Media releases

• Brock String and Wind orchestras to hold final concerts of the season

  Monday, March 25, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 25 March 2019 – R00051

  Media preview Wednesday: George Cleland and the Brock University String Orchestra will open up its Wednesday, March 27 dress rehearsal in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Recital Hall to the media. The conductor and players will be available for interviews at 6:30 p.m. and photos and recordings are permitted to be taken at the start of the rehearsal, beginning at 7 p.m.

  The Brock University Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra will conclude their seasons with popular repertoire and world-premiere performances in two upcoming recitals.

  Presented by Brock University’s Department of Music, the Wind Ensemble will host its recital, A Touch of Latin, on Tuesday, April 2 in Partridge Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC).

  The Orchestra’s recital, A Spring Serenade, will take place on Wednesday, April 3 in the PAC’s Recital Hall.

  Conducted by Zoltan Kalman and George Cleland, respectively, the Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra bring Brock University students together with members of the community to perform for the public. These performances are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ (MIWSFPA) mandate of building connections between the Niagara community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock.

  At A Touch of Latin, Kalman said concertgoers will be treated to an evening of brilliant works from a range of composers such as George Gershwin and John Mackey.

  “Our show will also feature an intriguing mix of different musical styles and three soloists — Mark Roberts, Rebecca Heathcote and myself — performing a world premiere under the baton of Sarah McKean,” he said. “From the high energy Redline Tango, to the splendid melodies of Cuban Overture and the grandiose Music for a Festival, our repertoire will highlight the versatility and brilliance of this dedicated group and offer non-stop entertainment for all ages.”

  Cleland said he is looking forward to the String Orchestra’s concert because preparations for the recital showcased a great period of growth for the players.

  A Spring Serenade will feature a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, which Cleland said is “one of the most popular pieces in the string orchestra repertoire, loved for its beautiful melodies and sensitive use of the tone colours of the orchestra.”

  Guests will also hear Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, which is “a rich and intricate work, playing with antiphonal sound by breaking the ensemble into a string quartet and two string orchestras,” Cleland added.

  Tickets to A Touch of Latin and A Spring Serenade are available for purchase from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office by phone at 905-688-0722 or online at firstontariopac.ca

  For more information about the concerts or other music programming, visit brocku.ca/music

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Pathstone and Brock working to provide improved understanding of childhood mental health issues

  Friday, March 22, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 22 March 2019 – R00050

  A new partnership between two Niagara organizations will mean a direct connection between the people conducting leading-edge research on child mental health and the caregivers who work with families dealing with related issues.

  Pathstone Mental Health and Brock University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Friday, March 22 that solidifies a collaboration that will positively impact children suffering with mental health in Niagara and beyond.

  “This partnership with Brock University will have a far-reaching impact and it will provide mutual benefits to the well-being of the Niagara community,” said Shaun Baylis, CEO, Pathstone Mental Health. “It creates the opportunity for co-developed research to advance brain health knowledge, and to crystalize our existing supportive and collaborative relationship.”

  Friday’s announcement took place at Pathstone’s Branscombe Mental Health Centre in St. Catharines, where Brock faculty members and students have been provided with office and lab space, giving them direct access to children and families interested in participating in groundbreaking research.

  “These collaborations with partner organizations are critically important to the health and well-being of our Niagara community,” said Brock President Gervan Fearon. “This collaboration will provide our students with invaluable hands-on experience as they work alongside Pathstone’s team of support workers and clinicians.”

  Together with their undergraduate and graduate student research teams, Brock professors have started, or are about to begin a number of important research initiatives:

  • Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Neuroscience Dawn Good and PhD candidate Caitlin Gallant are researching the neuropsychological and socioemotional factors that predict the severity and complexity of mental health challenges in children and youth.
  • Professor of Psychology Sid Segalowitz and Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Ayda Tekok-Kilic, along with a number of students, are using an electroencephalogram (EEG) installed at Pathstone to study anxiety disorders and ADHD. By examining brain activity, researchers are able to evaluate in what way interventions are effective when appearing to use standard psychological measures.
  • Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Colleen Hood and PhD student Lauren Cripps are examining the impact of therapeutic recreation intervention designed to support the development of positive identity for youth with mental health challenges.
  • Associate Professor of Psychology Angela Book and PhD student Nathalie Gauthier are examining factors around anti-social behaviour and specifically looking at how parenting style may mitigate the effect of childhood adversity on these behaviours.
  • Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tricia Vause is launching a project evaluating the benefits of blending behaviour therapy with recreational dance to equip children with coping strategies while giving them the added benefit of improved motor skills, self-esteem and helping them form new friendships.
  • A collaboration between Professor of Linguistics Gary Libben, Professors Tekok-Kilic, Segalowitz, and their students and postdocs will develop an EEG tool for assessing reactivity to common words with negative/positive versus neutral connotations (such as ‘destroy’ vs ‘build’ vs ‘change’) to assess vocabulary and emotional reactivity in children and youth with psychological challenges.

  In addition, Brock’s Faculty of Education is working with Pathstone to develop a training program aimed at helping teachers deal with complex mental health issues in the classroom.

  Segalowitz, Director of Brock’s Centre for Lifespan Development Research, which has worked with Pathstone for a number of years, said the MOU also offers Brock students across various faculties unique opportunities for experiential education.

  “Students are often very interested in clinical issues, but to get involved in clinical research is sometimes difficult and certainly you need a special kind of partnership,” he said. “With this partnership, we’ll be able to boost their career development in this direction in ways we haven’t been able to in the past.”

  Bill Helmeczi, Pathstone Director of Strategic Planning, Standards and Practices, called it a dynamic and positive partnership.

  “The research presents great opportunities not only for Pathstone staff and Brock faculty, but also the entire Niagara community,” he said. “By bringing clinical staff together with researchers, I think we can build a dynamic research program that fosters a great deal of benefit as researchers become more aware of the specific challenges we face in dealing with children’s mental health in the region.”

  A video about the collaboration can be found on YouTube here.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

   * Kim Rossi, Director of Philanthropy and Public Relations, Pathstone Foundation / Mental Health krossi@pathstone.ca, 289-969-8342

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  Categories: Media releases