EMCAMP for teens is a new initiative presented by the Penticton Academy of Music in the Leir House that will take place during Spring Break 2015. Teens are invited to sign up and come explore the rich and diverse world of electronic music – edm, pop, techno, dubstep, trance, house, ambient.  Students will learn the technical side of electronic music creation (including recording, editing, multi-tracking, beat sequencing, and mastering), explore the history of electronic dance music and receive hands on tutorials to create their own composition. No prior musical experience is needed. With lots of one on one time with the instructor, Andrew Wedman and his assistant, Allan Eggert, this course is suitable for all experience levels. A large focus of this course will be on experimenting with different compositional techniques and finding your own personal style. Equipment is provided but students are asked to bring their own set of headphones. Each student will finish the camp with their own original track that is mixed, mastered and ready for the DJ.

Instructor Andrew Wedman formed the techno duo Tinkertoy with former punk / ska singer Paul Shrimpton in 2000. After releasing on their own record label Lautmaschine, Tinkertoy was signed to Noise Factory Records, released two albums and performed live electronic music in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Cologne, Berlin and Barcelona. Andrew now performs experimental music using pianos with alternate tunings most recently in Toronto and Berlin and works as a certified piano technician in the Okanagan. Andrew Wedman holds an ARCT in piano performance and he majored in music theory and studied electro acoustic composition for his undergrad at McGill University.

EMCAMP runs Monday to Friday from 10am – 3pm March 16 – 20 and March 23-27. Sign up for one week or two. For more information and to download a registration form visit www.pentictonacademyofmusic.ca, visit the Academy of Music office in room 1 of the Leir House or call 250.493.7977. Space is limited so register early to avoid disappointment.

Itchy feet? Wanderlust? Ever dreamed about weighing anchor for a life aboard ship? Find out what it’s like to “live the dream” at the Oliver Regional Library. Meet Aubrey and Judy Millward, who sailed away in the 32-footer, Veleda IV, for SIXTEEN years!

Follow their story in slideshow format as they lead you down the Mississippi, across the Atlantic, around the British Isles, down the rivers of Europe, and through the Mediterranean.

Living the Dream (Part 1)

Thursday February 26

7:00 pm

Oliver Library

Here are some of the highlights from their journey:

• Their voyage from Toronto down the Mississippi, across the Atlantic Ocean to England and up the Seine River to Paris
• The Mediterranean Sea from Barcelona to Tunisia, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt
• The Black Sea from Istanbul to Sevastopol and The Canal du Midi from the Mediterranean to Bordeaux and their second crossing from the Canaries and Cape Verdes to Antigua and the Caribbean
• They will talk about their liveaboard lifestyle for 16 years.

Pictured above: Veleda IV up the Bosphorus in front of the Rumeli Fortress in Turkey.

Visit their website at www.veledaiv.ca  for further info.

And while you’re at the library, just think of all the travel books and sailing adventure stories just waiting to be checked out!  Ask the librarian for suggestions.

OLIVER GRANDMOTHERS FOR AFRICA BRIDGE TOURNAMENT

On Wednesday, February 18, the Oliver Grandmothers for Africa group is sponsoring a Bridge Tournament at Fairview Mountain Golf Club from 10 am – 2:30 pm.   A light lunch (sandwiches/dessert/tea/coffee) is included in the $15 registration fee.   You and your partner can register online at bridgesocialnews @ gmail.com  or by calling Leslie at 250 498 2282.    Prizes will be awarded and some African merchandise will be on sale.  All proceeds from this event go to the Steven Lewis Foundation to support ongoing projects in Africa providing services for AIDS orphans and the grandmothers who care for them.

Sadly, the international community is losing interest in the AIDS pandemic as if it is over.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Last year alone there were 2 ½ million new HIV infections.  In 2015 there will still be 35 million people living with the virus in Africa.  Children, orphaned as a result of parents dying of AIDS, have fallen off the map of international concern.  There are 17 million of them.  They need care. The Oliver Grandmothers are proud to play their small part in that care.  Teamed with 240 other Grandmothers groups across Canada it is possible to make a real difference.  The Grandmothers Campaign is a movement that has never been seen before…and it’s not over yet!

Grassroots groups in Africa work with tenacity, insight and tenderness to resurrect the lives of orphaned children and to ensure that they grow with a sense of belonging, opportunity and loving support.  They speak to the child’s life as a whole by providing long term counselling that reflects the changing needs as children grow from toddlers to teens:  getting them into and keeping them in school, addressing the increased vulnerabilities faced by girls, and providing continuous education and support for prevention and management of HIV infection.

Underlying all their work is the understanding that with the loss of so many family members, any remaining family structures must be protected so siblings can stay together and family homes remain intact.  Grandmothers are often at the center of all these community-based interventions.  They know that grandmothers here and around the world are organizing to stand with them in solidarity and support as they raise a whole generation of children prepared for the future and its challenges.

If you want to help, come and have some fun at the Bridge Tournament fund raiser.   If you want to join the local group contact Susanne James, President, at 250 498 4838.