News
SHANNON MACLEOD - MIRAMICHI LEADER
It’s been nearly a month since more than three dozen elementary school students in Miramichi have begun their classical-music training and soon enough, they’ll be presented with their own instruments.
On Wednesday, Feb. 10 the students in the Sistema New Brunswick program in Miramichi will give their first performance at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Elementary School, located at 77 Chatham Ave. in Chatham.
Ken MacLeod, chief executive officer of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (NBYO) and the founder of Sistema NB, said in addition to their first performance, students will give up their paper instruments.
“In the beginning,all the children build an instrument out of cardboard and paper maché, they paint it really lively colours and the paper instruments are used as a teaching tool,” he said. “And they’re really looking forward to getting the real instruments.”
Since January 2016,34 students from St. Andrew’s Elementary School, Ian Baillie Primary School and Napan Elementary School have been active in the Miramichi Sistema NB program, which is operated through the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra.
Sistema NB is a program that offers elementary-school aged children training in classical music, free of charge. Students have access upwards of 15 hours of training on a weekly basis.
“At the beginning, students learn theory, the children start learning music notation, there’s a lot of singing and they do what we call paper orchestra,” Mac-Leod said.
MacLeod said while students have yet to play their actual instrument, instead this first event, the students will use their paper instruments.
“They’ll be singing, they’ve learned rhythms and music notations,” he said. “They’ll present those songs they’ve learned”
The Miramichi program is based out of St. Andrews Elementary School under the direction of Sistema NB instructors Carlos Armao, a native of Venezuela, and Emily Field, both of whom are graduates of the prestigious McGill University music program.
“The children have being working really hard for the past three weeks in preparation for their first Sistema concert,learning how to read rhythms and notes, making their very own paper instruments and preparing the songs they will be performing,”Armao said.
The instructor said every child uses their very own paper instrument, to create a sense of ownership and pride in them.
“And also gives a sense of discipline towards his or her instrument while building basic skills like how to handle the violin or viola properly and learning basic rhythms and sounds,”Armao said.
MacLeod said as the program develops, three other instructors will be brought in.
This year,Grade 1 and Grade 2 students are learning to play the viola and the violin.
“We want to start with kids at a young age, at as young of age as possible, all through the province. All the kids start with the strings in Grade 1 and 2”he said.
In years to come, other students will learn cello and double bass. So through the next four years,approximately 75 elementary school-aged children will make up a full-string orchestra.
“Next year we’ll add another instrument and the following year another to make up the full-string orchestra” he said.“Once kids have an instrument, they change instruments, they become a specialist on that instrument.”
While the students have yet to pick up an actual instrument within the Sistema NB program, MacLeod said these early stages are an important time to build a foundation.
“They’re learning to be attentive to the teacher, to respect their seat mates. They begin to learn teamwork and co-operation,” he said. “So they’re starting to learn these things that are really important for an orchestra to work effectively.”
In addition to learning these important aspects of being a part of an orchestra, MacLeod said the students learn things that can be applied to real life.
“They’re really important values to have to be successful in life, like focus, discipline, respect, teamwork, co-operation”he said.“So they’re learning these things through their work together as an ensemble.”
MacLeod said he sometimes thinks of an orchestra as the ultimate society.
“It has to co-operate with itself, it’s not ultimately competitive either, it’s co-operative,”MacLeod said.
“If there’s competition, it’s more personal, in terms of each person wanting to achieve their best, but it’s ultimately a co-operative effort to be successful”
MacLeod said the highlight Wednesday night will be students receiving their instruments.“They will also individually receive their real instrument for the first time, so parents will come, the community and partners and supporters will be there,” he said.“It’s an emotional meaningful moment for the kids.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the first concert and instrument presentation, and it’s free of charge. Since Sistema NB began, in 2009, typically for the instrument presentation night, MacLeod said families come out – parents, guardians, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles
– along with Sistema NB Partners, like the City of Miramichi, the Miramichi Big Brothers Big Sisters Boys and Girls Club, the District Education Council and other partners.
“But anyone is welcome to come, it’s great that theres community support behind the Sistema NB program and these kids, because that really contributes to the social development because they’re encouraged, they receive that support from the community and that all goes towards building confidence and self esteem”he said.
After trading in their paper instruments for real violins and violas, Mac-Leod said the paper instruments are kept as decorations. “Eventually they’ll take them home because they’re really nice pieces of art,”he said.
“They’re very creative and no two are the same because the children have the freedom to paint them and design them”
Armao said in Sistema NB,children are the VIPs, they are the champions.
“In only three weeks they have learned that they are becoming champions and what it means to be one, not only at Sistema (NB) but in their homes, at school,and in their communities,”Armao said. “Champions do the right thing, champions eat healthy, champions care and share. Sistema (NB) not only teaches them music but how to be a role model for the community.”
