On October 2nd at Chestermere High School, the band students were given a special treat. Two representatives from the University of Lethbridge took charge of the room as a captivated group of around 80 students, all looking to their futures beyond high school.
Erin Kennett, Admissions and Portfolio Advisor at the University of Lethbridge department of Faculty of Fine Arts, went through all aspects of the Fine Arts programs. She gave valuable information to these talented students regarding everything tied into the University experience. From applying to the school, to applying for residence and how to start looking for scholarships to apply for.
There are fifteen programs in the Fine Arts Faculty and three programs specifically in music. With a state of the art music studio, a vast array of musical instruments and ground breaking technologies – students hung on every word. Kennett went on to explain to the students that whether you are going to be a music teacher, a composer or a performer….the University of Lethbridge is the place to go.
The second guest was the very talented Dr. Andrew Stewart, an instructor in the Fine Arts Music department, who gave the students a peek into the world of Digital Audio Arts. This was explained simply as ‘when technology and music meet’. Stewart began his presentation by saying, “how we think of music has changed drastically over the generations. The possibilities are endless in the space that Digital Audio Art uses at the University. We have lots going on”.
Students in this program at the University are building digital instruments themselves using a wide variety of materials and technology. There are lots of collaborations between departments whereby a student in the Digital Audio Arts department might be working with a student in the theatre department helping make music and sounds for an upcoming production.
Dr. Stewart brought with him a very unusual instrument called a ‘T Stick’. Using a laptop and a Microsoft Kinect device, Dr. Stewart moved the instrument and applied different pressures that would instruct the T Stick to make a variety of sounds. Sometimes sounding like a flute while other times making loud thunderous booms. Students were captivated by this and even took the opportunity to test it out themselves.
Dr. Stewart ended his presentation with, “the Digital Audio Arts program is all about exploring the possibilities and doing this differently”.
