General News

ALIBI Music Opens World of Possibilities to Algonquin Students

When Algonquin College students were granted access to ALIBI Music last year thanks to an exclusive agreement, it opened up a world of production possibilities to professionally enhance their projects.

The ALIBI Music Library is a professional music and sound effects platform featured in Hollywood productions and the TV, streaming, video game and advertising industries. The library contains more than 250,000 audio files, including more than 11,000 curated original songs and 6,000 sound effects created by a global array of professional artists.

“ALIBI gives our students access to quality professional music. The fact that it’s copyright-cleared solves a lot of problems because the students aren’t out sourcing music from the Internet that they think they might have rights to. Now there’s a one-stop, where they don’t have to search anywhere else,” said Jeremy Atherton, Program Co-ordinator with Algonquin’s School of Media and Design.

Students enrolled in courses for film and media production, television, radio, advertising, interactive media design, and video game development can access, download and incorporate ALIBI’s music and sound effects content into the projects they create as part of their course curriculum.

Jonathan Parks, Executive Producer and founder of ALIBI Music, built his company from scratch starting in 2010. It now has employees in Los Angeles, London, Portland, San Francisco and music composers contributing from all corners of the world, and it provides the resulting music and sound to all the major studios and productions houses. The next time you’re watching Netflix, chances are the sounds you’re hearing are thanks the ALIBI.

For Algonquin Film and Media Production students like Samantha Green and Samuel Lewis, having access to ALIBI’s deep and rich library has been a huge difference-maker.

“Music is such an important part of filmmaking. The soundtrack is an integral part of setting the emotion in a scene. Finding a trusted resource to license music is often one of the biggest hurdles faced by independent filmmakers. Having access to quality music this year via ALIBI has allowed us to elevate our productions to a professional level,” said Lewis.

Green likes the fact that ALIBI also offers multiple options for one particular song or sound.

“Some songs give you the option to only hear the piano, guitar, vocals or a mix of a few. This makes our creative process and control a lot easier and almost feels like you get to personalize a song in a studio, except it’s all online,” said Green. “During one of our projects, we found this great song, but we felt that there was just a little too much of the strings. By going through the dropdown menu for that song, we were able to find a mix without the strings and it custom-fit our production.”

Atherton said that having access to the ALIBI library marked a “quantum leap” for the College, which was relying on outdated and far less user-friendly resources, which included CDs, prior to the agreement.

“Nothing will deaden a great film like a ’90s soundtrack,” said Atherton. “We have great storytelling from our students and cutting-edge cameras, and now we have the cutting-edge music to match.”

With professors and students all working from the same library, teaching production has become far smoother and time-effective. ALIBI also gives the students a first-hand look at how the industry functions.

“We hold the students to the same standard that the industry would. They have to follow the proper channels, keep the proper paperwork and make sure their business affairs are in order,” said Atherton. “The students can see the prices the industry would have to pay (for ALIBI content), so they also get an understanding of the real-world costs.”

For a samples of Algonquin students’ work featuring ALIBI content, check these links:

Green’s documentary at 14:58, titled ‘Home Run’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDjTtWFpGGw

Lewis’ ‘Pinball & Perogies’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-3ZE_V6is&t=168s

Three times a charm: Algonquin College receives $25,000 from the Princess Auto Foundation

 

Princess Auto Foundation logoFor a third academic year in a row, the Princess Auto Foundation has donated another generous $25,000 to Algonquin College’s Princess Auto Foundation Bursary. This donation will provide substantial financial support to students enrolled in programs within the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence and the School of Advanced Technology.

“This generous donation highlights the strong, long-standing partnership between Algonquin College and Princess Auto. They share the College’s commitment to providing our learners with the highest standard of education and every opportunity to find success in the job market upon graduation,” said Claude Brulé, Algonquin College President and CEO.

Chris Hahn, Dean of Algonquin College Heritage Institute, noted, “For the welding and the heating and refrigeration post-secondary students that benefit from the generosity of Princess Auto’s donation, it means that they are that much closer to their dream being fulfilled. Students work hard. I see the effort and know first-hand how students appreciate the support and assistance they get to help with that. Princess Auto, a family-owned, Canadian company, is a dream to work with, and we very much appreciate being associated with such a quality organization.”

The Foundation’s generous donation brings their financial support of Algonquin College learners to a total of $75,000. When asked why the Princess Auto Foundation chose Algonquin College as one of its recipients for a third academic year in a row, David Shnider, Director of the Foundation, expressed it this way, “Our foundation continues to receive many letters from students expressing their gratitude and thanks for helping them achieve their career goals in the trades. This type of feedback has served to strengthen our belief in the direction and objectives of the Foundation.”

One recent student recipient wrote this as part of his thank-you to the Princess Auto Foundation: “This bursary greatly helps relieve a lot of pressure on me as I had paid this semester out of pocket with a majority of what I had made … over the spring/summer of 2020… I know my late father would be proud of how far I’ve come towards starting my career.”

The Princess Auto Foundation Bursary undoubtedly fulfills the College’s vision to transform students’ hopes and dreams into lifelong success.

Mazda Canada Inc. Donates Vehicles to Help Train Automotive Technician Students

Algonquin College’s School of Advanced Technology has received a generous donation of two 2019 Mazda CX-5s from Mazda Canada Inc. The vehicles have been delivered and are currently being used to train students.

Algonquin College President and CEO, Claude Brulé, thanked Mazda Canada Inc. for the vehicles and acknowledged their significance in providing students with top-level training opportunities.

“These donations are critical to providing our learners with examples of current automotive technology that they will encounter on a daily basis in the workplace. We are grateful to our community partners at Mazda Canada Inc. and appreciate their commitment to helping train the next generation of automotive technicians,” said Brulé.

The vehicles will be used by Motive Power Technician students and Automotive Service Technician apprentices primarily for electrical/computer diagnostics, suspension, brakes and engine operation/diagnosis classes.

Algonquin’s Chair, Mechanical and Transportation Technology, David Thibodeau, explained the significance of the donation.

“When our students have access to work on vehicles with contemporary technology and parts, it is a win-win situation for the College and for our partners at Mazda Canada Inc. We welcome the opportunity to provide the most current training and Mazda is helping ensure the automotive technician workforce will have the necessary skills to be job-ready,” said Thibodeau.

Algonquin College Announces the Audrey Lawrence AC Online Bursary

Algonquin College is announcing the introduction of the Audrey Lawrence AC Online Bursary which will be awarded to full-time and part-time online learners in financial need.

The new bursary – one of the first of its kind in Ontario – is being established thanks to a generous gift of more than $15,000 from Algonquin Board of Governors’ member, Audrey Lawrence, and comes as the College celebrates the first anniversary of its highly successful AC Online campus.

The Audrey Lawrence AC Online Bursary will represent five separate bursaries. Two $6,000 bursaries will benefit full-time learners, with one preferably directed toward an Indigenous student. Three $1,000 bursaries will also be awarded to part-time students. Bursary application opens in the fall.

“Audrey is a true champion of our learners. Thanks to her generosity the lives of many students will be positively transformed,” said Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé. “In setting out the criteria for this bursary, Audrey wished to support our AC Online campus, understanding its great potential to reach learners. This includes many Indigenous students who reside in more remote parts of the province and the country.”

Having taught Cree students in northern Quebec and being of Cree and Inuit ancestry herself, Audrey has been strongly aware of the needs of both Indigenous and remote learners.  Since then, she has had extensive management experience working in health, education, technology, and human resources in public, non-profit, and corporate sectors. She has served in leadership positions involved with issues affecting Indigenous communities and volunteers her time to numerous causes in the Ottawa region. 

“As a young woman I received a bursary that virtually paid for my College’s tuition. I was so thankful and it was a lifesaver as I was covering all my expenses on my own dime. I always have that memory in my head,” said Lawrence. “As I went on through my teaching career, I was teaching full-time, married, had a baby to care for, all while writing essays late at night to complete my degree by correspondence courses, the early version of distance learning.  I am very empathetic to the needs of distance learners.”

While distance education has long been a hallmark of Algonquin College, since the launch of its dedicated online campus a year ago, there has been a 26 per cent increase in online enrollments. This surge in growth includes over 13,000 unique students and 56,000 online course enrollments, both all-time highs for Algonquin College.

AC Online offers one of the largest selections of online programming amongst post-secondary institutions in Canada. Learners can choose to take a full course load or enroll a few courses at a time. They can opt for multiple start dates including some programs that have monthly intakes, and they benefit from personalized support from staff throughout their learning journey at the College.

EXFO Partners with Algonquin College

EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF), the communications industry’s test, monitoring and analytics experts, and Ottawa’s Algonquin College, the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario, today announced their collaboration for the college’s Optical Systems and Sensors (OSS) program. EXFO will support the program’s upgrade of its Optophotonics Lab by donating advanced testing technology equipment (100G), in the form of FTB portable test modules.

“These testing equipment will enhance students’ work in the program’s state-of-the-art Optophotonics Lab and will give them invaluable hands-on, practical experience in operating and managing 200 Gb/s optical transport networks and optical switches in the Lab.” said Dr. Wahab Almuhtadi, Professor and Coordinator of Optical Systems and Sensors Program, an Algonquin College-Carleton University bachelor’s degree joint program.

The 100G FTB modules also offer feature-rich test applications allowing a multitude of Ethernet testing from 10M to 100G and transport protocol testing which students are likely to use later in cutting-edge telecommunications companies and which feature the friendliest graphical user interface on the market.

“Innovation is in our DNA here at EXFO, and we are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of innovators, such as through this partnership with Algonquin College,” said Stéphane Chabot, EXFO’s Vice President, Test and Measurement. “This kind of initiative benefits everyone: students, the college and our own team.”

“EXFO’s investment aligns with Algonquin College’s commitment to delivering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning,” said Claude Brulé, President and Chief Executive Officer of Algonquin College “Thanks to the company’s generosity, our learners will gain experience with cutting-edge technology and be positioned for long-term career success.”

As part of their commitment to innovation, both EXFO and Algonquin College are members of Canada’s Center of Excellence for Next Generation Networks (CENGN), where companies from different fields work together to ensure the continuity and expansion of the Canadian communications industry.