Venta
King Alfred’s Alumni Association Newsletter
Summer 2000 No.4
2
Communications also includes the good old wireless and
this month we focus on Winchester's first radio station,
WIN107.2 (p4 & 5) and the involvement of two KAC Alumni,
Ken Rayner (Station Controller) and Phil Stocks (Presenter).
Other features in this issue include Greenest of the South
(p6), which profiles the all new 3-storey Library extension,
dubbed as one of the greenest buildings in the south of
England. We also say a fond farewell to Professor John
Dickinson, Principal of King Alfred's College (1992 - 2000).
Sheila Christos, Press & Publicity Officer, charts his
achievements on p3.
A Quick Word!
Hurrah! It's summer and this is the fourth edition of Venta.
Once again we've come to the end of another academic
year and I've been attempting to tease and tempt new
graduates to join the Alumni Association. However, my new
recruits don't just consist of current graduates but old ones
too, so don't be shy; if you know an alumnus and they
haven't signed up to the Association yet, pass their address
on by completing an Update Form (enclosed), phoning,
faxing, e-mailing or snail mailing. Communications are so
advanced these days, there's really no excuse for losing
touch!
This summer there are potentially three re-unions taking
place on campus - Class of 1980, Class of 1979 family
picnic and 1990 Drama, Theatre and Television Studies
graduates. I say potential because many graduates are still
'lost' (records have not been updated or they haven't
officially joined the Association). This is making it
increasingly difficult for me to arrange re-unions on your
behalf. So, for the second time in this issue’s A Quick
Word I'm making a plea to you, the members, to send me
contact details for anyone you know who's graduated from
KAC. In October I plan to introduce a section on the back
pages listing all those from a chosen year who are 'lost',
which may help to jog some memories!
the next edition to get your views and ideas on how we can
make the Association bigger and better. If you have any
opinions that you'd like to air between now and October
please feel free to share them with me.
Finally, thank you for all your contributions. Please keep
sending in your questionnaires and Update Forms, and
remember, if you want to write an article or be interviewed
then just ring, e-mail, or pop something in the post and it's
more than likely to appear in the next edition which is due
out in January. But for now, I hope you enjoy this issue of
Venta.
Until next time
Sarah Jurado
Alumni Office
All correspondence, including contributions to the
newsletter, should be sent to: Alumni Office, King Alfred's
College, Sparkford Rd, Winchester Hants SO22 4NR
t: (01962) 827386
f: (01962) 827548
e: [email protected]
I'm pleased to be able to say that I've had many positive
comments about Venta and the Alumni Association,
especially about Blast from the Past (p8). However, in order
to get some proper feedback, we will be running a survey in
'They Say Tomato
and We Say Tomato!'
Ocean Challenge
Dr. Yong Hyun Kwon, Lecturer in English Language at
Sung Kong Hoe University in Seoul, Korea, is on a oneyear sabbatical at KAC to study English language and in
particular the differences between British and American
English. He's primarily interested in studying the different
choices of words used to describe the same thing, for
example, pigeon hole for mail box, casualty for
emergency, cash point for ATM and postcode for
zipcode.
KAC graduate Adam Tuffnell (DipHE Psychology 1999) has
been chosen to join the crew on the Logica sponsored
yacht in the BT Global Challenge round-the-world-race in
September.
Dr. Kwon is also keen to learn about British culture and
society during his stay, as he believes that it will give him
a better understanding of the language. Whilst at the
College, Dr. Kwon is having discussions with Professor
Roger Richardson, Head of the Graduate Centre, about
how to bring about a full institutional link between his
university and the College.
Adam is taking a year out after completing his Diploma in
Higher Education to undergo training and carry on raising
funds to support his venture. Adam is currently working
as a fisherman to raise funds and is also planning a
variety of activities including a sponsored sky-dive…
Logica is run by the youngest skipper in the race, Jeremy
Troughton, and the crew includes a US gynaecologist, a
ballet dancer and a retired Detective Chief Inspector!
Adam is looking to raise money to finance his adventure
through corporate and personal sponsorship. Details can
be found on his web-page at: www.opdc.co.uk/sail2000
Did You Know… In 1958 there were 250 men and 150 women at the College.
Today there are 1200 men and 4000 women. Go girls!
Editor: Sheila Christos Written by: Sarah Jurado Design: Sarah Jackson Printed By: L & S Printing
Venta is published twice a year by Communication and Marketing Services. The articles printed here are correct at the time of going to press. We cannot guarantee that all articles
submitted will be printed and reserve the right to edit material where necessary. The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors and do not necessarily
represent those of the College.
Venta - King Alfred’s Alumni Association Newsletter
Electronic Recognition for
19th Century African
American Writers
Over the last ten years African American studies has seen
the delivery of major scholarly tools in the form of
encyclopedias, anthologies, and companions. However,
few African American texts have so far been produced as
scholarly editions in print, and none have been produced
on-line.
Professor Christopher Mulvey, Lecturer in English and
American Studies at King Alfred's, has been awarded a
major grant to prepare an electronic scholarly edition of
the historic novel Clotel (London 1853) by William Wells
Brown, the world's first African American novelist to be
published. (Brown's novel appeared in London after he
escaped slavery in America in 1834.)
The Clotel project will primarily address three main issues:
1. how to specify a scholarly edition so that it may be
presented as a website representing all authorised
versions of an extant work, or all significant witnesses to a
lost original; 2. how to create a website capacity to
compare and collate all versions within the same on-line
framework; and 3. how best to provide scholarly
apparatus of introductions, commentaries and support
materials to accompany the text.
Christopher Mulvey intends the electronic version of Clotel
to serve as a prototype edition for a series of major
African American masterpieces for the African American
Research Library (AARL), a series of electronic scholarly
editions of major African American texts on the world-wide
web, to be edited by Professor Mulvey, Professor Henry
Louis Gates of Harvard University, and Professor Dr Maria
Diedrich of Munster University.
SU Executive Committee
Election Results
Remember the annual Council Elections? Perhaps you
were voted President, or a budding wannabe who fell at
the last hurdle, or perhaps you never voted. No matter, I'm
sure you'll all join me in congratulating this year's
sabbaticals on their victory and sending commiserations
to those who didn't quite make it. The results are below.
President
Neil Yates
Lance C. Eddleman
527
92
Retirement of Professor
John Dickinson
Professor John Dickinson announced at Easter that
he is to retire as Principal of King Alfred's College on
grounds of ill health. Sheila Christos, Press & Publicity
Officer, charts Professor Dickinson's achievements
during his 8 year career at KAC.
King Alfred's College has changed dramatically under
Professor Dickinson's stewardship as Principal. The
College has virtually doubled in size from 2,900 students
to 5,300 today. In 1992 the annual budget was £8 million
- it is now £18 million. College assets have increased from
£20 million to £38 million.
The College now offers Single Honours and Combined
Honours degrees in nineteen academic subject areas. New
course developments are now tied to regional and national
needs and agendas. The College was allocated 240
additional sub-degree places in 1999 as part of the
Government's widening access programme - one of the
highest allocations in the country. New Higher National
Diploma programmes have been introduced to facilitate
access from groups who are under represented in higher
education. The College has also signed compacts with
twelve further education colleges to facilitate access from
further to higher education. During Professor Dickinson's
time, two new academic programme areas have been
introduced from scratch - business studies and
psychology. These areas now have hundreds of students
on well established, high quality courses.
The College has moved from what was essentially a
teaching institution to one which also carries out high
quality research. It now has 85 PhD students and has
appointed twelve professors. It has introduced MA taught
courses and has some 60 research active staff going into
the next national universities’ Research Assessment
Exercise.
size, this has allowed a wholesale change in the way
students learn. The College has succeeded in achieving
improved quality while dealing with year on year cuts in
the amount of money it gets per student.
The College's estate has been transformed under
Professor Dickinson's leadership. The new £16 million
West Downs Student Village won a national housing
design award from the Royal Institute of British Architects
in 1998, the Martial Rose Library has been doubled in size
and, following renovation and restoration, a new
Chaplaincy Centre and new IT Centres have been opened.
The College has grown in stature and size while striving to
maintain its attraction to students as a special place where
the student comes first: small enough to ensure a family
atmosphere, building upon its Anglican foundation; but big
enough to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive
university world. The College has continued to increase its
market share of student applicants and looks well set to
become a university college in the near future, with
realisable ambitions to become a full university in its own
right.
Professor Dickinson can leave with a sense of satisfaction
for what has been achieved and well founded hope for the
future well being of the College.
The College now has 800 networked PCs with full internet
access. Combined with a library which has doubled in
Did You Know… Women weren't admitted to the College until 1958
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
King Alfred's College offers a full Chartered Institute of Marketing Programme, including the Cerificate,
Advanced Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
2000 sees the introduction of continuous assessment for some modules of the programme.
Vice President (Activities & Services)
1st Round 2nd Round
Steve Hadlow
228
257
Emma Sommerwill
239
292
Ben Stockman
138
Eliminated
Vice-President (Education & Welfare)
Eamonn O'Reilly
259
Chris Tucker
322
3
Classes begin in September 2000 and January 2001.
For further information contact:
Tim Friesner, CIM Programme Leader
Tel 01962 827245
Email [email protected]
0r Email [email protected]
This institution is a registered charity and exists solely
to provide education facilities to the community
4
“Best Music
Breakin
Nestled deep in the recesses of
the Brooks Centre in the
WIN107.2 studios I ask Phil and
Ken the most obvious question
that springs to mind, "how did
you first get involved with the
station?".
'Best Music, Breaking News' is the
slogan that's currently ringing
around the airwaves of Central
Hampshire. So what's all the fuss
about? Why it's WIN107.2 of course,
Winchester's first local radio
station, and at the heart of its
operation are two KAC Alumni, Ken
Rayner (English with American
Studies 1992 - 95) and former SU
President (1995 - 96) Phil Stocks
(History with Drama 1992 - 95).
"It all began five years ago when I heard a rumour that
there were plans for a community radio station for
Winchester", Phil tells me. "Stephen Hawes, Head of
Community & Performing Arts at KAC, was on the working
party so we decided to talk to him about the venture and
managed to wangle an invite to the public launch of the
bid in November 1995."
It was another year before either of them heard anything
again and it was only down to a perceptive eye and a bit
of perseverance. "I was walking down Winchester High
Street", said Phil "and saw a poster with the WIN107.2
logo on. There was no contact name or number, but I
knew that the Hampshire Chronicle were involved in the
bid at the time, so I rang them and they gave me a
contact at The Local Radio Company (TLRC) in Salisbury. I
chatted to Chris Carnegy, Managing Director of Spire FM
(TLRC station in Salisbury) who explained that he was
running a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) for a period of
3 weeks in Winchester as part of the bidding process."
WIN 107.2 Fact File
First broadcast: 3rd October 1999
Music: 1960's to present day with a particular focus on the 1980's.
Music/Speech split: 70/30
Ad breaks: Maximum of 3- 4 ads in each break, with 3 breaks an
hour. That's no more than 7 minutes of adverts an hour.
Audience age: 25 - 55 year old adults
Potential number of listeners: approx. 70, 000 adults in Central Hampshire
Competitors: Solent and Ocean (demographically), as well as Radio 2 and Radio 4.
Regulations: All radio stations have to adhere to a host of libel laws and regulations, including the 'promises and
performance' regulation requested by The Radio Authority. For example, WIN107.2 promise to stick to the
music/speech ratio, play a certain percentage of music from certain eras and play at least 3 minutes of events
guides each day. It's all quite heavily formatted, but at WIN107.2 the presenters have a lot of opportunities to
really let their personalities come through and choose discussion topics for their programmes.
"The tapes were diabolical quite
frankly", Ken says, with a cheeky grin
which accentuates the bags under his
eyes caused by the 12 hour-a-day, 6
days a week commitment of being
Programme Controller.
A few weeks later Chris Carnegy popped along to King
Alfred's Student Union to meet up with Ken and Phil and
listen to their tapes, which they had pre-recorded on Wired
FM, the Student Union radio station which Ken and Phil
had helped to set up in 1992. "The tapes were diabolical
quite frankly", Ken says, with a cheeky grin which
accentuates the bags under his eyes caused by the 12
hour-a-day, 6 days a week commitment of being
Programme Controller. "But Chris needed some presenters
and we were eager, so he agreed to put Phil on weekend
evenings and me on weekend breakfast. It was really good
fun, as we got to go out into the city centre and do live
broadcasts and talk to loads of interesting people. It felt
like we were part of something exciting."
The Radio Authority decided to seek bids for a radio
station to be launched in the Hampshire area in October
1996 and a second RSL was arranged by The Local Radio
Company in the Summer of 1997. Ken was by then
working for Spire FM. "I was doing anything and
everything", Ken explained. "I was employed mainly as an
administrator, but also tried my hand at part-time
presenting and engineering. As Spire were involved in the
bid for WIN107.2, I managed to get directly involved in the
1997 RSL and in the collation of the final bid."
The RSL went exceptionally well for the team and local
people and businesses from all over central Hampshire
wrote or rang the station offering encouragement and
praise. Ken remembers the last day of the RSL very
clearly. "It was the day that Diana, Princess of Wales, died.
It was very strange because we'd planned a huge end of
broadcast show where we were going to say a big thank
you to everyone for all their support. In the end all we
could do was switch the mainline to the news and let it
run for the whole day."
Venta - King Alfred’s Alumni Association Newsletter
5
KEN RAYNER
Programme Controller
ng News”
Another year rolled by as all bids from the southern
regions were assessed. Phil continued to work as a sales
administrator in Winchester and freelance for local
stations, as well presenting a programme with his former
Vice-President Gareth Young (History with Archaeology
1995) at Winchester Hospital Radio. Finally in December
1998 the bid for WIN107.2 was accepted. Winchester was
about to get a licence for its first radio station, after much
rivalry from a host of local bids, including a second for
Winchester. Ken was made Programme Controller and
Phil, after a fierce selection process, was offered the
afternoon and drive slots.
But had all those years at King Alfred's College been the
catalyst in the pursuit if their radio careers? "I think my
degree gave me a helping hand", Phil says, "as you still
have to act on the radio. The main difference is that in
radio broadcasting your own personality has to shine
through, but as in any other performance the nerves are
there and you've got an audience to play to. However, a
large portion of our success has been down to the extra
activities we got involved in with the Student Union and
plenty of determination."
“There’s no course in the world that
could prepare you for radio
presenting, you just need practical
experience and a willingness to learn
from other people”
The station has been on air since October 1999 and its
aim for the future is to continue to increase its audience.
Ken believes that the success of the station serves a dual
purpose: "It's good for us if lots of people listen and it's
good for local people if they listen to us because we are
so focused on local issues. So an increase in our audience
would be a positive thing all round really."
As for Ken and Phil, their aspirations are firmly entrenched
in the present. "10 years ago a local radio presenter would
say I want to become a national jock, but I have to say
that what I'm doing now is what I've always wanted to do
and I haven't been a full-time presenter for long, so my
aim is to do exactly what I'm doing now to the best of my
ability", says Phil, breaking into his huge grin. "I've been
living in Winchester for nearly eight years and I love the
place and I like talking about local issues and meeting
people who live in the city."
Ken feels the same. "I'm enjoying things at the moment
and don't really have any strong aspirations to go into
management or breakfast radio. I find it near on
impossible to have so much energy in the morning! You
almost have to switch off the presenter and just be your
normal self in order to relate to the audience at that time
of the morning."
One final question I ask them is what their advice would
be to alumni who have aspirations to be on the radio. "It's
all about practical experience and a willingness to always
keep a foot in the door", says
Phil. "There's no course in the
world that could prepare you for
radio presenting, you just need
practical experience and a
willingness to learn from other
people. It sounds a bit trite, but
it's true."
Age: 26
Degree: English with
American Studies (1992-95)
Roles at KACSU: Presenter
Wired FM; ENTS Officer
(1994-95)
Jobs after Graduation:
Temping; Administrator, Traffic: commercial air time and
Engineer for Spire FM
Role at WIN107.2: Being Programme Controller includes
monitoring everything that goes on air, writing music
policy and programme formats. Also responsible for all the
staff that go on air. Works between 9 and 12 hours a day,
6 days a week.
Best moment at WIN107.2: "For me it's when someone
rings up and says I really enjoyed listening to that feature.
For example, there was a power cut throughout the whole
of Winchester at the start of the year and because we had
generators we were able to keep going. People really
appreciated the continued broadcast as Winchester's
power cranked back into action throughout the day."
Enjoys: "A beer or two" with the rest of the WIN107.2
team at the Slug & Lettuce, Royal Oak or other city
hostelries.
PHIL STOCKS
Presenter and Sports
Editor
Age: 26
Degree: History with Drama
(1992-95)
Roles at KACSU: Presenter &
Chair for Wired FM; ENTS
Officer (1994-95); SU
President (1995-96)
Jobs after Graduation: Sales Administrator at local
company in Winchester; Radio Presenter (Freelance).
Role at WIN107.2: Varied role which includes presenting
programmes and collating sports news. Phil's also
involved with Administration, Accounts and Traffic. "If
there's a dropped ball whoever's available picks it up."
Works between 8 and 9 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Best moment at WIN107.2: "I like the fact that I've
made contact with loads of local people. We give out the
results of local football fixtures on Saturdays and it feels
good to go out and meet the teams and the supporters on
the side-lines and go beyond the premiership fixtures that
every station focuses on. I've also met loads of people
through the promotions features we do with the Café
Cresson and Dutton Gregory Solicitors, who've passed on
valuable tips about purchasing a house and cooking tuna
steak!"
Likes: "I like nothing better than a quiet weekend away
with my wife Faye Stocks née Upton (B Ed Primary
Education with Human Movement Studies 1992 - 97)"
6
Greenest of
the South!
On 18th May The Martial Rose
Library Extension was officially
opened by HRH The Duke of
Kent. 100 guests attended,
including the architects, Fielden
Clegg Bradley, and the artist,
Sasha Ward, who designed the
glass sculpture that links the old
building with the new.
As a finishing touch, the Dytche playing field has been
comprehensively re-landscaped with silver and green
planting to complement the colours of the exposed
aluminium and brickwork.
To celebrate the construction of the Library extension,
Sasha Ward, an artist in glass from Marlborough, Wiltshire,
was commissioned to create a 3-storey high glass mural
to run through the centre of the new atrium staircase. The
11 metre high mural comprises 156 panels of screen
printed enamelled glass.
Influences on the design included the City of Winchester,
King Alfred's Jewel, illustrations from the Winchester Bible
and the anticipation of movement, patterns and colour
around the staircase.
The Martial Rose Library is the first major building to be
constructed on the Main Campus since the 1970s and
reaffirms the strategic importance of the Library as the
academic centre of the College.
Building work on the 3-storey library extension began in
March 1999. With a wide variety of ad hoc post-war
developments at the College, a conscious decision was
made, through the choice of design and materials, to
create a new contemporary image at the heart of the
campus.
Pictured above: The first floor of the Library extension,
which has been decked out with new lighting facilities.
Special lighting has also been put between the
bookshelves; they are controlled by sensors and
automatically switch off when the section is vacated.
Pictured above: HRH The Duke of Kent is given a
‘peace’ful welcome by KAC students!
The development plan within the College's estates
strategy aims to seek value for money in long term
investment rather than simply erect the most economical
building. Consequently, in its Library extension the College
sought to develop a landmark building with new standards
of comfort and energy use. Following considerable
research over a significant period of time and detailed
feasibility studies, the Library extension combines the very
latest technology with the thermal mass of a large
structure such as a Cathedral in order to moderate its
internal environment. It is believed to be the greenest
building in the South of England.
The extension provides an additional 1,600 sq m of floor
space, virtually doubling the size of the Library. It allows for
substantial book and periodical storage, with the top floor
becoming the main IT Centre for the College. Here student
users have access to 130 multi-media PCs, all fully
internet connected and many with CD Rom and zip drives.
Via an IT Counter, students are able to book equipment,
access user support and utilise laminating, binding and
colour photocopying facilities. Accessible specialist
computing facilities for disabled students are also housed
in the extension.
By layering just 4 glass enamels with sponged and sand
blasted textured panels a great variety of colours and
shapes are created as the screen is viewed from so many
different angles. The main shape repeated, but staggered
up the staircase is like a string of beads. Floating across
these are cloud like shapes containing detailed castle, ring
and crown patterns.
Please feel free to pop in and marvel at this new building if
you're coming through Winchester, and don't forget that as
a member of the Alumni Association you are able to take
advantage of some of the Library facilities.
Pictured below: The 3-storey high glass mural designed by
Sasha Ward, which runs through the centre of the atrium
staircase.
Venta - King Alfred’s Alumni Association Newsletter
King Alfred's Student
Union's Re-Union Weekend
Winton 2000 proved to be the most successful re-union
the Student Union has organised in terms of sport and
attendance. The weekend has developed from an annual
sporting event, where graduates return to challenge the
College sports teams, into a weekend where all alumni
come back to be re-united with old friends. The sport,
however, still takes centre stage with a day of
competitions on Saturday, where old rivalries and
friendships are once again tested on the field, in the
sportshall, or in the bar!
Last year the College teams took overall sporting glory
with unexpected victories in rugby and football. However,
this year the Wintonians returned with revenge on their
minds! They played as expected, hard and fair, trying to
overcome the fitness of their adversaries with experience
and bulk! The College fought hard though, and the final
result was a well earned draw with Winton winning 5
games and the College matching that total. It was a fitting
end to a great day and no doubt next year's trophy will be
even more fiercely contested.
The weekend starts on the Friday night of the weekend in
question (usually at the end of February/early March) and
the Union invites all graduates to a Winton party in the
Union bars and Exam Hall, giving everyone a chance to
mix with their peers and meet current students, on what
is always an enjoyable first night. Saturday is hosted at
Bar End Sports Ground, with a burger van, marquee and
bar, which was run very successfully for the first time by
the Student Union's Radio Society (The Voice).
All graduates are invited to attend the weekend and the
Union sends out a mailing every year. However this
mailshot is limited to a small circulation each year. If you
would like more information about next year's weekend
then please get in touch with me in the Union on t:
01962 827418 and I will be happy to respond. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Neil Yates
Vice-President Administration 1999/2000
President-elect 2000/2001
Did You Know… The institution
took the name King Alfred's College in
1928.
Re-unions - To Go or Not To Go?
That is the question that faced Gill and I last year. It was
10 years since we left college and neither of us had been
to Winchester since.
How do you approach a reunion? Do you tell people the
truth or do you tell them that since leaving you invented
the 'post-it note' and walked to the South Pole (in shorts)?
We needn't have worried of course.
Tea-time
Chinwag
In this issue I chat over
tea to KAC graduate
Vicky White (BA
Combined Studies,
World Musics with
Archaeology 1999)
about studying for an
MA in Community Music at the University of York,
winning the Kenneth Nonhebel Scholarship and
setting up a Thai Pi Phat Ensemble.
Q: Why did you choose to study for an MA as opposed
to pursuing a career?
A: During my time at King Alfred's I completed a double
module called Promoting Music in the Community which I
really enjoyed. I completed a placement in Islington,
London with Roger Watson of TAPS (Traditional Arts
Projects) after which I knew that Community Music was
the area I wanted to work in. Despite that, I felt I needed
more experience before I let myself loose on the
unsuspecting community and the MA seemed the perfect
way to do this.
Q: What does the course in Community Music involve?
A: The course is a taught masters degree. I do six
modules during the year plus a research project which
includes a substantial placement. The modules I have
chosen are: Core Music Skills; World Music; Workshop
Skills; Music in Education; Music and the Other Arts; and
the History and Practice of Community Arts. I am also
doing two additional non-assessed modules: Arts
Administration and Music Technology. Each module is
organised into blocks of 5 days of lectures with at least
three weeks between them to complete the assignment.
This enables people who still live at home to travel into
York just for lectures.
7
Q: Why were you awarded the scholarship?
A: Before last September I had been in correspondence
with Neil Sorrel at the University about setting up an
ensemble when I arrived. Whilst wearing his other cap as
Chair of the Graduate School, he had the unpleasant task
of telling me that I had not been successful in gaining a
regular MA scholarship. While e-mails flew back and forth
about the ensemble he informed me that I was in line for
a different scholarship and a couple of days later I
received a letter congratulating me on gaining the
Kenneth Nonhebel scholarship.
Q: Has the scholarship funded your MA?
A: It has not entirely funded my MA course but it has
made a substantial contribution to my fees.
Q: What is a Thai Pi Phat Ensemble?
A: A Thai Pi Phat Ensemble is one of the many different
ensembles/music groups from Thailand who play
classical/court music.
Q: How did you get involved in setting this up in York?
A: While I was at King Alfred's I was involved in Thai
music through my course and the music department.
When I discovered that York also had a set of Thai
instruments I was very keen to continue playing and also
pass on what I had learnt. After talking to Neil Sorrel I
organised an open afternoon for anyone interested in
playing to come along. I had a great response that
afternoon and I now have a core of about 15 people, both
undergraduates and postgraduates who come along each
week.
Q: What research areas are you concentrating on?
A: My research project focuses on summer music camps
both in the UK and the US. This is because my associated
placement is at the National Children's Summer Music
Camps at the Stables, Wavendon (near Milton Keynes).
Q: What impact, if any, does it have on the local
community?
A: Apart from providing another World Music ensemble
for the university community, we have taken the
performance out into the centre of York. At the end of
February a group of students who are undertaking a
course at the Bridge Project in Bradford came down and
not only recorded the York ensemble but also took part in
a workshop where they had a go at playing the
instruments. Also in the next few months a group of
children from Humberstone Special School (for disabled
children) are coming to York for a workshop.
Q: What is the Kenneth Nonhebel Scholarship?
A: It is a scholarship awarded each year to one student in
the music department at the University of York. Mr.
Kenneth Nonhebel was an electrical engineer who, after
retirement, enjoyed coming to the University with his wife
for the many concerts that take place in the Sir Jack
Lyons Concert Hall.
Q: What do you hope to do on completion of your MA?
A: I'm planning to go on and do research into Community
Music provision and its development. There is a big call
from Community Music providers for theory to back up
what they already do naturally. This research may well be
undertaken at King Alfred's under the supervision of June
Boyce-Tillman.
"What have you been up to?"
"Teaching. You?"
"Teaching."
Conversations seemed almost to pick up where they had
left off and what I found interesting was that you had the
chance to speak to people you had not spoken to at all
whilst at college.
With our son out of the way (our first night apart in 2
years), we checked into a very pleasant B&B at the top of
St Giles Hill and prepared for what would turn out to be a
rather bizarre evening.
After 10 years you would expect people to look different,
but the changes were almost imperceptible and walking
into the crowded bar was like taking a step back in time.
So yes, you should go if you get the chance. Very few of
the people there will have made it to chairperson of ICI
since you last saw them and if you get as drunk as I'm
told I did, at least you won't have to see them again for
another 10 years!
Andy Evans, B Ed Technology (1985-1989)