The month of May is New Zealand Music Month.
Kia ora,
May is New Zealand Music Month. There are many different ways you can celebrate this month: listening to Kiwi music, playing an instrument, or learning about national musicians and bands through books and documentaries. Auckland Libraries has numerous resources to help you do these things.
We also have an extensive collection of recorded music on CD and vinyl. David, who runs our popular film club, has a vinyl recommendation for you. David’s favourite music genres are classical and heavy metal – apparent opposites.
He recommends Michael Houstoun’s first recital on LP from 1978: Bartók Piano Music. David says, "Béla Bartók is, in his more aggressive pieces, as metal as it gets in classical music, with the composer famous for exploring the percussive essence of the piano. A great first album from Houstoun; amazing it was never released on CD." David adds that Houstoun’s LP was his introduction to 20th Century classical music. Just a little side note – you can borrow vinyl recordings from our collection, but you have to listen to them at the Auckland Central Library.
Auckland Libraries also has a collection of sheet music for different instruments and genres. Ai, the manager of the Leys Institute Little Library, plays harp and likes sheet music because "it is a great way to learn a song, after which you can add your own personal spin.” Some of the sheet music dates way back. For instance, 24 Top Country Hits of the 90’s and The Top Pop Hits of the 90's. Volume 3. Much of this older music is hard to track down, so if you want make things easy, borrow from us.
And of course, we carry many nonfiction books on music – you can read up on music theory, learn a new instrument or check out a biography about your favourite musician. Have you read Shayne Carter’s Dead People I Have Known?
Carter has had a long career, from his teenage band that was part of the 1980s ‘Dunedin Sound’ to bands like Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer, and his later work as a solo musician. Dead People won the NZ Ockham Best Non-Fiction award for 2020. The judges commented, "A fascinating look at what it means and how it feels to be a creative obsessive – pushing towards perfection despite and because of addiction, oblivion and isolation. It is rock-star writing: entertaining, revealing and incredibly heartfelt."
Another area of our collections to explore is the streaming platform Beamafilm. Here you will find a large selection of good movies and documentaries, including an extensive music section, where you access documentaries on Kiwi music. To use Beamafilm, you only need your library card.
We hope you enjoy Music Month.
Hours Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday Closed
Leys Institute Little Library, 14 Jervois Road, T: 09 377 0209, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
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