Take time to relax while studying for exams
By Cheryl Minns, Arts Editor
Studying for final exams is a fine art. It’s a balance between hitting the books and taking a break to relax. Studies show that music, especially classical music, is a great way to increase brain productivity. But if you’re not a fan of orchestra pieces, there’s always a local band you could go see in concert. This final exam period there are concerts for all audiences and music tastes presented by and for students.
At Douglas College, the music department hosts its weekly Arts at One concert most Thursdays at 1 p.m. Students and guest performers present classical pieces during this free one-hour show in the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre at the New Westminster campus.
For April 3 and 10, the concert series will be the Student Showcase featuring music students performing group and solo renditions of classic pieces on guitar, piano, flute, and more.
To celebrate the end of semester, the music department will be holding the annual Music Student Awards Benefit Concert in the Laura C. Muir Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on April 4, featuring the department’s concert bands and choirs. Awards will be presented to students throughout the evening. Admission is $10, but students get in free. Proceeds will benefit the Douglas College Award Fund for Music Students.
For those who want a concert they can rock out to, the Regenerate event offers a pop-rock-folk concert with an improv group and a silent auction held at St. James Hall in Vancouver at 6:30 p.m. on April 9.
Former Douglas College students Christine Bersabe and Nicole Poulin, along with their Capilano University classmates Scott Boyce and Darrel Voser, coordinated the event to help beat the exam blues by giving students a way to take a break from the books.
“We plan to provide a really fun experience right before their exams,” Bersabe said.
Entertainment will include headlining band Good for Grapes and opening band Little India, who are both groups from Vancouver that the coordinators chose so they could focus on local talent.
“Local talent is something that is overlooked these days,” said Conan Karpinski of Little India. “We have many very talented people in Vancouver, and that ranges from artists to actors and all else that’s out there.”
Along with the concert will be an improv performance by Instant Theatre Company, a comedy group that has been performing in Vancouver since 1994.
“We’ll introduce people who normally go to music shows to improv and people who normally go to improv shows to music,” Voser said about the unique entertainment combination that’s uncommon but fun.
Instant Theatre Company will be offering tickets to their shows and branded merchandise in the silent auction.
Other auction items will include gift certificates for fitness, such as unlimited yoga for a month at Semperviva Yoga, and show tickets valid for various shows at the Evergreen Cultural Centre and Hard Rock Casino.
The title, Regenerate, represents the event’s purpose to help students recharge before tackling exams, which includes featuring healthy concessions instead of pop and chips.
The event is the product of Capilano University’s Arts and Entertainment Management diploma program that teaches students how to coordinate, publicize, and facilitate events. This year the team is hosting the event off-campus so that all Lower Mainland post-secondary students are welcome to attend.
Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at www.northerntickets.com/events/regenerate-vancouver. Attendees must be 19 years or older due to alcohol being served.
Whether you’re relaxing with a concerto or partying with a rock band, this final exam period is sure to be a blast.
