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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When Bill Gilday was asked 13 years ago by Sir John Franklin High School's then principal Anne-Mieke Cameron to help rebuild the school's music program he didn't have much to work with.

Yellowknife musician and teacher Bill Gilday was inducted into the Education Hall of Fame on May 30 for his contributions to music programs in Yellowknife schools. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo

There was no concert band, no choir, and a jazz band of only six students.

By the time he retired he had essentially turned Sir John Franklin's music program into a mini-school of music. There were 50 students in the concert band, 30 in the choir and 18 in the jazz band when he left the school three years ago.

On May 30 he was recognized, along with Cameron, for his contributions when he was inducted into the NWT Education Hall of Fame.

"I felt honoured, I've worked with so many fine teachers that have been up here as long as I have, and that are equally deserving," said Gilday. "I don't know how they end up picking one person over the other."

"I think part of it is, as a music teacher, you're very visible and always at concerts and events, with your picture in the paper all the time."

He said that the award gave him the chance to address an issue he's long wanted to solve in the North - the lack of music programs in schools in the NWT's small communities.

Education Minister Jackson Lafferty was at the ceremony and Gilday addressed the issue to him in his speech.

"I said, I wouldn't mind being part of a working group to sit down and talk about how we can share the wealth with the rest of the territories and get more music programs," said Gilday.

Music programs can be very influential in young lives, he said. He has seen hundreds of students go through the program at Sir John Franklin and saw how it gave them a sense of fulfillment.

"Many of them have told me when they're in high school that music was their refuge," he said. "It was their one reason they liked to go to school, that's where they found friendship. It's a pity that there's hardly any of that going on in smaller communities in the NWT."

His suggestion was met with a huge round of applause and support from the audience.

He told Yellowknifer there is already an initiative in Canada that starts music programs in schools, which allow students to receive free music lessons a few hours a week after school, so it doesn't compete with ongoing school programs.

"It's a really neat model of making music available to kids who wouldn't otherwise have it," he said.

His idea would be to go to the communities and help find people who want to teach music, and train them to work with the students.

Aboriginal music would also play a large part, he said, adding he would search for aboriginal people who have time, want to make extra money and who like working with young people to teach them how to use primary instruments, such as the guitar and fiddle, as well as traditional music, such as drum songs.

It would give children in those communities a respite from boredom and, reduce crime and vandalism that happens in those villages and towns because of it.

Gilday said he plans to follow up with an e-mail to Minister Lafferty, and he really hopes they can work together to get something going.

When he's not figuring out how to bring music programs to the North, Gilday works as a substitute teacher.

In the summer, Gilday works as a fishing tour guide under contract with True North Safaris. He also has a contract with the school boards to fix broken musical instruments so long as they don't require welding, because he knows how difficult it is to get instrument repairs done quickly in the North.

Gilday and his wife have three children, and four grandchildren who live in Edmonton. He moved from the London, Ont., area and taught at Mildred Hall School for 16 years before transferring to Sir John Franklin.

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