Prepare for Take-off: how media technology work experience is like airline pilot training. David Carugo, Department of Computing and Communications Technologies,

Prepare for Take-off: how media technology work experience is like airline pilot training.

David Carugo, Department of Computing and Communications Technologies,

Oxford Brookes University.

Music and media technologies

Work experience Why? How? Creating Opportunities

Picture credits: Barker Evans, via londonjazznews.com and Oxford Jazz Festival.

Music Event Opportunities

Local music organisations Jazz and Folk music

Nick Malcolm Trio at Oxford Jazz Festival.

Work Experience Model

‘Media’ work experience ‘Runner’ or ‘assistant’ roles Time to work up to responsibility Can they ‘fly the plane’?

Similarities between events / live broadcasts and airline flights

Technical Talent

Similarities between events / live broadcasts and airline flights

Event / OB: Setup Doors open Artists enter Performance starts Performance Encore Audience leaves

Airline Flight: Pre-flight checks Boarding Taxi-ing Take-off Cruising Landing Dis-embarkation

The ‘passengers’ (audience) are in the care of the technical specialists

There is a pilot and a co-pilot!

Similarities between events / live broadcasts and airline flights

Traditional ‘analogue’ controls ‘Glass cockpit’ digital mixing desk, multi-touchscreen

Need to take in and respond in real time to lots of sensory information – visual, auditory

Learners benefit from close guidance of a more experienced ‘pilot’

To learn media production, one must do media production

Subjectivity in ‘creative’ technical operations

Informed by experience Can music mixing be taught? It can

be learned…

Guided work experience

A mentor can guide students through “pre-flight” checks (setup and soundcheck)

Students can take control after “taxi” and “take-off”

Benefits of close guidance/ mentorship during work experience

Students get to “operator” status quicker than by traditional work experience

There is a ‘safety net’ of experienced personnel to take over during ‘turbulence’ (i.e. when something goes wrong!)

Benefits of close guidance/ mentorship during work experience

Creative aspects of technical roles can be nurtured

Benefits to graduate employability and to future employers

Experience in more responsible roles

High level creative skills

Sometimes you just don’t know where the ‘plane is going to land!

Student working on sound at a “Mexican” ceilidh!