WHITEHORSE, Yukon-Indigenous students in Whitehorse are enjoying a new program that they, themselves, drive-instead of adults.
A new music program that lets students guide their lessons is offering a pressure-free way for Indigenous youth to engage with music classes. The New Music Education North runs four nights a week out of the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse.
The after-school classes are free with transportation and meals provided. The instructors, some of the territory's most-recognized musicians, follow the students' lead on what they want to learn. For instance, one preteen has been writing, recording, and mixing her own songs on an iPad with the help of the music instructor-pursuing the interests that appeal to her. Other students, such as the Fiddleheads violinists, participate in the museum's offerings-such as playing for square dances.
The program was developed by Andy Slade, an award-winning pianist who has toured extensively, taking his compositions to festivals such as the TD Victoria International Jazz Festival, Nanjing, China's International Jazz and World Music Festival, and Tajin, Mexico's Summit Festival. He has also performed nationally and internationally with his jazz project Slade Quintet, as well as with the Toronto Concert Orchestra, and has participated in many other projects ranging in genre from pop to hip-hop to folk and roots. Since moving to Whitehorse from Toronto, the passionate educator has immersed himself in the Yukon's music scene.
"I noticed there was a real gap in terms of kids' access to education, so I started the program," Slade said. "It's the most rewarding work I've ever done in my life. It's astonishing."
Sarah Hamilton, a folk musician and program instructor, said the student-directed teaching philosophy they use lets kids explore their passions. "The main thing is that they are always coming to us because there's no pressure to learn a specific thing, and so they come with what it is that they're actually passionate about," Hamilton told CBC News. "It really works well for the students."
The program is currently set to continue until May, but organizers say they hope they can continue it beyond the spring. The program is currently funded with a grant from the federal program, Jordan's Principle.
Jordan's Principle is named for Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, whose death brought about change in the way governments take responsibility for funding the needs of First Nations children, including services related to health, culture, recreation, education and social supports. Since 2016, funds paid out under Jordan's Principle amount to more than $3.5 billion.
