about

The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression gathers researchers and musicians from all over the world to share their knowledge and late-breaking work on new musical interface design. The conference started out as a workshop at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) in 2001. Since then, an annual series of international conferences have been held around the world, hosted by research groups dedicated to interface design, human-computer interaction, and computer music. The twentieth edition of the conference will be hosted by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, a world-leading music institution and one of the eight conservatoires in the UK.

The theme of this conference edition is the Accessibility of Musical Expression, addressing the challenges of making musical expression accessible to all. This theme aims at providing a platform for researchers to explore accessibility and its different forms through the themes of music making with and for people with complex cognitive and physical needs, musician-centred interaction design and interfaces for music education and discovery.

We invite submissions of new works in the following categories:

• Papers
• Late-Breaking Demos
• Music Performances
• Installations
• Workshops

Read the call for participation here

• 24 January 2020 (23h59 British Standard Time): Paper, Poster, Music, Installation and Workshops submission deadline
• 31 January 2020 (23h59 British Standard Time): Final submission upload deadline (no extension)
• 23-29 March 2020: Notification of acceptances/rejections
• 13 April 2020: Early Bird Registration Opens
• 17 April 2020 (23h59 British Standard Time): Non-Paper Demo submission deadline
• 24 April 2020: Camera-ready submission
• 1 June 2020: Video submission for accepted authors
• 6 June 2020: Early-bird registration deadline
• 21 July 2020: Pre-conference workshops
• 22-24 July 2020: The conference
• 25 July 2020: The unconference

We would like to invite you to be part of NIME 2020 – The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. We welcome submissions of original research, both scientific and artistic. A non-exhaustive list of NIME-related topics is found below.

Topics

Original contributions are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Musical interfaces designed by/with disabled/neurodiverse musicians
• Musical interfaces in/as education
• Increasing musical choices for disabled musicians through new accessible interfaces
• Easier/cheaper approaches to the design of bespoke accessible instruments (that can be adapted to a user’s requirements), in a world dominated by mass production
• Strategies that improve the reach and replicability of one-off accessible instrument projects, particularly those that are unlikely to have full commercial potential
• Musical interfaces tailored to formally trained musicians
• Novel controllers, interfaces or instruments for musical expression
• Augmented, embedded and hyper instruments
• Technologies or systems for collaborative music-making
• Mobile music-making
• Music-related human-computer interaction and mapping strategies
• Sensor and actuator technologies, including haptics and force feedback devices
• Explorations of relationships between motion, gesture and music
• Evaluation and user studies of new interfaces for musical expression or commercially available “off the shelf” interfaces
• Musical robotics
• Interactive sound art and installations
• Performance rendering and generative algorithms
• Machine learning in musical performance
• Artificial intelligence and new interfaces for musical expression
• Web-based and/or telematic music performance
• Software frameworks, interface protocols, and data formats, for supporting musical interaction
• Historical, theoretical or philosophical discussions about designing or performing with new interfaces
• Supporting cultural diversity through musical interfaces
• Discussions about the artistic, cultural, and social impact of new interfaces
• Pedagogical perspectives or reports on student projects in the framework of NIME-related courses
• Practice-based research approaches/methodologies/criticism relating to the use of musical interfaces

Get templates and submit here

Important Notes

• All paper category submissions must be completely anonymized, including the names of authors, references, photos and specific project names that can identify the author(s). This is because we practice a “double-blind” peer review process to avoid implicit bias.
• In general, the publication of a work in the NIME proceedings is conditional on at least one author/artist attending at the conference. This is to ensure that NIME can continue to be a space for meeting and discussing with people. However, we recognise that this may represent a barrier for some, and we are happy to accommodate presenters who may need to present by other means. Please get in touch with Lamberto Coccioli at Lamberto.Coccioli@bcu.ac.uk if you have any questions regarding access to the conference, we will do all we can to help.
• Demonstration papers will be presented during poster sessions. It is also possible to submit a proposal for a demonstration which will not be accompanied by a paper publication. For additional info on non-paper demonstrations, please see the call for Workshops and Non-Paper Demos category below. All demonstration paper submissions must include a video.
• A manuscript submitted for review cannot be already under review for publication elsewhere or be submitted for a second review elsewhere while under review for NIME 2020.
• Accepted papers will be published online as part of the conference proceedings on the conference website and will be archived online to be tracked by citation tools.

We want all accepted presenters and performers at NIME20 to be able to participate in the conference. Once submissions are accepted, we will ask you to provide us with any access requirements you might have. However, we also encourage any prospective contributors for NIME20 to get in touch with the relevant chairs or with Lamberto Coccioli at Lamberto.Coccioli@bcu.ac.uk about any potential issues or questions concerning access to the conference.

You can also find our access FAQ here.

There are three different paper submission categories:

• Full papers, up to 6 pages in length (including references)
• Short papers, up to 4 pages in length (including references)
• Demonstration papers, up to 2 pages in length (including references)

In order to encourage dialogue, papers will be strictly limited to 15 minutes, with each paper given 5 minutes for questions, with a further 15 minute panel discussion at the end of each paper session.

Paper Review Process

All paper submissions will be subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer review process by an international committee of experts. All of the submitted papers should demonstrate rigorous research methodology and will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• novelty
• academic quality
• appropriateness of topic
• importance
• readability and paper organization

The process is as follows:

• Each paper submission will be assigned to at least 3 reviewers for evaluation.
• A meta-reviewer will moderate a discussion amongst the reviewers, write a summary review, and recommend whether to accept the paper.
• The paper chairs will make the final decision on paper acceptance and will inform the author(s) of their decision along with the reviewers’ comments.

Please note this review process is double-blind, meaning reviewers remain anonymous to the authors and vice-versa. It is expected that authors respect NIME’s Publication ethics and malpractice statement.

Deadline Extension

There will be no extension to the paper submission deadline. However, authors of registered papers on or before January 24th will be allowed to upload new versions of their papers (in PDF format) until January 31th (23h59 British Standard Time). No other changes will be possible (i.e. authors will not be able to change title, abstract, authors, keywords/topics, or other metadata).

Ethics

To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include a section “Compliance with Ethical Standards” before the References, including (if relevant):

• information regarding sources of funding
• potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial)
• informed consent if the research involved human participants
• statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals

download submission templates
Submit here: cmt3.research.microsoft.com/NIME2020/Submission/Index

We invite submission of proposals that showcase new interfaces for musical expression in composition and performance. We look forward to receiving submissions that expand and reshape our understanding of NIME in the performance, conceptualization, and reception of music. We encourage submissions that respond to the conference theme of the Accessibility of Musical Expression, addressing the challenges of making musical expression accessible to all.

Music proposals (compiled into a single pdf) should include:

• A project description.
• A description of technical requirements.
• Short program notes.
• A link to audio and, preferably, audio-visual documentation. The documentation link should be unrestricted to ensure easy access by both chairs and reviewers.
• Where appropriate, please provide any details of access requirements for participation in the conference.

Accepted proposals will be allowed to submit an extended music abstract for inclusion in the NIME music proceedings.

In general, we cannot guarantee that an accepted performance can be scheduled for a particular day of the conference. We will, however, consider requests for specific dates or for flexible performance times in cases where this policy represents a barrier to participation. As stated above, we do encourage any applicants to either get in touch with one of the music chairs, or provide any details of access requirements as part of their music submission.

We will expect performances to last no longer than 5-7 minutes. Shorter and longer performance proposals may also be taken into consideration, but longer durations performances must be justified in the proposal. Applicants must consider the following aspects when preparing music performance submissions:

• Space requirements: Indicate whether the work would be more suitable for a traditional concert stage, gallery, club, public space, university environment (hallways, staircases and indoor and outdoor plazas), or other venue. For networked and web-based work, please include the technical information and system requirements.
• Performer(s): List any instrumental performers. Please note that the organizers cannot provide funding to support any additional performers’ travel or accommodation. Within reasonable limits, we may be able to provide musicians to perform pieces but this would be negotiated on a piece-by-piece basis.
• Feasibility: Provide evidence of the feasibility of the musical performance. Include documentation and list of previous performances of the submitted or related work that demonstrate the submitter’s capacity to implement the proposal.
• All submissions must be anonymized, including, but not limited to authors, references, and specific project names that can clearly identify the author(s).
• Submitted proposals will be evaluated by multiple adjudicators. Review is double-blind.

Music Review Process

All music submissions will be peer reviewed by at least three international experts. Review is double blind.

Given the nature of music submissions, we appreciate absolute anonymity may be hard to achieve without compromising supporting material. However, contributors should meet some basic criteria of anonymity by:

• not having any trace of the authors’ names and affiliations in the written material;
• submitting audio and video materials using anonymous accounts (by creating new accounts with Soundcloud, YouTube, Vimeo or similar);
• the identity and affiliations of the authors should not be mentioned in the title, description, or opening/closing credits of the submitted media.

Ethics

Please note, that if elements of the submitted work involve research with people or animals, authors should include a section “Compliance with Ethical Standards” before the References, including (if relevant):

• information regarding sources of funding
• potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial)
• informed consent if the research involved human participants
• statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals

download submission templates
Submit here: cmt3.research.microsoft.com/NIME2020/Submission/Index

Call Opens: 6 April 2020
Submission deadline: 10 May 2020
Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: 1 June 2020

Due to NIME2020’s shift to an online conference form, our new call for installations requires these works to be experienced online. The medium via which the installation is to be experienced is completely up to the author; the conference will provide links and access to the virtual location of the submitted work.

Submitted proposals will be subject to curation by an international committee of experts. Documentation of the installations will remain available online after the conference.

In order to present an installation for NIME 2020, please submit a proposal in the form of a PDF document, maximum 4 pages, containing the following information:

• The title of the work
• Names and short bios of contributing artists
• Clear description of the proposed installation that provides reviewers with a sense of its motivation and proposed realization: pictures, schematic diagrams and/or proposed methods of experiencing the installation by an online visitor.
• Technical description: tools and mediums used for the installation, specifying what online visitors need to best experience the installation. For example: headphones or speakers, mouse (rather than trackpad), tablet or smartphone, joystick, etc.
• Feasibility: Provide evidence showing how the online installation will produce the sought experience. Include documentation of previous deployments, or related work demonstrating the submitter’s ability to implement the proposed online installation.
• As relevant, a link to audio-visual documentation, live demo of the installation itself or to the work as it already exists online. The documentation link should use an unrestricted streaming service, such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, or YouTube or any other medium suitable for online experience.
• Where appropriate, please provide any details of access requirements for participation in the (online) conference and/or setting up an installation.

Installation Review Process

All installation submissions will be evaluated by a review panel according to the following criteria: originality, impact, creativity, technique, presentation, and feasibility.

Ethics

Please note that if any elements of the proposed installation involve research with people or animals, authors should include a section “Compliance with Ethical Standards” before the References, including (if relevant):

• information regarding sources of funding
• potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial)
• informed consent if the research involved human participants
• statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals

NIME 2020 welcomes the submission of workshop and non-paper demo proposals. These specialized workshops may be in any area of the NIME themes or topics.

Unlike demo-papers available under the papers category, workshops and demo proposals do not need to be anonymized and will be curated by the conference committee based on their relevance to the conference theme and feasibility. As a result, the feedback on these curated acceptances and rejections will be limited.

The workshop proposals (compiled in a single pdf) should include:

• One-page workshop description
• One-page description of technical and space requirements
• Workshop leader(s) bio(s)
• A link to aural, visual, and/or online documentation. The documentation link containing media materials should use an unrestricted streaming service such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, or YouTube.
• Authors should ensure any ethical concerns and safeguarding issues are addressed (if appropriate) in the proposal.
• Where appropriate, please provide any details of access requirements for participation in the conference.

The non-paper demo proposals (compiled in a single pdf) should include:

• One-page demo description
• One-page description of technical and space requirements
• Author bio(s)
• A link to audio-visual documentation showcasing the technology and/or activity to be demonstrated. The documentation link containing media materials should use an unrestricted streaming service such as Vimeo, or YouTube.
• If any part of the non-paper demo uses work undertaken with people or animals, authors should include a section “Compliance with Ethical Standards” as part of their proposal.
• Where appropriate, please provide any details of access requirements for participation in the conference.

Non-Paper Demos have a later submission deadline on the 17th April.

Workshop and Non-Paper Demo Review Process

All workshops and non-paper demo submissions will be evaluated by a review panel according to the following criteria: originality, impact, creativity, technique, presentation, and feasibility.
Submit here: cmt3.research.microsoft.com/NIME2020/Submission/Index