to announce that the conference keynote address will be presented collaboratively by pianist Megumi Masaki and composer Keith Hamel.

For additional information, visit the symposium website, or contact cadence@uleth.ca

Or submit a proposal

Activities

Oral presentation

We invite project proposals suitable for a 20-minute oral presentation (in the University of Lethbridge Recital Hall). Presentations will be organised into groups of three consecutive talks, followed by a 15-minute Q&A for all participants in the group.

Presentation venue

The presentation venue (the University Recital Hall) includes a 2-channel PA, digital projection system with an HDMI connector only, 1 microphone. Computing technology (e.g., laptop, desktop systems) will not be provided – bring your HDMI adapter please.

Performance

We invite project proposals that are suitable for a staged recital hall performance (in the University of Lethbridge Recital Hall). The project must include the performance of one composition. Eligible projects also include the performance of a multi-movement work or an excerpt of a longer piece of music.

Presentation duration

The approximate duration of the performance is recommended to be from 3 to 10 minutes. Proposing a duration of longer than 10 minutes is possible; however, the symposium is not able to support a proposal that includes a lengthy event or complete recital with numerous compositions.

Performers

The symposium does not provide performers; instead, the project leader must confirm any performers required for the project. Getting the commitment of a stage manager is recommended for an ensemble performance requiring numerous artists. Identify all performers, and stage manager (if applicable), when the proposal is submitted.

Performance venue

The University Recital Hall accommodates an audience of 200 people. Two pianos reside in the hall, a Steinway D concert grand piano and a Yamaha S6 grand piano. A 6-channel Meyer Sound loudspeaker array, plus QSC subwoofer, are available for sound projection. The hall is equipped with a fixed open white (no colour) lighting configuration of LED and incandescence bulbs. Digital projection facilities include a 7500-lumen (MODEL: NP-PX750U) Widescreen Professional Installation Projector with HDMI connector only. The projector screen is 6.3 X 3.5 meters and drops down at the rear of the stage (upstage). The Hall is directly wired to our state-of-the-art recording studios located on the upper level of the Centre for the Arts.

Performance practice demonstration

We invite project proposals that are suitable for a 20-minute staged demonstration of performance practices on your instrument[s] (in the University of Lethbridge Recital Hall). Your proposal should not constitute a recital; instead, blend a discussion (e.g., oral presentation) about a performance practice, which you have learnt – or are learning, with an illustration of the practice (e.g., play a related musical excerpt on your instrument). An extract from a larger work is eligible for this call for participation.

Performance duration

The duration of the performance component of your performance practice demonstration should be from 3 to 10 minutes. The remaining time should be dedicated to discussion. 

Performance venue

The University Recital Hall accommodates an audience of 200 people. Two pianos reside in the hall, a Steinway D concert grand piano and a Yamaha S6 grand piano. A 6-channel Meyer Sound loudspeaker array, plus QSC subwoofer, are available for sound projection. The hall is equipped with a fixed open white (no colour) lighting configuration of LED and incandescence bulbs. Digital projection facilities include a 7500-lumen (MODEL: NP-PX750U) Widescreen Professional Installation Projector with HDMI connector only. The projector screen is 6.3 X 3.5 meters and drops down at the rear of the stage (upstage). The Hall is directly wired to our state-of-the-art recording studios located on the upper level of the Centre for the Arts.

Tabletop exhibit, poster, research pitch

We invite you to submit a project presentation suitable for a full-day Student Exhibition on 30 March, 2023. We are accepting proposals for: (1) a tabletop exhibit; (2) a research poster; (3) a 5-minute research pitch. The exhibition will run concurrently with all other symposium activities; however, depending on the number of submissions received, a dedicated time block may be created during which only these Student Exhibition activities will take place. Due to the technical specifications of your project, be prepared to arrive 60 to 90 minutes before the symposium begins in order to set-up (exhibit or poster), or if applicable, complete a sound check and test your visual aids (research pitch). Furthermore, during the symposium, be prepared to respond to questions about your project. Your project, which must showcase your present-day or recent research and creation, can take one of the three forms below. Remember, you may submit more than one proposal. Create a new submission for each proposal. Furthermore, keep in mind that if you submit multiple projects, the review committee might only be able to accept one of your projects, due to the anticipated quantity of submissions.

Tabletop exhibit

During the symposium, be prepared to operate a tabletop exhibit in the University Recital Hall Lobby. You will be provided with tables, chairs and electrical (power extension cord, power bar). Computing and unique interface technology (e.g., laptop, desktop computer, control surface) will not be provided. Please note that we will do our best to provide supplementary equipment (e.g., multiple computer monitors). However, due to the anticipated number of student participants, an excess amount of supplementary equipment will not be available. Consequently, we urge all participants to come fully prepared with their own gear. A request for an excess amount of supplementary equipment may result in the submission being rejected.

Poster

During the symposium, be prepared to stand at your research-creation poster in the University Recital Hall Lobby and receive questions about your research from the public and other participants. Your poster must have be a minimum of 36 x 48-inches (92 x 122 cm). A board for installing your poster will be provided. Computing (e.g., laptop, desktop computer) will not be provided.

5-Minute research pitch

During the symposium, we are offering a limited number of brief (5-minute) oral presentation time slots for students to deliver a “research pitch” in the University Recital Hall. Although the content of a research pitch is not standardised, we suggest you consider including the following.

1. State your research thesis (question, enquiry, theory) clearly, succinctly, and efficiently.

2. If the function of your thesis is to build a theory, consider how the theory serves to describe, explain and/or interpret the variables and variability of a phenomenon or experience within the world.

3. How do your ideas relate to phenomena and experiences within the world?

4. Identify at least one significant realised, or anticipated, outcome as a result of your work.

5. Include a reference to at least one real-world project, artist, organisation, etc. in an effort to support and contextualise your work.

6. Talk about why your project is significant to a broader community.

7. What ways of knowing the world are you trying to uncover? 

8. Please prepare and rehearse prior to your presentation.

Note that the 5-minute research pitches will run concurrently with all other symposium activities; however, depending on the number of submissions received, a dedicated time block may be created for the research pitch activity. In this case, we anticipate having momentary breaks, during which all symposium participants will turn their attention to a “research pitch”. We will not offer any formal Q&A after each research pitch. The presentation venue (the University Recital Hall) includes a 2-channel PA, digital projection system with an HDMI connector only, 1 microphone. Computing technology (e.g., laptop, desktop systems) will not be provided – bring your HDMI adapter please. If you submit a proposal for this activity, be prepared to work under these time and technical constraints, which are consistent with present-day conference standards.  For instance, be prepared to arrive 60 to 90 minutes before the symposium begins in order to complete a sound check and test any visual aids.

Call for participation

2023 Bounce & Cadence Symposium for Music and Audio Research

bounce | bouns |
noun
• the process of rendering a completed song into audio files or into just one audio file: bounces can also be used with other music applications.

cadence | ˈkeɪdns |
noun
• a sequence of notes or chords comprising the close of a musical phrase: the final cadences of the Prelude.

We invite proposals for participation for the 2023 Bounce & Cadence Symposium for Music and Audio Research to be held at the University of Lethbridge on 30 March, 2023.

Due date:

The Call for Student Participation will be open from 9:00AM, on 16 January, until 11:59PM, on 8 March (Mountain Time).

Awards

$500
1st place

$300
2nd place

$200
3rd place

All projects are eligible for the awards irrespective of the form in which the project is presented. Click here to see participation types.

Guidelines and information

  1. Bounce & Cadence follows no overarching theme. However, we endeavour to offer undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to showcase culminating research projects; for instance, we would enjoy receiving proposals that feature end-of-course, end-of-term, or end-of-degree outputs and outcomes. Moreover, projects may be classified as research, research and creation, or creation, only.

  2. We wish to encourage students from diverse backgrounds, and origins, to get involved. Furthermore, we strongly support research from equity-deserving scholar-artists in order to illustrate a more thorough and inclusive worldview of research in the arts.

  3. Collaborative projects are welcomed. Collaborative projects are inherently more complex to organise. So, students, who submit a team proposal, should have a good working relation (e.g., clear responsibilities for each member of the team).

  4. Enter the submission system by going to the submission link, below. Be sure to read through all of the requirements for the submission. You may want to prepare the submission requirements off-line before re-entering the system and clicking on the final Submit button.

  5. You may submit more than one proposal. Create a new submission for each proposal.

  6. Do not anonymise your proposal materials.

  7. After submitting your proposal, the website will automatically generate a message with a link for editing your submission. Please bookmark this link for future reference.

  8. The submission system uses Qualtrics (a cloud-based survey tool). All data submitted remains on servers located in Canada.