The 21st Century Music Practice Research Network’s 2023 One Day Conference on Saturday 20th May 2023 at the University of West London, St. Mary’s Road, Ealing, London W5 5RF

The C21MP network is relaunching its ‘in-person’ events with a one day conference looking for common themes in pedagogy and practice research in performance, composition, record production, music technology, music business and arts administration.

The format of the conference is slightly unusual in that is inspired by the format of the ‘flipped classroom’:

• Themed panels involve three ‘presenters’ and a discussant / moderator. Presenters must be able to attend in person on Saturday 20th May 2023.
• Each presenter produces a 20 minute video of their presentation in advance of the conference which are available online for attendees (and the public) two weeks in advance. All presenters and moderators must watch all three videos in advance of their ‘in person’ session.
• During the session, each presenter gives a five minute summary / abstract which is followed by 75 minutes of discussion between the four panellists and with audience involvement, led by the discussant / moderator
• Presentations can involve practical demonstration, musical examples and performance but must address a research question and point towards or provide answers / new knowledge

300 word abstracts using the format outlined below should be submitted to 2023conference@c21mp.org by 5pm GMT on 10^th Feb 2023 and selected abstracts will be notified by 20^th March 2023.

Selected abstracts will submit 20 minute videos by 5pm GMT on Friday 5th May 2023

Proceedings will be published on the website

Also – selected presentations will be invited to submit to a new C21MP Video Journal on Practice Research in Music

There will be eight panels based on the following:

Conference Themes

1.     Music technology – How is the relationship between technology and music practice shifting in the 21st century? How does this relationship alter the agency and/or creativity of music makers?

2.     Creative entrepreneurship – What does creative (music) entrepreneurship mean in the 21st century? What new approaches to practice and forms of analysis are emerging, including considerations of social media and digital dissemination?

3.     Composition and song writing – How have composition, song writing and arranging changed since the proliferation of technological tools in recording, and writing music? What are the tensions between originality and external influences (genre, commerciality etc) in contemporary song writing and composition?

4.     Workflows and tools – What influence do our workflow and/or the tools we use have on our ways of thinking about or ‘doing’ music? How do musical tools (instruments, notation, DAWs etc) embody and create representations of music, musicking and musical thought? 

5.     Methodology and practice – How can we demonstrate rigour in practice research? What are your methods of documentation and analysis for researching aesthetics and process through your practice?

6.     Collaboration – How do different forms of collaboration impact music practice and research? How have 21^st Century innovations affected different ways of ‘doing’ collaborative work?

7.     Pedagogy – How should we find a balance between training and education? What new approaches, methods and theories are being used in practice education? How are community development and entrepreneurial skills being embedded in practice pedagogy?

8.     Performance – How are approaches to performance (in concert, in the studio and elsewhere) changing in the 21st Century? How are real time sound making activities being influenced by and combined with real time manipulation and editorial processes?

Abstract Format

Your abstract will be assessed on the following criteria:

·       You have clearly identified the theme / panel you wish to be considered for and why.

·       There is a clear research question or problem and an explanation of how it might produce new knowledge or understanding

·       The abstract provides a clear idea of the form your presentation will take.

·       It is clear how this presentation will contribute towards a meaningful discussion of the theme.