Workshop: tips and tricks for a quality audio recording.

Audio Equipment and Tips WorkshopTuesday, June 26th, 2018
7pm-9pm
1 Springdale Street, Newman Building Boardroom, 1st floor

Registration $20
So, you are ready to do an oral history or folklore interview. You have a digital recorder, but maybe you don’t know that much about how it works, or about how to adjust settings. We have the workshop for you! Professional audio engineer Lee Tizzard will guide you through your audio equipment, and provide you with the tips and tricks you need to make a quality recording.

The workshop will cover:

- Voice recorders versus hand held high def recorders.
- Odbfs and the db scale, and what is it?
- What is the optimum level ( gain setting ) for recording?
- What is a bass rolloff?
- Mic power/ powered mics
- Stereo versus mono recording.
- Compression /limiting, what does it mean?
- SD card file storage and USB data transfer.
- Bit rates / sampling frequencies what does it mean?
- Using external microphones, why use clip on lav mics?
- Recording apps for smartphones, tablets etc.
- Various audio formats
- The recording environment
- The law, as it applies to recording people in Canada.

Participants should bring any recorders that they have, including earbuds.

Pre-registration required:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/audio-equipment-and-tips-workshop-tickets-47067254425

Presented by Heritage Foundation of NL

Living Heritage Podcast Ep114 Setting Newfoundland Language in Stone

Erin Callahan St. John is a full-time professional artist working in clay. She initially learned her craft from Isabella St. John of Blue Moon Pottery – her aunt, and potter of 45 years. Later, Erin attended the Textiles Studies program at The College of the North Atlantic as well as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, where she majored in Ceramics with a minor in Art History.

During the 15 years she has been working with clay, Erin has apprenticed, graduated and received funding to create one of a kind pieces and developed production lines. Today she is an active member in the local art and craft community, and from her studio in the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation, makes work based on the wildlife and folklore of Newfoundland.

In this podcast, Erin talks with Wyatt Shibley about how she came to be a potter, the history of studio pottery in Newfoundland, and the process of setting Newfoundland language in stone.

This episode is part of a series of programs in partnership with the Memorial University graduate course Folk 6740 - Public Folklore, and the Craft Council of NL, to document craft traditions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Download the mp3





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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Tuesday's #FolklorePhoto: Knitting in Bird Cove

Annette Myers poses with her knitting, Bird Cove. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2010.

Today's Folklore Photos come from The Straits collection on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. The Strait of Belle Isle is a geographic region on the northwest coast of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. Colloquially know as 'The Straits,' this coastal strip runs from the community of Plum Point in the south, to Eddies Cove East at the northernmost tip. 

Between these two locales, several small communities dot the coast. Families first arrived at The Strait of Belle Isle in the 1880s, to exploit the salmon fishery and perhaps set up a base for the fur trade. Early inhabitants were there seasonally, but by 1884, permanent settlers arrived and began fishing for cod, herring, and began sealing practices as well. Although resources may have shifted in value, abundance and importance, over the years, the local drive to work the land and sea has remained consistent. While the cod fishery ultimately saw its demise in the 1990s, forms of this industry continue to fuel the local economy today. In Anchor Point, for instance, many of the residents continue to work as fish harvesters, or alternately in the shrimp plant, which employs upwards of 150 people each season.

The Straits inventory is part of a founding collection for the Great Northern Peninsula Textiles Archive and Learning Center. This project, based in Conche, NL, is an on-going initiative to document and preserve the textile-based crafts that are being created on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula. The items in this collection were gathered between May and July of 2010 and include photographs of textile craft objects such as sealskin boots, Newfoundland Quilts, knitted socks, and embroidered cloth. This inventory also includes audio clips of craftspeople discussing their particular textile-based skills and practices. Straits communities present in this collection include Green Island Brook, Pines Cove, Bird Cove, Black Duck Cove, Eddies Cove East, Anchor Point, Sandy Cove, and Flower's Cove. Flower's Cove, due to its comparably large population, has been given its own community inventory on the DAI.

If you want to learn more about this collection click here and if you want to listen to an interview with Annette Myers about life in Bird Cove, knitting, crocheting, and selling textiles click here.

A sweater Annette Myers made for her husband, Bird Cove. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2010.

Dark pink winter hat made by Annette Myers, Bird Cove. Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2010.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep113 Piece by Piece - The Mosaic Art of Terry Nicholls

Terry Nicholls is a mosaic artist living in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. In this episode, he chats with Alina Sergachov about his personal background and how it brought him into the field of the mosaic art, the process of making a mosaic, materials, and describes how the experience of working in marine and freshwater environments influences his interpretation of the natural world through mosaics. Terry talks about translating an idea into an object and being inspired, and the time it takes to create his art.

This episode is part of a series of programs in partnership with the Memorial University graduate course Folk 6740 - Public Folklore, and the Craft Council of NL, to document craft traditions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Download the mp3




###

The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Have folklore, will travel: Notes from Glenwood!

I'm on the heritage trail this week, holding some heritage planning and oral history meetings in central Newfoundland. Last night I had a very positive meeting with the newly-formed Glenwood Heritage Society (above), whose mandate is "To protect and promote the heritage of Glenwood and surrounding area" (yes, Appleton, that means you are invited). 

We had a good discussion about how community heritage groups can get involved to help safeguard living heritage in their areas, and the kinds of programs and activities other heritage groups across the province are running. 

The group is on facebook, and their first event is the Glenwood Heritage Society Annual Trout Derby -- coming soon! Below, a photo of the Glenwood railway station in its heyday, and a very very sweet Ford Thibault vintage fire engine the town currently has on display. 

Tuesday's #FolklorePhoto: Simms House

Today's Folklore Photos are of the Simms House which is a two-and-a-half storey, mansard roofed residential structure built in the late 19th century. It is situated on Pleasant Street in the west-end area of St. John’s, NL, once known as Lazy Bank. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Tyler Stapleton and Dale Jarvis.

Tyler Stapleton, a 24 year old Nautical Science Graduate from the Marine Institute, is actively restoring the 1882 Registered Heritage Structure in Downtown St. John’s. In March 2018, Tyler gave Dale and Terra with the Heritage Foundation a tour of his property and described the ongoing restoration and the background research on the history of the house. 

The home was built in 1882 for draper George Taylor and sold to cooper Henry V. Simms in 1902. Simms ran a successful trade out of a shop once located behind the home and, by the time he died in 1947, owned several properties in the area. Henry’s son William Simms inherited Simms House in 1947 and also worked as a cooper. Simms House has aesthetic value as an excellent example of an early middle-class home in urban St. John’s.

Henry V. Simms played an active in his community, serving as Vice President of the Master Coopers’ Association and an organizer of the local prohibition movement. His interest in prohibition may have been influenced by his neighbourhood, Lazy Bank, which generated reports of public intoxication and unsanitary conditions around the turn of the century. 

A bottle of Labbatt's Blue and a pack of Man-Tex condoms found during the restoration of the home. An interesting find given Simms' interest in the prohibition movement. 

If you would like to learn more about the Simms House have a listen to the Living Heritage Podcast episode number 104. In this episode, which can be found here, Dale and Tyler discuss on the history of the building, his process of research and restoration, and some of the secrets of the Simms House.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep112 Felted Folklore and Paper Maché

Janet Peter has been working with the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador for approximately 20 years. She possesses a great interest in creating paper maché mummers and figurines of local traditions and folklore, and these themes recur in much of her work. She has been making marks on paper since she was old enough to hold a pencil and it motivated her to embark on a journey to a career in the arts.

After high school, Janet briefly studied animation. Shortly after graduating with a Visual Arts diploma, she began a line of paper maché mummer figurines. She earned a Masters’ in Political Science; worked as a workers’ advocate; then moved across the country to St. John’s to start her career afresh. Currently, she is working on a series of needle felted sculptures depicting pre-Victorian yuletide folklore and practices for an upcoming solo exhibit.

Janet Peter is one of those who have been constantly working to keep the craft tradition of Newfoundland alive. In this episode, Janet talks with Nadia Sarwar about her upcoming solo exhibition, her notable creations, the activities of the Craft Council, and the future of craft in Newfoundland. This episode is part of a series of programs in partnership with the Memorial University graduate course Folk 6740 - Public Folklore, and the Craft Council of NL, to document craft traditions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Download the mp3




###

The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes are hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Saving Our Stories workshop - An Introduction to Community Oral History

Presented by the Heritage Foundation of NL in partnership with Admiralty House Communications Museum

Friday, June 8th, 2018
12:30pm-4:30pm
Admiralty House Communications Museum
365 Old Placentia Road, Mount Pearl

Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, communities, and everyday life using recordings and transcriptions of planned interviews. We have important stories to share in Newfoundland and Labrador, and properly planned oral history projects can be a valuable tool for museums, towns, historical societies and heritage organizations.

This introductory, half-day workshop is open to anyone with an interest in local history, culture, and folklore. It is intended to give a background on how to conduct research interviews, and will give people a chance to try their hand at creating interview questions and to explore the world of oral history! We will talk about the practical matters of creating, designing, and executing effective oral history and folklore research projects, project planning, ethical issues, and recording equipment.

This workshop will be beneficial to people who are contemplating folklore and oral history projects of all sorts, ranging from short-term projects involving a single researcher to complex, long-term projects involving many researchers.


The workshop will be taught by folklorist Dale Jarvis of the Intangible Cultural Heritage office, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Workshop limited to 10 participants. Tuition: $50. Pre-registration mandatory.

Register online at Eventbrite

Transformation and Talking Tigers: Tales from Afar at The Rooms

This Wednesday at The Rooms, join folklorist Dale Jarvis as he chats with storytellers Zoe Wu (Taiwan), Tanyan Ye (China) and Jae Hong Jin (Korea), about dangerous dried persimmons, fiendish tiger grandmothers, mysterious snail maidens, and the folklore and stories of their respective childhoods.

Tales From Afar: Old Stories from New Residents is a collection of world folktales, myths, and legends, collected by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in partnership with the St. John's Local Immigration Partnership.

Time: 7:00pm
Date: Wednesday, May 30
Where: The Rooms Theatre
Cost: Included with the cost of admission to The Rooms