Canadian Association for Sound Ecology Minutes

CASE Meeting Dates:

August 12, 1996

Minutes from the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE) meeting in Toronto on Saturday, September 13th, 1996 at 4pm, Musicworks office, 179, Richmond St West, Toronto.

Present: Gayle Young (Grimsby, Ontario), Richard Windeyer (Toronto), Tim Knight (Toronto), R. Murray Schafer (Indian River, Ontario), Andra McCartney (Toronto), Claude Schryer (Montreal) and guest Henrik Karlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)

Our agenda was to discuss the incorporation and future direction of CASE based on the resolutions taken by the Haliburton Soundscape Workshop group.

  1. Claude Schryer presented an overview of the procedure for incorporation as a non-profit federal corporation (the 200$ registration fee and extensive list of necessary documents to be included with the applications, etc.).

  2. It was agreed that the incorporation committee and founding board would be: Murray Schafer (president), Claude Schryer (vice-president), Gayle Young (secretary), Tim Knight (treasurer) and that this committee would then appoint other board members and call for a general meeting of members.

  3. Gayle Young suggested that we try and find a lawyer to help with the incorporation application and in getting a charity number. Gayle will look into getting an inexpensive lawyer in Toronto and Claude will do the same in Montreal.

  4. Claude will prepare a first draft of the CASE by-laws and charter and will send it to the committee in November. CASE will file the incorporation papers as soon as everyone on the committee has seen and approved the documents.

  5. The 200$ fee and 30$ name search fee will be paid by Claude Schryer with profits from the Haliburton Soundscape Workshop (200$). Any other incorporation costs will be paid for by CASE once the organisation has operating funds.

  6. Tim Knight will continue his discussions with Peter Grant of WFAE Vancouver concerning the eventual transfer of data and funds from Vancouver to Toronto.

  7. Claude will send a letter on behalf of CASE to the Swedish, Japanese, French, Argentinean and Brazilian organisations inviting them to participate in the re-structuring of WFAE.

  8. The next meeting of CASE will take place in late winter/early spring in Toronto. A day long special event, co-ordinated by Richard Windeyer, will be organised to announce CASE to the public and to the media. Claude suggested that the next Annual General Meeting of CASE take place in Vancouver during the summer or early fall of 1996 and that the CASE AGM alternate between the west and east coasts every year.

  9. Excerpts from Justin Winkler's August 21 fax about the re-structuring of WFAE were read to the group and discussed. Excerpts from Hildegard Westerkamp's September 12 email concerning the 98 Stockholm conference were also read to the group.

  10. An informal discussion took place with Henrik Karlsson about the Swedish soundscape group (Sound Council) which he leads, the future of WFAE and the possibility of an international acoustic ecology conference in Stockholm in 1998.

Meeting adjourned at 5.30pm

Claude Schryer
Acting secretary
E-Mail: cschryer@web.net

April 30, 1997

Minutes from the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE) meeting April 30, 1997, 7pm, Musicworks office, 179 Richmond west, Toronto, Ontario

Present: Gayle Young, Tim Knight, Claude Schryer (presiding the meeting), Andra McCartney, Richard Windeyer (secretary)

Claude announces that the CASE case now contains 3 videos : a copy of ODYSSE SONORE film), a copy of the Haliburton Soundscape Workshop video document and a video catalogue of an exhibit curated by Gayle Young).

Agenda for this meeting

  1. approval of the CASE bylaw
  2. WFAE/CASE membership
  3. Paris conference
  4. where does the CASE go from here?
  5. charitable tax number & registration of the CASE
  6. Richard's CASE promotional postcard
  7. case board members/structure
  8. varia

Meeting starts at 7:30 - agenda is approved.

  1. approval of the CASE bylaw Amendments to the CASE bylaws:

    • the CASE head office should be kept separate from the Vancouver WFAE office.
    • August 31st will be end of the CASE's fiscal year.
    • with regards to the signing of cheques, the CASE will adopt a double signing policy.
    • the official signing date of the approved CASE bylaws is to be April 30th, 1997.
    • in the description of the duties of the secretary, he/she is to be a voting member of board, while also attending to agendas, minutes, etc.

    Claude makes a motion that the CASE incorporation papers be accepted as amended.

    Vote is unanimous - motion carried.

  2. WFAE/CASE membership:

    Claude reads Hildi Westerkamp's letter of recommendations for regional groups of WFAE.

    It is agreed that once CASE is incorporated, a letter will go out to all Canadian WFAE members asking if they wish to have their membership transferred (either entirely or split 50/50) to CASE.

    On the subject of membership fees, Gayle makes a motion that there should be no distinction in fee amount between WFAE and CASE/WFAE membership.

    It is agreed that all members of CASE are automatically members of WFAE. The membership fee shall stay at $25, with 50% of each CASE membership fee going to WFAE. It is also recommended that the membership fee be raised to $30 next year.

    Additions to the motion:

    a) it is proposed that CASE take responsibility for mailing the WFAE newsletter to the CASE membership (this includes CASE/WFAE members with Canadian addresses).

    b) all membership types (permanent, associate, and institutional) shall be the same amount ($25)

    Vote is unanimous - motion carried.

  3. Paris conference

    It is agreed that the CASE will prepare a (sound) document to be sent to the Paris conference. One possible topic may be the CASE position on WFAE restructuring.

  4. where does the CASE go from here?

    Suggestions:

    • create database of membership, mailing list, information sources & bibliographies
    • CASE's possible role as a distributor of (or "pointer" to), acoustic ecology-related documents. These documents would be offered to CASE members at reduced cost. This would require CASE to work out discount, consignment, & royalty deals with distributors & publishers, etc.
    • the publishing (either printed or on-line) the French version of Murray Schafer's "Sound Education" book, and other valuable publications in need of translation.
    • CASE should encourage its members to create works of all kinds for publication.
    • through CASE, experts should collaborate on a published guide to soundwalking (book, CD, webpage, or all).
    • syndicated radio broadcasts
    • CASE could provide webpages (or links) for all members as an external resource base. As this would apply only to CASE members, it is hoped that professionals from other disciplines (ie, architecture, ecological design, urban planning, etc.) would be encouraged to become members.

  5. charitable tax number & registration of the CASE Claude advises that CASE should apply for charitable tax number/registration.

    With regards to fund-raising, it is suggested that special projects be used to raise funds. This includes membership drives, which will require a quick & efficient system for processing membership fees and donations.

    Otherwise, this issue shall be deferred until next meeting.

  6. Richard's CASE promotional postcard

    Richard agrees to have the cards stamped with the current CASE mailing address (c/o Musicworks) and proper internet addresses. The postcards will then be sent out to help solicit memberships.

    It is agreed that the postcards will be regarded as a donation of property to CASE on Richard's behalf. He will then be issued an official tax receipt for the donation.

    It is agreed that CASE should have its own institutional email address. Until this is obtained, CASE will use Richard's email address (windeyer@inforamp.net ).

  7. CASE board members/structure

    Motions:

    Tim nominates Richard to serve as a board member.

    Claude nominates Andra to serve as ex-officio board member

    One other board member shall be appointed at a later date.

    Vote is unanimous - motion carried.

    It is agreed that the next CASE meeting shall deal with financial matters such as bank signings, signatures, etc.

    Meeting adjourned (ca. 10:00 pm) Next meeting in July.

Claude Schryer
schryer@cam.org
4280, Clark - Montreal QC H2W 1X3 - Canada
Tel (514) 842-1088 - Fax (514) 987-1862
http://www.cam.org/~schryer

Report: August 19, 1998
Acoustic Ecology WFAE/CASE/
Montreal

This summary of discussions from this meeting, which was held in French, is here related in English for the benefit of the "English as a common language" acoustic-ecology readers .:-) NB Perhaps other "Post-Stockholm"meeting of this nature can take place in various parts of the world by individuals who attended the conference?

Present: Claude Schryer (composer and president of CASE), Diane Leboeuf (sound designer, working on a CD on the soundscapes of the St-Lawrenc eriver), Claude Langlois (film sound editor and a teacher of sound arts at INIS and Université de Montréal), Luc Beauchemin (graphic designer and artist), Emmanuel Madan (composer and sound installation curator), Hélén Prévost (radio producer and composer), André Breton (professor of communications at UQAM), Charles De mestral (composer and professor of sound arts at CEGEP Vieux-Montréal).

First we introduced each other and gave a brief presentation on our activities and interests. Then the four of us present in Stockholm gave an outline of our experiences at the Stockholm conference.

I presented a text about my personal reflections concerning "21 good thingsabout the 1998 Stockholm Conference", which I read and commented on at our meeting. "It was good to:"

  1. listen to ourselves and to sit quietly listening to others listen to others' listening...
  2. be inspired by the actions of the Japanese and their innovative "soundscape preservation" projects...
  3. hear Murray Schafer end his opening speech with "one must also know when to stop making sound"...
  4. be reminded by Arne Naess that the sound environment is not only an important part of the ecological crisis but also an essential link in our quality of life...
  5. observe the emergence of sound design as a discipline and partner in the acoustic ecology community...
  6. consider noise pollution problems in an interdisciplinary and socially enlightened context and as Birgitta Berglund suggests "to compose with the noise"...
  7. be critical of new media and critical of our own ignorance in this field.
  8. consider acoustic ecology as a model for other forms of environmentalism.
  9. remember the good "practical" advice of Xavier Bonnefoy of the WHO, including the notion that community involvement is at the heart of social change...
  10. consider "Northern Soundscapes" and have a wonderful yearbook to take home as a reminder...
  11. compose time with Albert Mayr and open the windows of the "action day" to the world...
  12. experience less as more...
  13. be in the kind and wise company of Henrik Karlsson and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
  14. have Ola Stockfeldt remind us that we are all excellent listeners...
  15. realise that building a mature society involves letting go of our individual egos...
  16. to be present when a Minister of the Environment of Sweden agrees that sound is of importance on the social and environmental agenda...
  17. listen to the endless debates, misunderstandings and moments of convergence within the acoustic ecology community...
  18. hear a fabulous concert of the church bells of Stockholm...
  19. feel a historic shift in the acoustic ecology community as we progressively move from awareness to action...
  20. see the WFAE give itself a solid structure and a bold mission...
  21. visit Stockholm as a model of an ecologically balanced city where clean water flows in the heart of the city...
Héléne, Diane and André agreed with most of my comments, which we discussed(however I forgot to take any notes...). Héléne Prévost mentioned that she experienced the conference as an engaging exploration of the ethics and aesthetics in relation with acoustic ecology, and that she felt nourished by the numerous contacts and exchanges. For her, the WFAE is both a "groupe de veille" (observation group?) and an action group, and that the acoustic ecology community has greatly matured since Banff in 1993. She reminded us of Arne Naess' suggestion to "articulate our experiences" and KeikoTorigoe's philosophy of "respect and action". Diane LeBoeuf spoke of Stockholm as a powerful and enriching experience, where she was able to exchange openly with a wide variety of specialists and experts in the field of acoustic ecology. André Breton noted the compeling presence of"sounically aware" architects at the conference. He also mentioned that he was a little disappointed at the choas near the end of the conferenceduring the resolutions debate. We then listened to excerpts of recordings taken during the conference, including:

We spoke of several potential future projects, either an a regional basis in Quebec and/or at a national level within Canada. We agreed that we should meet again in a few weeks to continue our discussions. This report will be submitted to the CASE board meeting on September 27 in Toronto.

Claude Schryer
schryer@cam.org
4280, Clark - Montreal QC H2W 1X3 - Canada
Tel (514) 842-1088 - Fax (514) 987-1862
http://www.cam.org/~schryer

May 24, 1999

  1. New Board of Directors

    CASE held its annual general meeting on Monday May 24 at the Walper Terrace Hotel in Ktichener. Many thanks to Peter Hatch for his assistance in setting up the meeting and for running another fabulous edition of the Open Ears Festival!

    At the AGM, the following persons were selected to serve on the board of directors:

    Darren Copeland - President
    Ellen Waterman - Vice-President
    Tim Knight - Treasurer
    Gayle Young - Secretary
    Tim Wilson - Member-at-large.
    Hildegard Westerkamp - Member-at-large.
    R. Murray Schafer - Member-at-large.

    Many thanks to our outgoing board members Claude Schryer and Richard Windeyer who worked very hard in the early going to make CASE possible! They were particularly instrumental in organizing and operating the Haliburton Soundscape Retreat in 1996 where the charter for CASE was written and the organization founded. Their principles and interests will remain at the heart of our activities from this day forward! On behalf of CASE, I would like to wish them all the best in their future undertakings. The board of CASE is especially proud to be joined by Ellen Waterman and Tim Wilson and we look forward to working with them over the next twelve months, which promise to be very exciting.

  2. Projects on the Horizon

    The Toronto Sound Mosaic received confirmation of a grant from the City of Toronto Millennium Fund and was awarded a Youth Internship from the Canadian Human Resources Council. The results of our funding request to the Canada Council Millennium Arts Fund will be announced shortly. Once the results are in we will issue a statement describing the project along with a call for internship applications. If you are under the age of 30, or recently graduated from University, live in the Greater Toronto area, and are interested in the history of Toronto's soundscape, then please contact Darren Copeland at 905-822-3918 (or darcope@interlog.com).

    The Frost Centre for Canadian Heritage and Development Studies at Trent University and the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology are proud to announce Sound Escape - a Conference on Acoustic Ecology. Slated for July 2000 in beautiful Peterborough, Ontario the conference will embrace the interdisciplinary spirit of acoustic ecology by bringing together researchers and professionals in the sciences, communications, education, activism, arts and industry. It will feature paper sessions, performances, radio broadcasts, and a variety of community events. Contact Dr. Ellen Waterman at for more details. A call for submissions will be released in the very near future!

  3. The Book of Noise by R. Murray Schafer

    Last March CASE distributed free copies of The Book of Noise to members. Additional copies are available for $6.00 or $2.00 a copy for orders of ten or more from citizen's groups or schools. Please spread the word about its availability!

    The Book of Noise has been redesigned and updated since its original publication, and now includes the latest information, research and facts, good and bad, on what is happening today. For example, comparisons are made between Europe and North America in terms of current public noise policies.

  4. Membership Fees

    At the Annual General Meeting approval was given to change the CASE membership year from January 1st to December 31st. Because of this change in membership year, all memberships received from May 1, 1999 to December 31, 1999 will be considered as part of the year 2000 membership. Approval was also given for a student membership of $20 in addition to the regular membership fee of $35. By being a member of CASE you automatically become a member of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. In the year 2000 they will issue a new publication The Soundscape Journal, expanded and revised from the current publication the New Soundscape Newsletter. We hope to hear from you soon!

    Please send news of your activities to CASE for publication in the CASE files. The CASE Files is currently published in English only due to lack of financial resources and French language translators. Please contact CASE if you can help with this.