1. 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.

2. Music and media technologies  Work experience  Why?  How?  Creating Opportunities

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

4. Music Event Opportunities  Local music organisations  Jazz and Folk music Nick Malcolm Trio at Oxford Jazz Festival.

5. Work Experience Model  ‘Media’ work experience  ‘Runner’ or ‘assistant’ roles  Time to work up to responsibility  Can they ‘fly the plane’?

6. Similarities between events / live broadcasts and airline flights  Technical  Talent

7. 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

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

9. There is a pilot and a co-pilot!

10. Similarities between events / live broadcasts and airline flights Traditional ‘analogue’ controls ‘Glass cockpit’ digital mixing desk, multi-touchscreen

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

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

14. 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…

15. Guided work experience  A mentor can guide students through “pre-flight” checks (setup and soundcheck)  Students can take control after “taxi” and “take-off”

16. Benefits of close guidance/ mentorship during work experience Students get to “operator” status quicker than by traditional work experience

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

18. Benefits of close guidance/ mentorship during work experience Creative aspects of technical roles can be nurtured

19. Benefits to graduate employability and to future employers  Experience in more responsible roles  High level creative skills

20. Sometimes you just don’t know where the ‘plane is going to land! Student working on sound at a “Mexican” ceilidh!