Monthly Archives: February 2016

Staff and student discount for The Historic Dockyard

Kent staff and students can access The Historic Dockyard’s attractions and galleries for free with a valid Kent ID card.

You can also get discounted access for up to five accompanying guests at the Group Admission price applicable at the time. Currently (as at February 2016) the discounted rates for your guests are:

  • Adult £13.50
  • Concessions £12.00
  • Child £9.50

Tickets are valid for one day only. Students/staff should obtain their guest tickets from The Historic Dockyard Admissions Desk during normal opening hours on the day of visit.

Dr Anna Jordanous on Sky Arts documentary

Dr Anna Jordanous has been invited to give her expert opinion on the computational creativity involved in a new musical conceived and generated by computer.

Sky Arts documentary ‘Computer Says Show‘ follows the ground-breaking process of scientists training their computers to write a West End musical.

The result of this process is Beyond the Fence; the first musical conceived and generated by computer, which is at the Arts Theatre London until 5 March. It is modelled on a statistical study of the ‘recipe for success’ in hit musicals.

Beyond the Fence is billed as a powerful new musical about hope, defiance, unity and love based on a story of protestors at Greenham Common in 1982. The question is can the computer algorithms behind the score, plot line, story development and lyrics create something that can entertain humans?

Computer Says Show is a two-part documentary, the first of which will be broadcast on Sky Arts HD on Thursday 25 February at 20.00, the second part will be broadcast next Thursday at the same time.

Peruvian rock star Miki Gonzalez at Kent

Thursday 25 February will see Peruvian rock star Miki Gonzalez present his video documentary work on Peru. After showing several clips he will be holding a Q&A session on diversity in music in Latin America.

Miki, born Juan Manuel González Mascías, is a Spanish-born musician who has sent most of his life in Peru. His music fuses rock and electronic rhythms with Afro-Peruvian sounds. His first of twelve albums, You are You, was released in 1984, his most recent, Landau bulerías, was released in 2009.

The event has been organised by Dr Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, Reader in Hispanic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages.

The event will take place from 16.00 in Keynes College, Lecture Theatre 6. Further details available here: http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/modern-languages/events/index.html?eid=18347&view_by=month&date=20160224&category=&tag=modern-languages

Turing College accommodation award

Turing College has been awarded as a LateRooms.com ‘2016 Top Rated’ accommodation at the Simply the Guest awards.

LateRooms.com’s ‘Top Rated’ showcases the best-loved hotels in the UK. Those awarded as ‘Top Rated’ have all had minimum review scores of 80%, taken from guest reviews over the past year.

This recent award joins the other accolades and great guest reviews for Turing College accommodation, including being rated ‘Fabulous 8.7/10’ on Booking.com.

Turing College can be booked for visitor accommodation during the summer months. For more information, see the Conference Office website.

New Currents in Ethnomusicology British Forum for Ethnomusicology: Annual Conference 2016 14 – 17 April 2016

With over 100 international speakers that include the most influential minds, speakers and writers in the world of ethnomusicology, New Currents in Ethnomusicology: British Forum for Ethnomusicology Annual Conference from 14 – 17 April 2016 will be a significant event in the calendar of the University of Kent, School of Music and Fine Art. Running from lunchtime Thursday April 14 to lunchtime Sunday April 17, the keynote speaker is Professor Jonathan Stock, Professor of Music and current Head of Department of Music from University College Cork, Ireland, and a widely published ethnomusicologist specialising in the music of East Asia, China and Taiwan, whose volume World Sound Matters; An Anthology of Music from Around the World is a seminal textbook. The conference is organised jointly by the BFE committee within the School of Music & Fine Art by Head of School Professor Kevin Dawe, Liam Barnard, Richard Lightman and Dr Ruth Herbert.

Comments Liam Barnard:
‘The British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE) is a hugely influential academic organisation in the field of ethnomusicology in the world, after the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), its American counterpart, who is bringing a large contingent of its members to the conference. On the Thursday evening we will be hosting a film screening of The Cypriot Fiddler, followed by a wine reception sponsored by the publishers of the BFE Journal, Ethnomusicology Forum, and the essential SOAS/Ashgate Ethnomusicology Series of books, Taylor and Francis. With many other events planned by the BFE this is a fantastic year ahead for ethnomusicology which will start with one of its most important and influential gatherings here at the School of Music and Fine Art, Medway Campus, University of Kent.’

To book go to http://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/events/britishforumforethnomusicology.html

KentOne card – 5% discount

The KentOne card is your University ID. You can use it as a cashless purchasing card for a quick, easy and safe way to buy food and drink from our award-winning catering outlets on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Every time you use it, we give you a 5% discount at the till.

For a list of places you can use your card, where you will receive your 5% discount, to top up online and frequently asked questions, visit KentOne card.

Why use your KentOne card:

  • Saves you money – every time you use it, we give you an exclusive 5% discount.
  • Safe and secure – instead of carrying round cash, top up your card online and if you lose it, the balance will be transferred over to a replacement card.
  • Saves you time – get through the tills quicker than by using debit or credit cards.

Where to use your KentOne card: 

You can claim your 5% discount at 12 different University catering outlets across the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Your KentOne card also provides services such as:

  • accessing specific areas of the University;
  • borrowing books from the Templeman Library (Canterbury campus);
  • gaining entry to the exam halls and participating in student elections;
  • purchasing books and stationery items as Blackwell’s bookshop on the Canterbury campus;
  • and if you have catering package, this will be added to your KentOne card.

How to use your KentOne card:

First, visit KentOne card to login to your account, using your Kent email address and set up a password. Here you can top up your card, review your purchases and check your balance.
Parents / guardians can also have a separate login to top up your card online.
Paying for items is quick and easy, just hand it over at the till.

Kent Extra – Dirty History is back!

The popular one-day ‘Dirty History’ Kent Extra course is running on Saturdays 19 March and 14 May.

The course explores the tensions between historical accuracy and the fantasy in medieval historical drama such as Game of Thrones.

Other courses this term include courses on the use of video games in child protection and woodland crafts.

All Kent Extra courses are free. Find out more on the Kent Extra webpages.

Celebratory Anthem for Kent to be sung by University Cecilian Choir

Early risers may have caught Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding, live on HeartKent Radio this morning (Tuesday 23 February), discussing the ‘Anthem for Kent’ put together by presenters James and Becky.

This stirring, majestic eulogy to the glories of the county – think Elgar and Walton – celebrates its Roman roads, White Cliffs and Garden of England greenery.

Dan was listening to Heart during the school-run and thought that a piece about the county sung by the county’s University seemed a great idea – a thought he carelessly voiced out loud and to which his children immediately yelled ‘WE DARE YOU!’

With expectations now set, Dan has made a start on converting the piece to a full arrangement for mixed choir, which the University of Kent Cecilian Choir will then learn, with a view hopefully to making a recording.

You can follow the progress of the project on the Choir’s Twitter channel – @Cecilian_Choir.

Comprising students, staff and alumni, the Cecilian Choir is a by-invitation ensemble which rehearses weekly, and last week performed a lunchtime concert dedicated to the music of Lully; this new challenge sets the bar considerably higher…

Who knows, maybe a performance in the Royal Albert Hall, anyone ?!