By TREVOR KELLOCK
I’m currently running a project to teach piping to Grade 6 pupils in the Cape Breton school system, and had recent success in gaining a Musicounts grant to purchase 150 practice chanters.
Back in the early 2000s I led the Dartmouth Pipe Band in Grade 2, then played with the 78th Frasers Highlanders in Ontario for a stretch while living in Edmonton and running a band there. We won Maxville [North American Pipe Band Championships] in Grade 3 with the Edmonton Pipe Band, and Grade 5 with my current Cape Breton Island Pipe Band. We then placed third at the Worlds with this group last year.
When I landed in Sydney, Cape Breton 10 years ago I was a stay-at-home dad while my wife started her paediatric practice. Since I wasn’t working full-time, I was able to capitalise on teaching in the area. We started a program with the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Youth Initiative where kids could learn for free. The Initiative paid a small instructor fee but, more importantly, helped to find instruments for youth. When the initiative stopped after a few years we had established a pretty strong teaching program and particularly given the socioeconomic status in Cape Breton decided to keep teaching youth for free on our own as the Island Pipes and Drums Association.
We managed through lockdown by diverting fundraising efforts to pay for a band set of Blair Digital Chanters so we could return to rehearsal once it was determined safe enough to do so in a masked setting. We are delighted our association still offers free youth lessons, has Grade 3 and 5 bands, and offers adult learner classes as well.
I went back to teaching in the school system a few years ago once my kids were in school themselves. I landed a job at a Middle School in inner Sydney with a Music and Band position. The Centre for Education as it’s called here has had excellent Fine Arts consultants who supported my initial idea of operating an after-school piping program. This was a small success as they purchased a dozen practice chanters and given our school’s student population meant that we had piping learners who are new to Canada from China, Nigeria, India, etc. We operate a snare drumming class as well on band evenings free for youth and that has picked up traction as well with students in the Centre for Education.
The big news is that after many attempts in the past, I successfully applied for the Musicounts Band Aid grant. This grant is available annually and awards up to $20,000 for successful applicants.
My application specifically covers purchasing 150 practice chanters where I can now introduce piping as an instrument to cover the Grade 6 music curricular outcomes in Nova Scotia. John Walsh is working on the chanters and has been incredibly supportive of the whole process.
Our student population has between 125 and 150 students. The numbers are dynamic as there are many newcomers to Canada who are registering throughout the year. Due to the grant and support every Grade 6 student [11 year old] who comes through our school will spend the year learning chanter as part of their music program. My goal will be to have as much retention as possible from grade 6 to 7, where students will then choose to continue learning in the community, and as the program continues to grow at the school as well.
Chanters will then be sanitised and we can start the process over each September with a new enthusiastic group of Grade 6s.
Perhaps others who might not know about the Musicounts grant will read this and be successful applicants in the future with piping and drumming focused development.
