The IGA is excited to learn of the outcomes of its recent grant to Labrador Straits Academy, entitled “Music and Fine Arts Initiative”.
This project enabled Ms. Adele Buckle, the Music Teacher at LSA, to purchase a digital piano and various other equipment to supplement music programming in the school. The Fine Arts Initiative centers around the musical and artistic talent found at Labrador Straits Academy. With assistance of the music equipment, students are able make cultural connections through exploring, creating and performing Newfoundland and Labrador music with their peers and community members. This process serves to develop, grow, and highlight Labrador culture for both those who actively participate in the project and those who observe and enjoy the anticipated outcome of this musical endeavor.
The instruments only arrived a few weeks ago, and with snow days and a week off for Easter holidays, students are only beginning to use the instruments and reap the benefits. Students are now practicing for Labrador Straits Academy’s Matinee Performance, which they anticipate putting off during the latter part of May or early part of June. Students with learning exceptionalities and those on Independent Educational Plans are also enthusiastic about learning music with the new keyboards and synthesizers.
The stage has been set up as an extension of the music room as a ‘percussion room’, where all the student keyboards and synthesizers have been set up. Using their own headphones, students can practice uninterrupted, giving them more quality learning time. The creation of the new ‘percussion room’ encourages students to move around more freely between the instruments, monitoring each other’s musical endeavors and progress. This has begun to foster an atmosphere of peer mentoring which is proving to be both beneficial to students and the instructor, as it frees the instructor to spend more time with students who need more one-on-one instruction.
As part of its Strategic Plan, the IGA has identified – arts and cultural disciplines, including music, dance, theatre, visual arts and new media, as well as traditional skills such as story-telling, crafts and other cultural values – all as areas of potential support and partnerships. This project falls very much in line with the IGA’s priorities, and the IGA is excited to see even more results from this endeavor.
