Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 07/00) - It's their turn now. The students who make up the Sir John Franklin high school orchestra and choir will travel to Toronto in May to visit students of the Oakwood Collegiate music program.

In January 1998, Sir John's principal Mieke Cameron received an unexpected phone call from a parent of an Oakwood music student in Toronto. The voice at the other end of the phone said they wanted to come to Yellowknife.

"It just came out of nowhere. They were already fund-raising like crazy. To me it was such an exciting opportunity for our students to see music being done as an experienced orchestra and choir from Toronto could do it, to be exposed to that," says Cameron.

"And because we were just beginning to build a band at Sir John, I was very clear with them that ours was just a beginning band. They had no problem with that. In fact, they immediately offered to do master classes, so that became part of what Oakwood did in Yellowknife. They taught our students. Our students played with them, worked with them, jammed with them."

Cameron adds that the cultural component was just as important as the music proper. During their May visit, in excess of 70 music students from Oakwood -- a school renown in Toronto for its high-calibre music program -- and 20 Yellowknife students travelled to Rae-Edzo, instruments and all.

The Chief Jimmy Bruneau Drummers played for their guests. In turn, the visitors played for the hosts. It was an extraordinarily moving experience to witness the exchange of music on such a grand scale; to see Canadian youth, who live thousands of miles apart, come together and share their music.

"We're very, very hopeful, also, to travel with the Chief Jimmy Bruneau Drummers and Dancers. If that happens, the talents of the Chief Jimmy Bruneau Drummers and Dancers will be integrated with the talents of our students and they're hopefully going to be able to do a production number together," says Cameron.

Last year, Ryan MacLeod was the band teacher. This year, well-known Yellowknife music teacher/musician Bill Gilday will lead the students. And a new, fledgling choir of 20 will join the 20-member orchestra

"We're very, very excited that he's building a choir in our school -- that there's going to be a choir as well as a band travelling to Toronto. He intends to write some original music, too, that will be appropriate to the level and skills and talents that there are in our school," sheexplains.

Cameron also lists some of the activities planned during the Toronto visit.

"A series of performances with the Oakwood Collegiate orchestra and choir. Once again we'll have master classes with the Oakwood students for the benefit of our Yellowknife students. There will be an exchange concert for the general public in Toronto."

As a possible bonus, which will depend on funding, Cameron hopes her students will be able to travel to Toronto via Iqaluit, where MacLeod has started a band program. The hope is that the two bands can perform together.

For Cameron, this has been a gratifying experience.

"What I've seen already with our young band students, after they had practised with Oakwood and after they had gone through the jam session particularly, was what an incredible confidence booster it was. You could just tell by the way they held their instruments, the way they performed.

"I think the advantage here is to be with many other students who are in the same way committed and to see the joy of playing music together, to hear the pure sound that can be created. It was very inspiring."