UNews - Chee Meng Low

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge musicians mentor middle school band in rare virtual partnership

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:37:38 +0000

What is an ensemble musician to do when they can no longer do what they love most? The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra and Gilbert Paterson Middle School band program turned to each other when faced with a common predicament, and it has resulted in a rare virtual partnership.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra and Gilbert Paterson Middle School band program turned to each other when faced with a common predicament.

When COVID restrictions meant the U of L’s Wind Orchestra would no longer be able to practice together in-person, director Dr. Chee Meng Low reached out to colleague Karly Lewis (BMus ’97), band director at Gilbert Paterson Middle School.

“When COVID hit, my whole band program was thrown online and there’s no platform where we can do ensemble training online,” explains Lewis. “With no fault to our district, there was this anxiety to collect all the instruments back for fear that they would never be returned. I said, I will not do that.

“I started receiving emails from parents grateful to the school that the kids were able to keep playing because of their mental wellness. They were able to turn to something that allowed them to escape, because when you play an instrument, you’re allowed to escape to wherever you want to go.”

Lewis and Low knew both their ensembles needed an outlet to practice. This fall, university-level musicians enrolled in the Wind Orchestra ensemble began partnering, virtually, with grade 7 and 8 band students for weekly rehearsals over Zoom. By pairing beginners with university-level musicians, the students and the advanced players, who are challenged to think in a different way, are advancing their skills.

“That one-on-one time at this stage of a musician’s development is so valuable,” says Gerald Rogers (BMus ’20), a recent graduate and member of the Wind Orchestra. “In the long run, it’s only going to help them because they’re getting focused sessions with other musicians, and it’s a good experience for the university students because learning to teach is completely different than learning to play music.”

Bandmate Claire McMahon agrees.

“I have to really think about the fundamentals of the instrument again, so my technique has been improving a lot just from having to think about how to teach technique” she says. “The kids struggle with the same stuff I still struggle with, so it has been forcing me to practice those things so I can demonstrate in the lessons.”

Each Wednesday evening, 47 middle school students join the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Wind Orchestra online and break out into 23 rooms where Low and Lewis can move between to see how the lessons are progressing.

Rogers and McMahon, ironically, both started their ensemble careers in the Gilbert Paterson band program, under the direction of Lewis. They identify with her current students and recall the high expectations she has for her classes.

“I remember there was an expectation, and if you knew what was good for you, you were going to meet it,” says Rogers with a laugh. “It taught me the benefit of working hard at something. Having gone through her program, it gives me a good idea of how much I can ask of her students.”

McMahon is thrilled to be part of this mentorship program, recalling the influence senior students had on her decision to attend the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ when they visited her high school and worked directly with her and her classmates.

“The Wind Orchestra has always done a lot of events in the community, high school outreach, recruitment activities – and it works,” says McMahon. “I definitely felt more comfortable going into the program because I knew these three clinicians I’d been working with were going to be upperclassmen.”

Lewis is a self-proclaimed ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge lifer – starting with the Conservatory of Music as a child, then attending the U of L to study music and, today, continuing to partner with faculty and students in her role as band director.

“I started taking horn lessons with Tom Staples (former Wind Orchestra director and Department of Music professor emeritus) when I was 12, and then continued on until I was 22,” says Lewis. “I also attended Gilbert Paterson, where Susie Staples, Tom’s wife, was my band teacher. So, the web that has been woven for me musically in Lethbridge has been pretty incredible.”

Lewis has been teaching band for 20 years, 14 of those at Gilbert Paterson. She is known in the music community for the strong young players who come out of her program. She is grateful to Low and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Wind Orchestra for their willingness to mentor her students.

“Hopefully we will be able to partner again in the future.”

Both ensembles can’t wait to get back to practicing in person, and in the meantime, this rare virtual partnership is benefiting the skills, and well-being, of everyone involved.

The story of 2020 Spring Convocation

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 17:12:15 +0000

The annual convocation ceremonies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge are a campus-wide celebration. While they involve a mountain of work and cross-campus collaboration, there’s a certain rhythm to the system that has been honed and perfected over the years — a sort of rinse, wash, repeat cycle.

Luxie T. Pronghorn played a big role in helping Spring 2020 Convocation get off the ground.

When the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut down the U of L campus, forced the implementation of an alternate academic delivery model and put an end to public gatherings, Convocation 2020 was suddenly in peril. On Mar. 23, 2020, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ cancelled its in-person convocation ceremonies, scheduled for May 28 and 29.

“The decision was not made lightly,” says Kathleen Massey, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s associate vice-president (students). “Watching our students develop throughout their time at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and then seeing them cross the stage in cap and gown is an important moment of celebration for them and for us.”

Rather than that being the end of the Convocation 2020 story, it was just the beginning. By the time it was decided to cancel the in-person version of convocation, plans were already being made to find an alternative that would properly fete this remarkable class.

A total of 1,456 students received their Convocation in a Box so that they could celebrate remotely with family and friends.

“There was never any doubt that we would find a way to honour this class,” says Chancellor Charles Weaselhead. “Even though this forced us to change our plans, it’s important we still honour our graduating students and acknowledge this significant step in their lives and their academic achievements.”

As with all convocations, it involved a cross-campus effort. The first initiative was the creation of convocation in a box that would be mailed to each of the 1,456 graduating students. Inside the box, graduates find a cap and tassel, their diploma, a commemorative program, an alumni pin, an Indigenous stole for Indigenous students, and honour cords for those who are graduating with distinction or great distinction. Students are encouraged to share their box opening experience, don their caps and take photos or videos of themselves, along with anyone in their bubble, and post it online using #ulethgrad2020 and #ulethalumni.

Recognizing everything was being done virtually, planners knew they had to bring as much of the pomp and pageantry of the annual in-person event online. That meant convocation addresses from President and Vice-Chancellor Mike Mahon and Chancellor Charles Weaselhead. Chee Meng Low of the Faculty of Fine Arts gathered his Wind Orchestra virtually and crafted an amazing recording of the convocation song. And what about the time-honoured traditional parade up the hill, with Chief Marshal Dr. Noella Piquette carrying the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Mace to the glorious sounds of the convocation bagpiper? Thanks to some impressive camera work, they were all incorporated into the official Convocation 2020 video — produced largely by graduating student Austin Knibb (BFA ’20).

“I am very impressed with the amount of effort uLethbridge is putting into convocation and celebrating this year’s graduates, instead of just cancelling the event. All the behind-the-scenes effort is truly commendable and I can tell that uLethbridge truly cares about their students,” says Knibb, who has been working as the digital content creator for the Office of Advancement for 10 months. “In creating the video for virtual convocation, I have personally read the name of every graduate and I feel a lot of pressure to make it special for them.”

Throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses, Faculties and Schools jumped on board to coordinate their own convocation messages, creating video congratulations from deans, faculty members and really anybody who wanted in on the convocation spirit.

“Everybody wanted to find an outlet to celebrate with this class of graduates,” says Heather Fudge, coordinator convocation & student events. “Convocation means so much to so many people on campus. These students have grown so much during their time here on campus and we’ve been with them through everything they’ve experienced. We all feel invested in having them reach this stage of their academic journey. We had to try and make Convocation 2020 as special as we could.”

The week before convocation, a few additional personal touches were added to the celebration. President Mahon, Chancellor Weaselhead and faculty members who nominated this year’s medal winners made socially-distant doorstep visits to those who lived in Lethbridge to hand deliver the convocation boxes to their students.

“To say we’re so proud of this year’s uLethbridge graduates is really an understatement,” says Kathleen Massey, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s associate vice-president (students), adding students are invited to return to campus to take part in any convocation over the next three years. “Their accomplishments represent our greatest hopes for them — to be equipped to deal with whatever life throws at them, including a pandemic — and to do it in style, their way, and with success. Congratulations, class of 2020!

Check out all the Convocation video assets here.

Holt ready to unveil composition

trevor.kenney — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:32:03 +0000

Music major Carey-Lyn Holt has been a storyteller since she was a child. On April 7, in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre, Holt tells a different kind of story with the premiere of her composition Claudius, performed by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra.

“The piece is about the Roman Emperor Claudius,” explains Holt, who is the Student Composer-in-Residence in the Department of Music. “I was learning about his rise to power in class and how he was one of the first emperors to show mercy. It was the idea surrounding his mercy that inspired my composition.”

As the Student Composer-in-Residence, Carey-Lyn Holt, will premier her composition Claudius, performed by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Wind Orchestra.

Being Composer-in-Residence is a non-credit learning opportunity where the selected student works with a studio instructor and an ensemble for three consecutive semesters. Holt has been hard at work, studying under Wind Orchestra Director Dr. Chee Meng Low.

“I can’t say enough good things about him,” says Holt, “Working with Dr. Low is amazing.”

During the first semester, the composer sits in on all ensemble rehearsals and performances, acting as part of the ensemble, while studying scores and listening for musical gestures. The second semester is dedicated to the writing process and the third to polishing the original composition for its premiere.

“It started with the story,” recalls Holt. “I would just sit and listen to different gestures and everything just started coming to me. Chee Meng let me explore different ideas with the wind orchestra.”

“She has a great imagination and is open to new ideas,” says Low.

Originally, Holt thought about studying physical oceanography.

“Then I had this realization one day, that storytelling is my calling. I have been writing and playing piano since my youth so it felt natural to write stories into music.”

The composer says she chose to do her Bachelor of Music at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge because it was the only university in Alberta that offered composition starting in the first year. “My mom found the program online and told me I should give it a try,” she says. “I’m glad it did.”

You can be among the first to hear Claudius by attending the U of L Wind Orchestra concert on April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre.

“My desire is that the musicians enjoy playing my piece and that everyone enjoys hearing it,” says Holt.

Tickets are $20 regular, $15 senior/alum and $12 student and can be purchased through the Box Office. For tickets or more information visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/tickets.

UNews - Chee Meng Low

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge musicians mentor middle school band in rare virtual partnership

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