you tell the difference

.forum – week seven.

This week Ben Probert, Douglas Loudon, Amy Sincock and myself presented under the topic of “Can you tell the difference? - Gender in Music Technology.”

Ben Probert raised some very interesting points about archetypes in the fields of technology and music respectively, and then related his discoveries to his area of interest – Music Education. Clearly he had researched thoroughly, and followed through with a composed and articulate presentation. Ben truly is a fine academic, the only way his presentation could have been improved is if he perhaps spoke a little more slowly, I feel that he raised some points that were swept over before I had really considered them properly.

I have hand it to Douglass, I really could not see myself doing a presentation such as this, without a script. But he did, and he generated plenty of discussion around the forum, which is always good to hear, and something that I really enjoy.

Amy seemed quite nervous, I would hate to think this topic has made her study of Music Technology awkward in any way. She raised some very rational points; that anyone with the determined inclination to study in a particular field should do exactly that. I agree.

Finally my presentation looked at some of the work of Björk, and I considered whether art itself has gender/sexuality, what role gender/sexuality plays in the creation of and reaction from art. In this I highlighted the song “And I love her” by the Beatles, among others, and tried to suggest this point – Why should you tell a difference?

Stephen finished the forum by giving us a ditty from John Cage’s comprehensively study of mushrooms - that mushrooms have not two, but hundreds of different genders. Nature really is amazing.

.sources.

Loudon, Douglas 26.04.07, “Gender in Music Technology,” Presentation of the EMU, University of Adelaide.

Morris, Jacob 26.04.07, “Gender in Music Technology,” Presentation of the EMU, University of Adelaide.

Probert, Ben 26.04.07, “Gender in Music Technology - And the lack of female interest,” Presentation of the EMU, University of Adelaide.

Sincock, Amy 26.04.07, “Gender in Music Technology.” Presentation of the EMU, University of Adelaide.

Whittington, Stephen 26.04.07, “Gender in Music Technology - Can you tell the difference?” Forum of the EMU, University of Adelaide.