September 2013 - News!

• See a brief photo journal of 5th Annual Meeting highlights.
  

• Abstracts, posters and slide presentations for 5th Annual Meeting can be viewed here
  

• The AIRS 5th Annual Meeting  held in Toronto was a great success, thanks to the contributions of so many brilliant and creative minds involved in the AIRS initiative.
  

The AIRS 5th Annual Meeting was an extraordinary success judging from the spectacular array of posters, the stimulating talks, outstanding vocal  performances, inspiring collegial interaction, and lively camaraderie. At the opening session, the SMPC Chair,  Ryerson Dean of Arts ,UPEI Vice-President of Research,  AIRS Advisory Board, and  AIRS Director offered warm welcomes, and poster presenters each gave a 1-minute pitch about their poster. That evening, the Policy and Planning Committee met, and students and early career  research professionals enjoyed a pizza dinner and discussion co-ordinated by Arla Good and Blair Ellis. The next morning, after an overview of  research of the past year, members met in their theme groups. The afternoon plenary focused on new data and theoretical understanding of singing from developmental, educational, and wellbeing perspectives. George Tzanatakis updated everyone on progress with the AIRS Digital Library. The next morning, workshops engaged discussion on the AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills, pitch analysis, the RAVDESS database of emotional song and speech, and  research possibilities in vocal studios and choral settings. A  Master Class with Darryl Edwards after lunch provided a rare window on vocal pedagogy. Each theme then met again, discussing ideas for translating research findings into practice. Everyone returned for final remarks. Inspirational thoughts from the Advisory Board included the applicability of concepts of development, education, and well-being to one’s own 5-year AIRS experience. The meeting closed as it began with the singing of the AIRS Round.

Facilities at Ryerson University were optimal as was the timing--following the meeting of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC). Frank Russo, AIRS Theme 1 Leader and convenor of the SMPC meeting, was key to this coordination, with added support from the Ryerson Office of the Dean of Arts. The home office at UPEI, managed  by Ross Dwyer, AIRS Administrative Assistant, dedicated many months so as to optimize the logistics for all attendees. Bing-Yi Pan organized an unforgettable concert featuring vocalists of many cultures and styles. The entire meeting was interspersed with singing together, ably led by Carol Beynon, Mayumi Adachi, Godfrey Baldacchino, Liliya Nafikova, among others. The text of an extended acknowledgement delivered at the meeting is attached. Abstracts, posters and slide presentations can be viewed here on the Airs website.

Thanks everyone (approximately 100 attendees from around 15 countries) for your collaboration at the AIRS 5th Annual Meeting and congratulations on your associated achievements.

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