What is distinctive and discipline-specific about teaching and learning in screen music? And how might pedagogic practices relating to screen music inform — and be informed by — teaching and learning in other areas of the curriculum (both within Music, Film and Media Studies, and other disciplines)?

Despite the popularity of screen music as an area of study in higher education (from both analytical and practical perspectives), it remains a relatively neglected topic of pedagogic research, notwithstanding important work from, among others, Elsie Walker (2012, 2024) and the late Philip Tagg (2013). For this study day, we seek to open out the study of screen-music teaching and learning across diverse curricular, institutional, and disciplinary perspectives, and to chart areas of continuity and change in screen-music pedagogies across a variety of historical and geographical contexts. 

From the earliest days of television broadcasting in the 1930s performers, programmers, and critics were enthusiastic about the potential for a creative approach to live mediated performance and its ability to facilitate an educated form of public dialogue. At the same time, the consistent challenges involved in ‘translating’ a live performance to the screen and the limitations imposed on multi-camera videography (rehearsal opportunities, lighting, camera placement) have demanded compromises and the establishment of practices that have been met with resistance and criticism. In Screening Live Performance we aim to unpack the past, present, and future of multi-camera production for the performing arts to understand how this shapes our appreciation of live performance. 

To what extent, we ask, can multi-camera production replicate or capture  the experience of live performance? Or is it naïve even to consider such notions of immediacy in the face of an elaborate intervention? Has our collective familiarity with the grammar of multi-camera production (in television sports, in sitcoms) allowed us to see ‘through’ its mediating effects? Or is there something still strange and alienating about witnessing live performances fragmented into multiple perspectives, subjected to zoom shots and close-ups? These are some of the questions the conference seeks to address.

Sound on Screen IV, the first annual conference of the RMA Sound on Screen Study Group, will be a three-day event dedicated to exploring the intersection of sound, music, and screen media. We invite scholars and practitioners to submit abstracts for 15 to 20-minute individual papers, position papers, or complete three-paper panels that delve into any aspect of sound, sound design, or music for screen, emphasising innovative perspectives and methodologies.

While we pride ourselves on our broad, inclusive programme of papers, this year we are particularly interested in contributions that address understudied areas such as virtual reality, video games, interactive films in public locations or tourist attractions, and non-mainstream film and television. This is an opportunity to expand current methodologies and challenge traditional approaches to the study of sound and music in screen media.

Our call is open to scholars at all stages of their careers, from emerging postgraduate researchers or composers, to established academics and practitioners. We aim to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for dialogue and collaboration among participants.

To submit a proposal, please provide an abstract of 250-300 words along with a brief bio of 100 words by the submission deadline of 24 January 2025. Proposals should clearly outline your paper's focus and methodology. All submissions should be sent to soundonscreen2025@outlook.com. Decisions will be sent out by the end of February 2025.

Music and sound are critical elements for shaping the theme park experience. The burgeoning field of scholarship in this area has forged a path for further study of the musical materials and sonic qualities of themed experiences, including sonic/musical design in theme park attractions and spaces, music of live themed entertainment, and music and sound in virtual themed happenings.

This two-day, virtual conference (held in a synchronous format) featured research talks and demonstrations about the music and sound of themed experiences.

The conference included an invited address by audio visual artist Luke Nickel.