News
KRIS MCDAVID MIRAMICHI LEADER
Sheree Allison says there was a time when the deciding factor that determined which children would have access to training in classical music and which ones would not boiled down to money, particularly how much happened to be in their parent’s bank account.
For dozens of children in Miramichi, those financial barriers are being removed thanks to the arrival of a new after-school music program that will benefit children from three local schools.
Officials with Sistema New Brunswick, which is operated through the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, will be placing violins, violas, cellos and double bass’s into the hands of 75 elementary school-aged students within the next four years and 30 starting this year, all free of charge.
They will be able to have access upwards of 15 hours of training on a weekly basis as delivered by a pair of professional musicians, opportunities that simply would not be possible without the arrival of Sistema.
For Allison, the executive director of the Miramichi Boys and Girls Club, which, along with the City of Miramichi, is providing $20,000 in annual funding toward the program over the next four years, this type of initiative opens up a world full of possibilities.
“The model for music for children, that I know currently, involves money,” Allison said.“Well, that model of music has been dismantled in Miramichi (as of today) – we are going to take 75 children who would never hear these sounds other than maybe Stompin’ Tom and Taylor Swift, so now we are going to be enriching their souls with pure music.”
The Miramichi program will be based out of St. Andrews Elementary School under the direction of Sistema instructors Carlos Armao, a native of Venezuela, and Emily Field, both of whom are graduates of the prestigious McGill University music program.
Three other instructors will be brought in as the program develops.
Students from Ian Baillie and Napan Elementary School will also be eligible for the Sistema sessions. The program will eventually migrate to the incoming elementary school set to be built on King Street by the time that facility welcomes students in the fall of 2017.
Sistema’s programming has been spreading steadily throughout New Brunswick since it was established here back in 2009 with the help of the youth orchestra.
Schools in Moncton, Saint John, Edmundston, the Tobique First Nation, Richibucto and now Miramichi provide the free lessons to over 700 students.
The orchestra from L’École Soleil Levant in Richibucto demonstrated their ample talent to a packed gymnasium at St. Andrews following the official announcement on Friday. Parents, students and teachers watched in amazement as the group of tiny virtuosos, which featured a combination of string and woodwind instruments,played three selections,including pieces from Beethoven and one from the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Kaitlin Martin,a student at St.Andrews and a member of that school’s choir, summed up the feelings of her peers after the Richibucto kids took a bow.
“Wow, that was awesome,” Martin said.“I can’t wait until St. Andrews and Ian Baillie can come together at the new school and maybe form our own orchestra”
The impromptu symphony performance was just a small taste of what students in Miramichi can expect to experience in the years to come, according to Ken MacLeod,the chief executive officer of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and the founder of Sistema New Brunswick.
He said he strongly believes in the difference Sistema is making in the lives of hundreds of children across the province.
“Children as young as six years old are playing in orchestras and they’re learning that the impossible is more than possible,” MacLeod said.“In the beauty of the music, they are learning focus and discipline, they are learning respect and teamwork and these are values that are essential for an orchestra to succeed but even more, to have a successful life … and they also get real good at the music.”
That creates a whole host of positive outcomes.Learning through music,Mac-Leod said, has been proven to enhance self esteem and achieve a sense of fulfillment, pride and hope for the future.
“The only question to ask is, who wouldn’t want that for even more children?”MacLeod said.
Students from École Soleil Levant, play a few musical selections for students at St. Andrews Elementary School following the announcement that Sistema NB programming is coming to Miramichi. Photo: Kris Mcdavid/Miramichi Leader
On top of the funding contributions from the city, which was approved during Thursday night’s regular council meeting, and the Boys and Girls Club, the provincial government is setting aside $110,000 in annual funding toward Sistema’s Miramichi centre.
In all, the program requires about $160,000 a year to sustain itself. A number of different community organizations, including the Miramichi Kinsmen Club, the local Rotary Club and the Highland Society of New Brunswick at Miramichi, are also contributing resources.
Health Minister Victor Boudreau, who played a role in helping establish Sistema in the province back in 2009, said that in terms of which children will be eligible to participate in the program, there are some different factors to consider.
“Obviously, they will gauge the interest of the students and obviously the program is geared to make sure that everybody can participate, so there is a particular attention given maybe to those families who don’t have the (financial) means,”Boudreau said.
“We want to make sure we’re getting the kids who can benefit the most from the program so there is a pretty rigorous selection process but they work with the teachers and the school, but this has been an absolutely amazing program since day-one.”
St. Andrews principal Charlene Robinson said the school is overjoyed to serve as the initial home base for Sistema before the transition to the new school is made.
She said she’s thrilled for the students who will be able to have a chance to take advantage of what it has to offer.
“We’re just so happy and really, really, really excited about having it here,”Robinson said.“I just want to thank everybody who took part in getting this program here because I think that so many students are going to benefit from this.”
Tourism Minister Bill Fraser, who is also the MLA for Miramichi, credited the community wide effort for helping make Sistema in Miramichi a possibility.
He admitted that when he sat down with Mayor Gerry Cormier and city manager Mike Noel for a meeting with MacLeod recently, none of them had much of an idea of what the program was about.
By the end of MacLeod’s presentation, Fraser said there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
“Sistema is a proven program designed to inspire children and youth to achieve their full potential and to acquire the values they need to grow and to have a positive impact on society,” Fraser said. “The expansion into Miramichi is the result of the work of leading residents in the region who urged the orchestra to make the community a priority.”
