Robert Burke – författare

During the COVID-19 pandemic, creative communities were faced with unprecedented challenges and forced to embark upon a re-evaluation of traditional approaches to artistic collaboration. In the wake of these discussions and experiments, New Directions in Musical Collaborative Creativity asks how new technology can be used to enhance creativity and how this creativity increases our knowledge in relation to musical interactions in group contexts. Focusing on a case study of a leading musical improvisation group--the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, and their online music sessions established during the COVID-19 lockdowns of March 2020--the book's five authors probe the transformative impact of online and hybrid improvisation and explore the crucial role of interactive (visual and sound) technology in the emergence of new identities and hybrid working practices.Virtual improvising, though a relatively new type of creative activity, has significant implications for how researchers can better understand improvisation generally as well as musical interactions in non-virtual environments. The book's topics range from an overview of digital music frameworks to an investigation of how improvisations begin and end, the unique context of the online sessions, the integration of audio and visual stimuli to produce audio-visual compositions, and new types of creative activities. The authors explore how improvisation--and online improvising in particular--can engender a fresh sense of community while presenting innovative opportunities for experimentation, communication, community involvement, educational enrichment, the cultivation of new virtuosities, and the promotion of health and well-being. Furthermore, they delve into the ramifications of these insights for education and health, emphasising the importance of new technologies and their potential to produce significant creative breakthroughs.Ultimately, the book points us toward novel manifestations of technologically-mediated and community-centred creative engagement, delineating avenues for future advancement and scholarly investigation. Bringing together a multidisciplinary and cross-generational author team with a wealth of complementary academic and artistic experience, this book responds to the significant growth in interest in improvisation as a musical and artistic practice and situates this research within the study of collaborative creativity in the contemporary "hybrid" context. A companion website features a series of films that document sessions of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, showing the innovative collaborative artistic practices as they emerged.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, creative communities were faced with unprecedented challenges and forced to embark upon a re-evaluation of traditional approaches to artistic collaboration. In the wake of these discussions and experiments, New Directions in Musical Collaborative Creativity asks how new technology can be used to enhance creativity and how this creativity increases our knowledge in relation to musical interactions in group contexts. Focusing on a case study of a leading musical improvisation group--the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, and their online music sessions established during the COVID-19 lockdowns of March 2020--the book's five authors probe the transformative impact of online and hybrid improvisation and explore the crucial role of interactive (visual and sound) technology in the emergence of new identities and hybrid working practices.Virtual improvising, though a relatively new type of creative activity, has significant implications for how researchers can better understand improvisation generally as well as musical interactions in non-virtual environments. The book's topics range from an overview of digital music frameworks to an investigation of how improvisations begin and end, the unique context of the online sessions, the integration of audio and visual stimuli to produce audio-visual compositions, and new types of creative activities. The authors explore how improvisation--and online improvising in particular--can engender a fresh sense of community while presenting innovative opportunities for experimentation, communication, community involvement, educational enrichment, the cultivation of new virtuosities, and the promotion of health and well-being. Furthermore, they delve into the ramifications of these insights for education and health, emphasising the importance of new technologies and their potential to produce significant creative breakthroughs.Ultimately, the book points us toward novel manifestations of technologically-mediated and community-centred creative engagement, delineating avenues for future advancement and scholarly investigation. Bringing together a multidisciplinary and cross-generational author team with a wealth of complementary academic and artistic experience, this book responds to the significant growth in interest in improvisation as a musical and artistic practice and situates this research within the study of collaborative creativity in the contemporary "hybrid" context. A companion website features a series of films that document sessions of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, showing the innovative collaborative artistic practices as they emerged.

The modern definition of firefighter no longer means “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.” Emergency responders answer incidents ranging from fire alarm activations to elevator rescues and medical emergencies more often than full-blown fires. Consequently, responders increasingly interface with a wide array of building systems. Underscoring the changing role of firefighters, Fire Protection: Systems and Response presents the basic knowledge of the inner workings of fire safety/fire protection systems and related equipment in buildings.The author provides a straightforward overview of the functions and benefits of these systems and how they can assist with fire suppression, code enforcement, alarm response, and elevator rescue. The book’s comprehensive discussion of elevators, fire command centers, emergency generators and lighting, and HVAC systems sets it apart from other fire protection books currently available. The topics covered prepare emergency response personnel for the challenges they face working with fire protection systems, fire alarm systems, and elevators. Logically organized, clearly written, and covering all systems in a single text, this presentation of information streamlines fire service interaction with building features and fire protection systems. Providing an understanding of how systems are designed and installed, the book is also a reference for troubleshooting fire protection problems in the field. The information not only gives responders an appreciationknowledge of how the systems work, but helps them use this knowledge to perform their job better.

Experimentation in Improvised Jazz: Chasing Ideas challenges the notion that in the twenty-first century, jazz can be restrained by a singular, static definition. The worldwide trend for jazz to be marginalized by the mainstream music industry, as well as conservatoriums and schools of music, runs the risk of stifling the innovative and challenging aspects of its creativity. The authors argue that to remain relevant, jazz needs to be dynamic, proactively experimental, and consciously facilitate new ideas to be made accessible to an audience broader than the innovators themselves. Experimentation in Improvised Jazz explores key elements of experimental jazz music in order to discern ways in which the genre is developing. The book begins with an overview of where, when and how new ideas in free and improvised jazz have been created and added to the canon, developing the genre beyond its initial roots. It moves on to consider how and why musicians create free and improvised jazz; the decisions they make while playing. What are they responding to? What are they depending on? What are they thinking? The authors analyse and synthesise the creation of free jazz by correlating the latest research to the reflections provided by some of the world’s greatest jazz innovators for this project. Finally, the book examines how we respond to free and improvised jazz: artistically, critically and personally. Free jazz is, the book argues, an environment that develops through experimentation with new ideas.

The ICMS Handbook is acknowledged as the international standard text for basic security procedures. It was first published as A Basic Guide to Museum Security, and is now fully revised, enlarged and updated. The manual covers: general principles security, theft and burglary: security personnel; training; collection management and transport; disaster planning; fire and environmental hazards; checklist of security procedures. It is designed to operate in all conditions and sizes of museum, not merely those with elaborate electronic security. It stresses that good basic principles are the key to effective protection from hazard.

Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation explores how trust manifests across diverse musical genres and contexts that contribute to free improvisation.Using an interdisciplinary approach which combines insights from sociology, psychology, and performance studies, Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation provides a holistic understanding of trust in creative collaboration, audience engagement, and musical flow. The authors substantiate their analyses with commentary from highly respected practitioners and musicians who perform on world stages. Using a theoretical framework grounded in real-world practice, this book offers fresh perspectives on trust in the creative process.Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation will appeal to academics exploring improvisation and musicians in the fields of creativity and communication. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the book, it will also be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of musicology, artistic research, sociology, psychology and arts education.

The third edition of a bestseller, Hazardous Materials Chemistry for Emergency Responders continues to provide the fundamentals of "street chemistry" required by emergency response personnel. Emergency response and hazmat expert Robert Burke takes the basics of chemistry appropriate for response personnel and puts it into understandable terms. The author has retained the style and format that made the previous editions so popular while updating the information to keep the book relevant.See What’s in the Third Edition: Expanded section on Ethanol and its hazards to respondersUpdate of NFPA 472 Chemistry requirementsRevised section on "hazmat elements" with more hazards and response issuesIncludes a focus on the importance of the "hazmat elements" of chemical familiesNew incident examplesNew photographs and graphicsThe chapters are organized by the nine U.S. Department of Transportation's hazard classes. Almost every hazardous material presents more than one hazard; the DOT’s placarding and labeling system only identifies the most severe hazards. Therefore, the book provides additional information about hidden hazards for each hazard class. It discusses individual chemicals, their hazards and their physical and chemical characteristics, both as distinct chemicals and within chemical families. The book offers a concise presentation of the topics of most importance to emergency responders on a day-to-day basis. It provides the basic chemistry a responder needs to understand chemical terminology and communicate with others about the chemicals involved in hazardous materials incidents.

The ICMS Handbook is acknowledged as the international standard text for basic security procedures. It was first published as A Basic Guide to Museum Security, and is now fully revised, enlarged and updated. The manual covers: general principles security, theft and burglary: security personnel; training; collection management and transport; disaster planning; fire and environmental hazards; checklist of security procedures. It is designed to operate in all conditions and sizes of museum, not merely those with elaborate electronic security. It stresses that good basic principles are the key to effective protection from hazard.

Experimentation in Improvised Jazz: Chasing Ideas challenges the notion that in the twenty-first century, jazz can be restrained by a singular, static definition. The worldwide trend for jazz to be marginalized by the mainstream music industry, as well as conservatoriums and schools of music, runs the risk of stifling the innovative and challenging aspects of its creativity. The authors argue that to remain relevant, jazz needs to be dynamic, proactively experimental, and consciously facilitate new ideas to be made accessible to an audience broader than the innovators themselves. Experimentation in Improvised Jazz explores key elements of experimental jazz music in order to discern ways in which the genre is developing. The book begins with an overview of where, when and how new ideas in free and improvised jazz have been created and added to the canon, developing the genre beyond its initial roots. It moves on to consider how and why musicians create free and improvised jazz; the decisions they make while playing. What are they responding to? What are they depending on? What are they thinking? The authors analyse and synthesise the creation of free jazz by correlating the latest research to the reflections provided by some of the world’s greatest jazz innovators for this project. Finally, the book examines how we respond to free and improvised jazz: artistically, critically and personally. Free jazz is, the book argues, an environment that develops through experimentation with new ideas.

The third edition of a bestseller, Hazardous Materials Chemistry for Emergency Responders continues to provide the fundamentals of "street chemistry" required by emergency response personnel. Emergency response and hazmat expert Robert Burke takes the basics of chemistry appropriate for response personnel and puts it into understandable terms. The author has retained the style and format that made the previous editions so popular while updating the information to keep the book relevant.See What’s in the Third Edition: Expanded section on Ethanol and its hazards to respondersUpdate of NFPA 472 Chemistry requirementsRevised section on "hazmat elements" with more hazards and response issuesIncludes a focus on the importance of the "hazmat elements" of chemical familiesNew incident examplesNew photographs and graphicsThe chapters are organized by the nine U.S. Department of Transportation's hazard classes. Almost every hazardous material presents more than one hazard; the DOT’s placarding and labeling system only identifies the most severe hazards. Therefore, the book provides additional information about hidden hazards for each hazard class. It discusses individual chemicals, their hazards and their physical and chemical characteristics, both as distinct chemicals and within chemical families. The book offers a concise presentation of the topics of most importance to emergency responders on a day-to-day basis. It provides the basic chemistry a responder needs to understand chemical terminology and communicate with others about the chemicals involved in hazardous materials incidents.

The increasing interest in artistic research, especially in music, is throwing open doors to exciting ideas about how we generate new musical knowledge and understanding. This book examines the wide array of factors at play in innovative practice and how by treating it as research we can make new ideas more widely accessible.Three key ideas propel the book. First, it argues that artistic research comes from inside the practice and exists in a space that accommodates both objective and subjective observation and analyses because the researcher is the practitioner. It is a space for dialogue between apparently opposing binaries: the composer and the performer, the past and the present, the fixed and the fluid, the intellectual and the intuitive, the abstract and the embodied, the prepared and the spontaneous, the enduring and the transitory, and so on. It is not so much constructed in a logical, sequential manner in the way of the scientific method of doing research but more as a “braided” space, woven from many disparate elements.Second, the book articulates the notion that artistic research in music has its own verification procedures that need to be brought into the academy, especially in terms of the moderation of non-traditional research outputs, including the description of the criteria for allocation of research points for the purposes of data collection, as well as real world relevance and industry engagement.Third, by way of numerous examples of original and creative music making, it demonstrates in practical terms how exploration and experimentation functions as legitimate academic research. Many of the case studies deliberately cross boundaries that were previously assumed to be rigid and definite in order to blaze new musical trails, creating new collaborations and synergies.

The modern definition of firefighter no longer means “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.” Emergency responders answer incidents ranging from fire alarm activations to elevator rescues and medical emergencies more often than full-blown fires. Consequently, responders increasingly interface with a wide array of building systems. Underscoring the changing role of firefighters, Fire Protection: Systems and Response presents the basic knowledge of the inner workings of fire safety/fire protection systems and related equipment in buildings.The author provides a straightforward overview of the functions and benefits of these systems and how they can assist with fire suppression, code enforcement, alarm response, and elevator rescue. The book’s comprehensive discussion of elevators, fire command centers, emergency generators and lighting, and HVAC systems sets it apart from other fire protection books currently available. The topics covered prepare emergency response personnel for the challenges they face working with fire protection systems, fire alarm systems, and elevators. Logically organized, clearly written, and covering all systems in a single text, this presentation of information streamlines fire service interaction with building features and fire protection systems. Providing an understanding of how systems are designed and installed, the book is also a reference for troubleshooting fire protection problems in the field. The information not only gives responders an appreciationknowledge of how the systems work, but helps them use this knowledge to perform their job better.