Next Meeting/Event
Monday August 20th 12 30pm
At the Palmerston North Public Library, George St, Palmerston North
Official Opening
of a Photographic Exhibition
on the life of Rewi Alley
An exhibition of photographs covering the life of Rewi Alley will be opened at lunchtime on Monday 20th August. It has been organized by the Manawatu Branch of the NZ/China Friendship Society in conjunction with the Palmerston North City library. The photographs have been compiled and will be displayed by Lu Bo and Deng Bangzheng, two Chinese artists from Auckland who will attend the official opening.
The exhibition will be opened by Palmerston North City councilor Mr Tunga Utikere and light refreshments will be provided.
At Our Last Meeting
Rosie Look and Sue Baird gave us an inspirational talk on ”Teaching teachers to teach English “ in Sichuan. Together with Jan McLeod (Whanganui) these two English language teachers spent a fortnight in the town of Bazhong in north-east Sichuan working with a class of 29 children in an after-school programme. Their goal was to apply NewZealand teaching methods and use the available resources to make English language an enjoyable experience
They did this through the use of story-telling, drawing, role-playing and drama. In this way they were able to make effective use of interactive teaching using the “big book” idea to extend their students vocabulary and to help them apply their English language in the appropriate context.
When they visited the state schools they were not only aware of the large classes of 80 or more children but also that the reliance on rote learning was not conducive to developing good comprehension. In the brief time that they were there they succeeded in inspiring young teachers to make sense of English and enjoy teaching the language.
Coming Local Events
Piano recital by Jian Lui on Saturday 25th August . Admission free.
Time: 2:00pm at the Speirs Centre, Palmerston North Boys’ High School, 263 Featherston Street, Palmerston North.
Following last year’s success, the Nine + One Childhood Memories Chinese piano concert will have it’s debut in Palmerston North. This concert features Jian Liu and 9 of his students who will be presenting traditional Chinese music, folksong and children’s songs rescored for piano, as well as original piano works by acclaimed Chinese composers Tan Dun, Gao Ping and Shen Nalin. The melodies are evocative of childhood and home, some distant, some close, but always vividly remembered. An impeccable fingerspitzengefuhl to say the least, Jian Liu’s world class talent combined with young, up and coming piano artists makes this event a real must-see (and must-hear!).
Jian Liu’s piano career started at the Central conservatory of Music in Beijing at the age of 12. He won several prestigious prizes and competitions and moved to the USA to continue his music career. He is currently Head of Piano Studies at the NZ School of Music and is finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music.
This concert is jointly organised by Manawatu Chinese Trust and CI at VUW and has been made possible with the kind support of Creative Communities Scheme.
Maurice and Dorothy Alley
