International Jazz Day – April 30

This guest post is brought to you by Cameron Pearce, Senior Academic staff member of Music arts at Ara.

Monday April 30^th is International Jazz Day.

This special date was set by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as a way to honour the role that jazz plays in uniting people of all ages and from all across the globe.

International Jazz Day has been an annual event since 2012 and this year the global host city is St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the roles of the host city is to stage the All-Star Global concert which will feature a huge number of acclaimed jazz artists from around the world.

You can check out the International Jazz Day website for more information on the performers and links to specially planned performances happening all across the globe as part of the day. This will be streamed live so keep an eye out on this website for a link closer to the day.

In 2019, it will be the turn of our Australian neighbours to host International Jazz Day with the All-Star Global concert set to take place on the steps of the famous Sydney Opera House.

The local scene

If you are new to jazz and want to check out some live performances near you or you may be a die-hard fan looking for your next ‘fix’ then here are some ways to scratch that itch here in Christchurch.

First of all, make sure you get along to the weekly concert series happening at Ara Music Arts each Thursday night at 6pm. You can check out who’s playing when by following here.

Christchurch will once again host the New Zealand International Jazz and Blues Festival from May 23-27. The festival has more than 30 shows scheduled featuring some of the best musicians and artists from New Zealand and around the world. Check out some other quality venues that the local jazz scene has to offer: Fat Eddies and Vesuvio.

The Library has many reources on jazz, from DVDs, CDs, books, eBooks and journals. If you are interested in the history of jazz you might like to check out Jazz, a documentary which explores the history of jazz from its beginnings through to the 1990’s, including the stories of many of its creators and performers. It includes archival video, still photographs, historical performances, and newly recorded interviews and musical performances, or you may prefer Downbeat, which is a contemporary music magazine that will let you know what is happening in the music scene now.

ANZAC Day

Guest blog by Jonathan Moake, Library

On the morning of 25^th of April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Since that day, Australians and New Zealanders have gathered to remember and show gratitude to the men and women who fought, and in many cases died, far from home.

ANZAC Day however is about not only commemorating Gallipoli, World War One and World War Two. It also remembers New Zealand service members who have served in all the subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping efforts. It remembers those personnel who continue to serve in distant locations to this very day.

New Zealanders have taken part in over 50 different operations since the end of World War Two. These have ranged from large conflicts in Malaysia and Vietnam, peacekeeping in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and Timor Este to individuals working as part of small multinational peacekeeping groups.

There are approximately 41,000 kiwi veterans, nearly 30,000 of these veterans have served as peacekeepers. New Zealand currently has over 250 service members in 11 different operations across the globe.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these brave citizens who represented their country and strove to help others in often difficult and dangerous circumstances. This ANZAC Day I urge you to consider their sacrifice.

Lest we forget.

You may like to take this opportunity to spend some time in The Memorial Garden at Ara, which was opened by our CEO Tony Gray in February. “In the days ahead I hope all at Ara and our many visitors can experience this garden and reflect on the remembrance images and words inscribed on the pillars, recalling the sacrifice of all past students and staff in the service of their country, ” said Tony.

The chosen pillar designs are the work of our Ara Art and Design students – Abby Marriott, Madison McPherson and Grace Duval – along with Ara alumnus and artist Dallas Matoe.  Their designs are cut into the six weathered Corten steel pillars that mark out the garden, and at night they are lit internally from above.

Wanting to view some movies and documentaries about ANZAC forces, eTV has some resources available, such as Anzacs in the Face of War and The Dick Henderson Story for Ara students and staff to access.

Please also note that all Ara Libraries will be closed today, Wednesday 25th April but normal after hours access will apply to campuses.

Minor changes to the APA guide – Ask at the Library for the new pages to add to your current APA guide.

Two minor changes have been made to APA Referencing: a guide for Ara Institute of Canterbury Students

1. When referencing a typical web page, there is no need to include the format description [Website] after the web page title.  This is because the 6th edition of the APA manual  states that the format description is to be used only when the format is not ordinary e.g. [Video blog post]. This change has been reflected on pages 36-37 of the APA guide.
2. Ebook Library (EBL) has been replaced by ProQuest Ebook Central.  therefore the retrieval statement for ebooks from Proquest Ebook Central is “Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central”. This change has been made on pages 19-20 of the APA guide.

If you recently purchased this year’s APA guide then come to the Service Desk in the Library at City and Timaru campuses and we will supply the pages you need to insert into your current guide and help you unbind and rebind your guide if needed.

 

 

A day in the life of a vet nursing student

In celebration of international Pet Day, Charlotte, one of our dedicated Assistants in the Library, shares a typical 24 hours in the life of a vet nursing student at Ara.

Thursday:

Thursday is a ‘classes free day’ a.k.a no school today but work placement instead at my animal facility – Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue. I arrive at 10am for a quick brief with the manager on duty and the other volunteers, then it’s time for cleaning. And cleaning there is a lot of when you work as a vet nurse. We clean all the runs (poos, usually there is a lot of that but again it is all part of the job). We also refill water bowls, replace blankets and take the dirty ones to laundry. Afterwards, it’s exercise time. We take the dogs out for walks, play, training or a bit of all of these. Usually it is their favourite time as they get to go out and explore, sniff, roll in the grass and all sorts of fun stuff. Once they have all been exercised, it is always nice to have some cuddle time in their kennels. The more activities and interactions these dogs get, the better prepared they are for life in their forever homes.

Above: Cuddles with Sapphy and walking Bentley at Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue

Friday morning:

Wakey wakey. Three dogs lick your face as the alarm goes off. Always a cheerful way to start the day. After feed and breakfast time, I jump in the car with Bambi and Leo who, lucky for them, are coming with me today for our dog handling session. The purpose of this is to demonstrate and practice safe handling of small to large dogs for the veterinary practice. But before we head up to class, there’s a quick stop at the Library for some photos. It’s not every day we get fluffy visitors on campus.

Above: Dogs, Bambi and Leo visit the Library

We get to see how to properly and safely handle the dogs. Safety is always key when it comes to handling live animals! We see floor and table handling as demonstrated by our tutors and students who have already done the theory part of this course. Then it is time to put our skills to the test first with the stuffed toys (we have a pretty sweet collection of them) and then with our live “guinea pigs”. Pretty fun altogether and even more so, that we get to do it with actual dogs.

Above: Best class ever!

Typical day class:

Lucky for us, one of our tutors brings her own dog Poppy every day so we pretty much have an official ‘class dog’. Our main topics this term are Anatomy, Health Care, Parasites and Diseases and some introductory classes on Vet Practice and Clinical work. We often do group exercises which is a great way to develop our team work skills. We also use Moodle and online resources quite regularly so the classes are often very interactive as well. In addition to studying dogs and cats we also have access to small animals in the campus Animal Room and it is always pretty fun to do practicals with them.

No two days are ever the same in the VN classes that’s for sure!

Get your boots on

It is darker in the mornings and the leaves are circling in the street and lying in gutters. This week every time I go out the front door in a mad rush I’m regretting not putting on an extra layer of clothing or a long scarf. Part of me is lamenting the end of summer and the lazy, warm T-shirt days. Never the less it is time that you and I face facts as Autumn has arrived and its time to get your boots on.

I love boots and I can never have enough of them. My first coveted boots were Converse All Star green basketball boots and my next were cherry red Doc Martin boots. I even owned (and loved immensely ) a tan vintage pair of cowboy boots purchased from K-Road in Auckland.

Boots are great you feel warmer, taller and stronger in them and they can give you heaps of confidence. Get your boots on today! and if you don’t have any boots check out some great op-shops that we have in Christchurch so you can save money and be more sustainable.

Christchurch City Libraries have a great online directory called Cinch. You can find the addresses of fabulous second hand clothes shops in Christchurch here; http://www.cinch.org.nz/categories/a-z/o/1967/entries