The Audio Engineering Society is pleased to announce its first conference dedicated pecifically to audio education. The 50th International Conference will be held July 25-27, 2013 on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (USA). The conference will focus on teaching methods, instructional resources, learning outcomes, technical operations, areas for research, and similar topics that are relevant to organizations and individuals who provide theoretical and practical training in all areas of audio engineering. Formal academic programs for the study and teaching of audio recording were first introduced in Europe in the 1960s and in the United States in the early 1970s. In recent decades, audio education has expanded significantly worldwide, with many colleges and universities, career schools, high schools, and manufacturers now offering a wide range of courses in audio. While audio engineering and creative audio production remain skilled, professional crafts, there are practical questions that administrators and faculty face managing audio as a discipline within educational institutions. For example, what skill sets should students develop and what career options can they pursue? What opportunities exist for sponsored research, scholarship, and creative activity? What are the practical and financial implications of acquiring, installing and maintaining necessary equipment and infrastructure? How does the popularity of distance learning affect audio education? The aim of this conference is to address these questions and related topics through a focused series of presentations, papers, workshops, case studies, and discussions among professional audio educators, trainers, and administrators. The conference will be peer driven, and its outcomes will include a collection of formal papers, historical documents, survey instruments, and potential recommendations for educational resource management and development. Through the review process, we anticipate organizing paper sessions as well as other activities under three broad categories: Industry and Academia Relations, Teaching and Pedagogy Focus, and Technology and Facilities Focus. Proposed topics are listed below. Murfreesboro is approximately 30 miles southeast of Nashville, an internationally recognized center for music and recording. Nashville International Airport (BNA) is served by all major domestic airlines and provides connections to all international hubs on the U.S. East and West Coasts. The Recording Industry program at Middle Tennessee State University was founded in 1973, making it one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country. The state-of-the-art teaching and production facilities at MTSU include lecture and seminar rooms, recording studios, and labs, providing a comfortable and appropriate environment for the conference. In addition to the technical program, the conference will include social events allowing attendees to interact in informal settings while featuring unique aspects of the Nashville music and entertainment scene.
Dates: July 25–27, 2013 Location: Middle Tennessee State University Cochairs: Michael Fleming and Bill Crabtree Email: 50th_chair@aes.org All submissions should have a clear application to audio education. Content should reflect the technical and pedagogical
developments made and highlight relevant contributions or conclusions to attendees. We encourage multidisciplinary approaches to the area and an exploration of the interaction between industry, curricula, and professional practice. Submissions may be in the following formats: paper (to be presented in the main sessions); poster or demonstration (to be presented in the poster sessions); tutorial, panel, or workshop proposals to be held in the main conference thread.
Paper or poster proposals should consist of title, abstract (60 to 120 words), and précis (500 to 750 words), or alternatively, a full and complete paper (encouraged for full peer review) to be submitted at www.aes.org/50th_authors by November 1, 2012. Acceptance of papers will be determined by the 50th Conference review committee based on an assessment of the abstract and précis, or full paper submission. Accepted authors will be notified by December 30, 2012. Complete manuscripts of a maximum of 10 pages (3000 words) must be submitted by April 30, 2013. Tutorial, panel, or workshop proposals should be emailed directly to 50th_program@aes.org. Proposals should include a title, abstract, session chair, and possible contributors. If accepted, these will also be included in the conference proceedings.