Academic and Journalistic Writing
In conjunction with my music performance and songwriting i have a long history of involvement in music technology education and academic research. This has included publication with Q1 journals and journalistic publications with industry magazines. I completed my honours degree in popular music at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 2010, where i was employed as a sessional lecturer in music technology and studio manager for the Bachelor of Popular Music studios at Griffith University's Gold Coast campus.
Anthony, Cook and Voss (2023) "Be the Signal": Learning Popular Music Production Skills and Practice. IASPM Journal. 2023 13 (1) pp. 77-98
Popular music pedagogy has for decades educated students in the foundational skills of music production. Yet the agency of professional practitioners illuminates that music producers also utilise tacit skills in communication and psychology to garnish musical works that target aesthetic intentions. These soft skills take time to develop in young people and so pedagogy in this field must target this at the beginning of a student’s higher education journey. Pedagogy in this field is complex and previous research efforts have highlighted the usefulness of integrated formal and practice-led collaborative educational approaches. This study develops this discourse further by investigating the utility of pedagogical video resources used in a flipped educational framework. The subsequent case study of the course MPP 1 found that students valued this approach and highlighted video length, accessibility and the educator’s embodiment of practitioner traits as integral to their learning more holistic approaches to popular music production.
Popular music pedagogy has for decades educated students in the foundational skills of music production. Yet the agency of professional practitioners illuminates that music producers also utilise tacit skills in communication and psychology to garnish musical works that target aesthetic intentions. These soft skills take time to develop in young people and so pedagogy in this field must target this at the beginning of a student’s higher education journey. Pedagogy in this field is complex and previous research efforts have highlighted the usefulness of integrated formal and practice-led collaborative educational approaches. This study develops this discourse further by investigating the utility of pedagogical video resources used in a flipped educational framework. The subsequent case study of the course MPP 1 found that students valued this approach and highlighted video length, accessibility and the educator’s embodiment of practitioner traits as integral to their learning more holistic approaches to popular music production.
Voss (2022) Design Principles for Music Technology Education Support: Just-in-Time Learning in the Recording Studio using Mobile Technologies Journal of Music, Technology and Education. April 2022 (14, 1) pp. 21-42
Popular music education involves engaging students with using a range of music technologies found in recording studios, through utilization of multiple hardware and software devices to enable the recording process. Student users can struggle to keep up with the volume of knowledge required to operate these environments to their full potential. Providing just-in-time learning resources to support these students could improve student learning through augmenting gaps in their knowledge. Just-in-time learning is the provision of active learning opportunities that engage learners with skill development as part of the working process. This approach to supporting music technology education was trialled within a programme teaching popular music. The research found that students welcomed the provision of just-in-time learning opportunities delivered through a mobile phone application and that this suited their learning approach in the recording studio. This article suggests that mobile learning resources can benefit the curriculum of programmes working with music technology. The study was conducted using a design-based research methodology with students within a conservatorium teaching popular music. This popular music programme heavily utilized the recording studio as a learning and teaching tool, requiring students to engage with music technology routinely. Thirty students from all year levels of the undergraduate programme participated in the research project through surveys and focus groups. The research involved iterative cycles of mobile application design and testing over an eighteen-month period. Previously, a pilot study identified that students felt that on-demand learning opportunities delivered through mobile devices would be beneficial to their learning. The research from the design and testing of the mobile application evolved a series of design principles, which could be used as a guide for developing just-in-time resources to support music technology education.
Popular music education involves engaging students with using a range of music technologies found in recording studios, through utilization of multiple hardware and software devices to enable the recording process. Student users can struggle to keep up with the volume of knowledge required to operate these environments to their full potential. Providing just-in-time learning resources to support these students could improve student learning through augmenting gaps in their knowledge. Just-in-time learning is the provision of active learning opportunities that engage learners with skill development as part of the working process. This approach to supporting music technology education was trialled within a programme teaching popular music. The research found that students welcomed the provision of just-in-time learning opportunities delivered through a mobile phone application and that this suited their learning approach in the recording studio. This article suggests that mobile learning resources can benefit the curriculum of programmes working with music technology. The study was conducted using a design-based research methodology with students within a conservatorium teaching popular music. This popular music programme heavily utilized the recording studio as a learning and teaching tool, requiring students to engage with music technology routinely. Thirty students from all year levels of the undergraduate programme participated in the research project through surveys and focus groups. The research involved iterative cycles of mobile application design and testing over an eighteen-month period. Previously, a pilot study identified that students felt that on-demand learning opportunities delivered through mobile devices would be beneficial to their learning. The research from the design and testing of the mobile application evolved a series of design principles, which could be used as a guide for developing just-in-time resources to support music technology education.
Voss (2016) Information on Demand in the Recording Studio: Building the Case for Teaching Music Technology with an Interactive Agenda Australian Journal of Music Education 2016: 50(2) pp.24-38
Education in a contemporary context increasingly requires students to engage with learning technologies. This can present a challenge to both students and teachers who at times struggle to engage with the technical processes involved in navigating these technologies. Outside of formal education settings, on-demand information facilitated through improved access to mobile technologies is widespread. This paper presents a pilot study, which investigates the use of on-demand technologies in the context of popular music education based around the recording studio. The pilot study demonstrates how the complexities of operating a wide range of equipment and software presented a significant challenge to these users. Supporting the delivery of education involving technology through the provision of on-demand information could assist these users with learning specific technical skills. This paper develops an argument for incorporating on-demand information into curriculum involving technology, while developing some initial design principles for sharing these resources.
Education in a contemporary context increasingly requires students to engage with learning technologies. This can present a challenge to both students and teachers who at times struggle to engage with the technical processes involved in navigating these technologies. Outside of formal education settings, on-demand information facilitated through improved access to mobile technologies is widespread. This paper presents a pilot study, which investigates the use of on-demand technologies in the context of popular music education based around the recording studio. The pilot study demonstrates how the complexities of operating a wide range of equipment and software presented a significant challenge to these users. Supporting the delivery of education involving technology through the provision of on-demand information could assist these users with learning specific technical skills. This paper develops an argument for incorporating on-demand information into curriculum involving technology, while developing some initial design principles for sharing these resources.
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