DEH CHO - Six years after being created and five years after being officially incorporated as a society, the Kole Crook Fiddle Association is continuing to dream big.

If the association has its way, someday there will be a group of youth fiddlers led by a local fiddler in every community in the Northwest Territories, said Gerda Hazenberg, who's on the association's board of directors.

Teachers at the recent Kole Crook Fiddle Jamboree in Fort Simpson included from left, Gordon Stobbe, Jaime Rokeby-Thomas, Trish Claire-Peck, Helen Edgar, Linda Dufford and Andrea Bettger. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The movement towards that goal is already well underway with fiddle chapters established or developing in 11 communities.

The initiative that's leading this progress is the association's itinerant teacher program.

The program has been running for approximately three years and was developed soon after the association was formed. It started as a way to get more instructors into the communities, said Hazenberg.

Through the program, instructors from the North and the rest of Canada were hired to visit Northern communities and provide fiddle lessons. Wrigley and Fort Smith were the first communities to be visited, followed by Fort Providence.

In each community that receives lessons, the association works to establish a fiddler who is able to lead the group between visits from the professional instructors, said Hazenberg.

"The aim of Kole Crook is to build leaders and build communities," she said.

Communities that have been reached by the program so far include Behchoko, Fort Providence, Kakisa, Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Fort Good Hope and Hay River.

Teachers travel to communities at three set times in the year - October, January and the beginning of April or late March. These times were chosen because they fit into the school years, said Hazenberg.

The program has continued to grow along with the society. While the dates are set, the association is redefining how many teachers travel, said Hazenberg.

Originally one set of teachers travelled each month. This month for the first time three sets of teachers travelled around the territory both before and after teaching at the Kole Crook Fiddle Association's Jamboree that was held in Fort Simpson from Jan. 18 to 20.

During the latest round of visits, instructor Jaime Rokeby-Thomas along with Trish Claire-Peck were invited to Inuvik. Rokeby-Thomas also visited Tulita, Fort Good Hope and Yellowknife during her tour.

Before arriving at the camp, instructor Gordon Stobbe spent time teaching in Wrigley while Helen Edgar taught in Behchoko followed by Jean Marie River, Fort Providence and Fort Smith.

In addition to the instructors from the south, fiddle teacher Andrea Bettger in Hay River follows her own itinerant program throughout the year that is sponsored by the association. Her communities include Fort Resolution, Fort Providence and Kakisa.

The itinerant teacher program is raising interest outside of the territory.

"A lot of fiddle teachers down south want to get in on what's happening up here," said Hazenberg.

Working with the program is great, said Jaime Rokeby-Thomas, who's from Salt Spring Island, B.C.

With the program you can go and follow up with the communities. Because the students know you're coming back they keep practising, said Rokeby-Thomas.

Interest in fiddling has been high in all of the 10 Northern communities Rokeby-Thomas has visited. From the smallest students up to big teenage guys, all of the youth want to pick up the instrument, she said.

"They're completely entranced by the fiddle," she said.

Rokeby-Thomas said she thinks the interest can be explained by a love of the sound of the fiddle and the fact it's ingrained in the culture of the North.

No matter what the reasons, seeing the association grow and young fiddlers develop is very rewarding, said Hazenberg.

The association has plans to reach more youth by visiting Fort Liard and also reaching into Lutsel K'e and Nahanni Butte in the near future. In the communities of Tulita and Fort Good Hope, where teachers have already travelled, the goal is to establish a core group of fiddlers, said Hazenberg.

In the short term, the association is working towards their summer camp that will take place from July 7 to 11 on the Hay River Reserve. With an anticipated attendance of 70 fiddlers, the camp is set to be the largest yet, topping last year's that had around 50 participants, Hazenberg said.