Students ages 4 to 17 who wish to study the violin, viola, or cello can register now for the University of Windsor Lab School: Strings, a collaboration between the School of Creative Arts and Continuing Education.

The Lab School: Strings provides:

• instruction for young students in string instruments,
• formative pedagogical experiences for SoCA’s undergraduate students through experiential course work,
• opportunities for high school students to gain volunteer hours, and
• a commitment to graduate student education.

It is also a hub for research; supported by SSHRC funding, the work at the lab will examine how students learn and explore the implications of music study on communities.

The Lab School faculty includes adjunct assistant professor Vanessa Mio-Quiring, instructor Michael Karloff assisting at the piano, and SoCA director Bruce Kotowich. The research team includes Dr. Mio-Quiring, professor Sally Bick, and professor emeritus Jonathan Bayley.

The Lab School’s curriculum features group class instruction, theory and master classes, chamber music, and performance opportunities at SoCA.

Lab School students participate in 18 group lessons throughout the year and will engage with leading pedagogues associated with the University of Windsor. Each class is 60 minutes long and structured to develop technical and musical skills, ensemble and ear training, concert etiquette, and participation in master class performance experiences, all of which encourage social interactions with their peers.

As part of the curriculum, students will have the opportunity to perform in a June recital in the SoCA Armouries’ Performance Hall.

In the early stages of music study, students establish the technical foundation on which all future artistry develops. In addition, they become engaged in their learning, set personal goals, acquire an increased sense of self-efficacy, and develop lasting friendships with peers who share similar interests. A priority of the school is to nurture the overall well-being of every student and benefit the wider cultural well-being of our community.

Two classes will be offered starting in January: Beginner and Intermediate. Registration details are available on both the SoCA and Continuing Education websites. The cost is $275 per student, with a 20 per cent discount for an additional child and other discounts available.

—Susan McKee

Watch a promotional video:

Recent graduate Dante Bresolin (BSc 2022) took their scientific training and passion for the arts to become the latest Emerging Artist in Residence with Art Windsor Essex (AWE).

“Using art as a way to get people to observe is a strong tool for education on the natural sciences,” says Bresolin (they/them).

The 2022 three-month residency runs September through November and includes community outreach, a solo exhibition and creating digital content as an educational tool.

For one of their outreach activities, Bresolin lead a guided hike through trails around Ojibway Nature Centre.

“I introduced people to different organisms and had them direct their attention to the fine details that make up different species.” 

Bresolin will also work with different fibres to weave works of art.

“There is a science to working with a lot of these dyes and materials but there is also, through the process of doing art, learning about those plants and organisms,” they say.

“Everything I’m doing is very much intentional in getting people to learn about the natural world but using art to do that.” 

During their time in the Faculty of Science at UWindsor, Bresolin became one of the original members of UWindsor’s Science Meets Art (SMArt) program as well as becoming a SMArt lead.

While an integrative biology undergraduate, Bresolin, did their thesis with Catherine Febria in the Healthy Headwaters Lab at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) on macroinvertebrate diversity and trends across the Sydenham River watershed. They are currently a research assistant in the lab doing benthic biomonitoring.

“There are similarities that doing an undergraduate thesis in science prepared me for the process of creating something larger like an installation,” says Bresolin.

“A lot of the processes of developing a scientific hypothesis, and identifying the steps to getting there, are very similar to how the creative process works. 

Acting Dean of Science, Dora Cavallo-Medved, mentored Bresolin throughout his time in the SMArt program. She says that fostering creativity in science provides more opportunities for student engagement.

“In addition to their scientific contributions, Dante’s creative work in the Faculty of Science has also allowed other students to develop their interest in the arts as a mechanism for communicating science. This also creates a more inclusive learning environment for all students in science”, says Dr. Cavallo-Medved

For more on Bresolin head to the AWE website.

—Sara Elliott

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to learn more about the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS) implementation project on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre Commons. Project team members will be on hand to discuss the project and Brightspace’s features and share delicious cookies.

Brightspace will replace Blackboard Learn, and all but a few two-term courses will be in Brightspace as of January 2023.

A bake sale today — Monday, Nov. 28 — from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the student centre commons will raise funds in support of Orange Shirt Day, commemorated on campus each Sept. 30 to honour residential school survivors, their families, and communities.

Volunteers will offer an array of baked goods and coffee by donation, and also selling copies of the campus cookbook, youth and adult T-shirts, and lawn signs from the annual campaign. These latter items range in price from $20 to $30 and may be purchased by debit or credit card.

“Our committee and our students have done an amazing job of working together to raise funds for Indigenous students on campus,” says Kat Pasquach, Aboriginal outreach and retention co-ordinator. “The initiatives have been growing in size each year and a part of the goal is to eventually see everyone on campus wearing an orange T-shirt to show their solidarity.”

Learn more about campus observance of Orange Shirt Day.

The dates for the University of Windsor’s 119th Convocation have now been set. Spring 2023 Convocation will be held May 30 through June 2 at the Toldo Lancer Centre.

Applications to graduate are now open. Eligible students must apply to graduate through UWinsite Student, whether or not they plan to attend a Convocation ceremony. Failing to apply to graduate will mean they will not receive a diploma or degree notation on their final transcripts.

The application to graduate process is completed in UWinsite Student. For complete instructions, read this Apply to Graduate Ask.UWindsor article.

More than two-thirds of the tickets available for the Dec. 6 faculty-staff holiday luncheon are already spoken for, reports Catering Services.

The event, an annual tradition, promises festive food stations and the company of friends and colleagues at a stand-up reception. It is scheduled for noon in the student centre’s Alumni Auditorium.

Admission is $15 per person, including tax and a festive beverage. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the Catering Services office, room 12, Vanier Hall.