Topic: ARTS

“Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams. Don’t give up on what you’re trying to achieve in life. You know, ya’ got big obstacles. All kindsa’ obstacles. But, as long as you keep the end result in mind, it can happen. It will happen.”

Pursuing passion. This is what fills singer/songwriter Armond Duck Chief’s entire life. “You just have to believe in yourself, and your abilities.”

Armond Duck Chief ~ “You just have to believe in yourself, and your abilities.”

Beginning to dabble around with the guitar at the age of 25, the artist has devoted fifteen-years to his already successful career in music. “With music,” he says. “I’ll take it as far as I can.” So far, he’s brought the air-waves two albums: Country Groove (2011) and The One (2014). His most recent album just received a 2015 Indigenous Music Award this past September for Best Country CD, as well as Best Indigenous Songwriter for his single of the same name “The One.”

Growing up on the rolling prairies of Siksika Nation, Duck Chief cultured an admiration for the roots of country-music at a young age. Twang filled his childhood homes. His aunts and uncles would play for him the likes of Waylon Jenning’s, George Jones, Hank Williams, and all of those timeless country classics.

“It’s what I grew up on, those old classics. I like the fiddle. I like the steel guitar,” he smiles. “It turned into something I really wanted to mimic, so that’s why I kept those instruments in my own stuff.”

Within the contours of his albums Country Groove and The One, Duck Chief ventures through the roots of classical-country. From swift-handed piano-key reveries to the strum’n’slide of fiddle strings, the bands compositional prowess completes Duck Chief’s self-written verses. The culmination is two collections of meaningful, put-on-repeat ballads that would make the likes of Jenning’s, Jones, and Williams proud.

“Country songs. They tell stories. I mean, I like all kinds of music; my iPod is full of all kindsa’ different genres. But country – well, it’s always country that kinda’ soothes my soul.”

I asked him about when he first started writing music.

“Before I started writing music, I was into pow-wow. My drum group and I, we did a lot of singing. We’d hit the road singin’ pow-wow songs on down the pow-wow trail. So, that kind of consumed my teenage years. And then I got into rodeo when I was 25.”

“When I first wrote a song ever, well, that was ‘Gold Buckle Dreams.’ At the time [the crew and I] were travelling all over the place rodeo-ing.”

“The timing and everything was there. One night, I just picked up the guitar and, you know, I got really into it. Writing songs,” he pauses. “And, you know, once I picked up the guitar and really applied myself, it was a lotta’ fun.” Having mastered the vocal-chord stretches found within powwow hymns, switching to a different style of music was easy for him.

“So I wrote ‘Gold Buckle Dreams,’ and it was just from what was going on at that particular moment in my life. From there, you know, I have written songs about loved ones that have passed on, and those are really LIFE songs. And then there’s the other songs that I’ve written, and a lot of them are, you know, songs I figured would sound good on a CD or in a bar, or somewhere like that. When I’m making music, I’m kinda’ just trying to pull something together.”

Earning him Best Indigenous Songwriter of the year, his most recent single “The One” much like “Country Groove” gears itself towards receiving radio play. The song opens with a single electric riff that prairie-plucks its way through the rest of the composition’s simplistic instrumentation. From here, the melody is carried by the concise syllabic flow Duck Chief incorporates within his lyrics, and it really does melt in your ears. While the three-minute radio-friendly track is not exactly profound, it’s an expression of loving life, pursuing love, and living his passion. For Duck Chief, he’s taking this passion as far as he can.

“With music? I’ll take it as far as I can. With rodeo? I’ll take it as far as I can. Whatever comes at me after that? I’ll take it in stride and see what I can do with it. For now, I’m really liking this music stuff.”

Interested in seeing how far Duck Chief will take his music? Keep yourself posted on his website www.armondduckchief.ca or via Facebook. His songs are available through these links, and they can also be purchased on iTunes.

Best Country CD – Winner and Nominees

Armond Duck Chief | The One- Siksika, Ab (Winner)

Bob E. Lee West | The Tree- Beausejour, Mb

Jody Thomas Gaskin | Born On The Rezz- Winnipeg, Mb

Kimberley Dawn | Til The Cowboys Come Home- Winnipeg, Mb

Thelma Cheechoo | Stay- Yellowknife, Nwt

Best Indigenous Songwriter – Winner and Nominees

Armond Duck Chief | The One- Siksika, Ab (Winner)

Jason Burnstick & Nadine L’hirondelle | My Headstart Preschool- Peachlan, Bc

Joseph Strider | Seven Arrows- Colubia, Pennsylvania

Lightning Cloud | Meet Me At The Pow Wow- Studio City, California

Tomson Highway | Taansi, Nimiss- Gatineau, Qc

Will Belcourt And The Hollywood Indians | Burn It Down- Edmonton, Ab

Indspire, the largest non-governmental funder of Indigenous education, announced today the names of 14 outstanding Indigenous Canadians who have been selected as recipients of the2016 Indspire Awards: Celebrating Indigenous Achievement.

“The 2016 Indspire Awards recipients personify the successes Indigenous people have achieved and the significant impact we have made in all areas of life in Canada,” said Roberta L. Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire and Executive Producer of the Indspire Awards. “We also salute the future, through our three youth recipients, each of whom serves as a role model, inspiring young Indigenous people across the country.”

The 2016 Indspire Awards gala will be held on February 12, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. For tickets, please call 416.987.0250 or 1.855.INDSPIRE (463.7747) x228. Tickets can also be purchased online at indspire.ca/tickets or by emailing ticketsales@indspire.ca.

Indspire is an Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

The gala ceremony will air at a later date on Global Television and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), the returning exclusive broadcast partners.

Indspire gratefully acknowledges the support of CIBC as Presenting Corporate Sponsor and Shell Canada Ltd. as Indigenous Youth Sponsor of the 2016 Indspire Awards.

“CIBC has been proud to be the presenting corporate sponsor of the Indspire Awards since their inception to celebrate the significant contributions of Indigenous people,” says Victor Dodig, President and CEO, CIBC. “On behalf of our team at CIBC, congratulations to this year’s recipients, who are an inspiration to us all and incredible role models for Indigenous youth.”

The Indspire Awards, the highest honour bestowed by Indigenous people on their own achievers, have celebrated the significant contributions of Indigenous people in Canada for 23 years. The Indspire Awards recognize the success of individuals who have the discipline, drive, and determination to set high standards and accomplish their goals. They promote self-esteem and pride for the Indigenous community and provide outstanding role models for Indigenous youth.

The jury for the Indspire Awards is composed of previous Award recipients, representing a range of sectors and regions across the country. From hundreds of nominations, the jury selects ten career achievement award recipients, three youth award recipients (First Nation, Inuit and Métis), and one lifetime achievement recipient. The jury process is based on the highest standards of fairness, honesty, and respect to all of the highly deserving nominees.

The 2016 Indspire Awards recipients are as follows:

Lifetime Achievement: Chief Robert Joseph – Gwawaaenuk First Nation – BC
Arts: Joseph Boyden – Métis – Ontario
Business and Commerce: Clint Davis – Inuit – Nunatsiavut
Culture, Heritage, & Spirituality: Elder Mae Louise Campbell – Ojibwa/Saulteaux – Manitoba
Culture, Heritage, & Spirituality: Chief Jim Ochiese – Foothills Ojibway First Nation – Alberta
Education: Jo-Ann Episkenew – Métis – Saskatchewan
Health: Pat Mandy – Mississaugas of the New Credit – Ontario
Law and Justice: Mark Stevenson – Métis – British Columbia
Politics: Michael Kanentankeron Mitchell – Mohawk – Ontario
Public Service: Leonard George – Tsleil-waututh Nation – British Columbia
Sports: Carey Price – Ulkatcho First Nation – British Columbia
Youth – First Nation: Christian Kowalchuk – Big Stone Cree Nation – Alberta
Youth – Inuit: Laura Arngna’naaq – Baker Lake, Nunavut
Youth – Métis: Zondra Roy – Saskatchewan

2016 Indspire Awards supporters include:

Presenting Corporate Sponsor: CIBC
Lead Partner: Government of Canada
Indigenous Youth Sponsor: Shell Canada Limited
Major Sponsor: Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Frog Lake Energy Resources Corp., Shaw Media, Suncor Energy Inc., Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Tucarro Inc. Group of Companies
Official Airline: Air Canada
Pre-gala Reception Sponsor: Teck Resources Limited
Host Hotel: The Westin Bayshore

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet returns to Toronto with its highly acclaimed production, Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation, a unique ballet that represents the many stories, both told and untold, by survivors of the Indian Residential School system.

This powerful ballet will be performed at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m., February 5 and 6. Tickets go on sale on August 12. For tickets and information, visit ticketmaster.ca or call the Sony Centre box office at 1-855-872-7669.

Cited quite possibly as “the most important work in its 75-year history” (Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press) Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation is a labour of love and passion; a risk-taking venture into unknown, unfamiliar and troubled territory.

“Ultimately this ballet is RWB’s expression of reconciliation,” shares RWB Artistic Director André Lewis. “We hope that through this work, we would be able to help open dialogues, recognition and understanding about the history and legacy of this part of Canada’s history.”

The ballet explores the world of Annie, a young, urban First Nations woman adrift in a contemporary life of youthful excess. Annie feels strangely disconnected within her superficial loop. But when she meets Gordon, a longhaired trickster disguised as a homeless man, she’s propelled into a world she’s always sensed but never seen. Together, they travel the streets of this world but also the roads of their ancestors. Together, both Annie and Gordon learn that without truth, there is no reconciliation.

Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation is choreographed by Mark Godden (Angels In The Architecture, Dame Aux Fruits, Sheperd’s Wake, Dracula), in collaboration with acclaimed author Joseph Boyden (The Orenda, Three Day Road), associate producer Tina Keeper and with the guidance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and members of the Aboriginal community. The creative team also includes Canadian multimedia artist KC Adams, accomplished costume designer Paul Daigle, lighting design by Paul Lavoie and projection design by Sean Nieuwenhuis. The unique soundtrack was created by Juno Award-winning composer Christos Hatzis and features the music of Polaris Prize-winning Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Steve Wood and the Northern Cree Singers and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The show was inspired by the late elder Mary Richard.

The 2015 Calgary Stampede was as busy as usual, enduring only a couple of rainstorms and a hailstorm over a ten-day span of blue-skies, giving the annual ingestion of sun-soaking rodeo enthusiasts a feel of pure Albertan weather. Of course, the Stampede attracts more than just cowboys and cowgirls. There are the full-house families that come to experience the heart of the west. There are music lovers that come to experience artists gracing various stages. There are visitors who love to indulge in the food, frequent the beer gardens, or test their gaming skills and get their fill of adrenaline at the midway. The international people, the local people—there’s thousands.

The Calgary Stampede Indian Village has participated since 1912. Five Treaty Seven First nations who camp together for the 10 day event include: Siksika, Kainai, Peigan, Tsuu Tina, and Nakoda. Photo Credit Kelly Many Guns

With the ability to attract such a wide-range of individuals, the Stampede is the perfect place to teach visitors about the culture that pumps through the heart of the west. For First Nations Drum, the most important of these teachings were provided by the Indian Village.

“For the general public, we are trying to give them an understanding of who we are,” says Gerald Sitting Eagle. Being an annual camper for the past thirty-five years, Sitting Eagle contributes his passion for Blackfoot culture by sharing it with those that give an ear to listen and learn. “With the Stampede, they allow us to teach what goes into a tipi and how to set up a tipi. And then we get to how to make and set up a fire, and how to cut and make dry meat,” he smiles. “We don’t share anything spiritual, but we do teach spectators about our traditions. So we don’t display any of our spiritual dances. Rather, we have a showcase of what you would see at any contemporary pow-wow,” says Sitting Eagle.

The Indian Village has many attractions and events throughout the course of a day. In the morning, the campers and interpretive representatives smudge in preparation for the energy that brims throughout the area. From there, interpreters begin hanging meat that dries over a hand-sparked fire, and elders join in to make traditional Saskatoon pemmican and bannock (on-a-stick).

Photo Credit Kelly Many Guns

The Indian Village offers a plethora of in-depth information from the campers and interpreters inside the village. “I always thank the Stampede board for the opportunity they have given us,” says camper Laura Sitting Eagle, wife of Gerald Sitting Eagle. “This is my way of teaching the kids, because they are going to go teach their children about our culture, our way of life. About respect and humbleness. Because of this, our culture will thrive. The Stampede gives us that chance to teach.”

I asked Laura if she could teach me about the tipis and their designs. “There’s three main levels of the tipi,” she starts. “The top part, you see, that one,” she points at a tipi nearby, “has circles. Those represent stars, and because there is seven on this one, it represents the seven brothers, or the big-dipper. We call it the seven-brothers, though,” she smiles. “And, you see, some of them have lines. And this may represent a rainbows or clouds.”

I pointed at one tipi design that had more circles than any of the others, and Laura explained, “That one represents hail, and there are ones that even represent storms. All of these have their own stories, and it is all dependent on the story behind the design. These can come from dreams or real-life experience.”

“The bottom part, you see, some of them have hills.” Laura showed the half circle designs. “If you take a look at the hills on the Stoney tipis, you may notice some have diamonds or half-diamonds. These represent the mountains and the foothills. Some have straight lines, and this represents the prairies or grasslands. And then there are designs that represent rocks or sand or forests.” I looked around at all the tipis and realized that every tipi is unique to the landscape of a person’s homeland.

“So, you see,” Laura continued, “the top part of the tipi gears towards the heavens. I call it Father Heaven. And the bottom part, it all gears towards Mother Earth.” It’s beautiful.

“Half-way up the tipi, you can see spiritual animals connected to the owners, and all of those have different stories. In the back, some of the tipis have a kind of cross, and this represents a butterfly which protects the tipi holder.” Sitting Eagle continued to go into detail about the intricacies of the spiritual aspect of the tipis, which I cannot share with you due to respect for cultural protocols.

In addition to all the hands-on informative opportunities, the Indian Village also has their own food outlet that feeds thousands of Stampede attendees every day: The Bannock Booth. “We get a lot of international tourists that love our bannock,” says 13-year supervisor Ruby Eagle Child. The Bannock Booth offers bannock made daily by women that have turned the simple mixture of flour, water, and baking powder into an art.

“Cooking is not easy,” explains Eagle Child. “Especially when you are deep-frying it, because you always need to make sure that the inside is cooked. So here, we try to make them golden brown as we can. But it’s always the baking powder you have to be careful about. If you don’t put enough baking powder, it’ll come out just flat.”

The Bannock Booth sells everything from bannock burgers, the Indian Taco, bannock in bulk, moose-ears (which is bannock rolled in cinnamon sugar), and plain bannock with jam. “Our biggest seller is the plain cheeseburger,” she says. “You know why? Because we soak it in gravy. Oh, it’s awesome. And that’s what a lot of people come back for here.”

Veering from capitalistic interest when it comes to the operation of the Bannock Booth, head cook Cherita Many Bears says that she loves seeing all of people that come to the Stampede from across the globe. “We meet a lot of people from Europe and overseas, and it’s pretty cool! Sometimes, the tourists, they come up to the window and they just want to talk. So we talk about how we make the bannock and other things, and they are usually the ones that end up buying a bunch of bannock,” grins Many Bears. “The other day, a man came and bought two bannock burgers, and he came back a couple hours later and said, ‘These are the best burgers I have ever tasted!’ And then he wanted another,” a big smile comes across her face. “So I’m proud.”

In 2016, the Indian Village will move to a new location on the Calgary Stampede grounds for the first time since the mid 1970’s. Along the Elbow River, 16 acres are being transformed into a beautiful new inner city park and gathering place. It is also the new home for the Aboriginal peoples’ programming and Indian Village during the Calgary Stampede, across from the relocated Kids’ Midway and Agriculture Discovery Zone. Two large green spaces will invite people from youth campus and all over Calgary for inspiration, learning, and entertainment. A blessing ceremony is being planned for late September for the new park. Photo Credit Calgary Stampede

On the last day of the Stampede, the Indian Village took part in a closing ceremony paying their respects to the land that they have been using for well over a couple of decades. Despite the relationship that has been cultivated with the land, campers are optimistic about the move. “It’s going to be a bigger place. And, I know it’s going to be a beautiful place,” says Laura Sitting Eagle. “I can’t really say anything about how it’s going to be over there, but I’m trying to look at it as a positive move.”

Interested in checking out the innovation of the 2016 Indian Village? Mark your calendar for July 8th-17th next year, and come out and enjoy everything that the Calgary Stampede has to offer.

TORONTO – Playwright, poet and essayist, Daniel David Moses, is the 2015 recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award Created in 2012. This award celebrates the work of Aboriginal artists and arts leaders who have made significant contributions to the arts in Ontario. The $10,000 prize will be presented at an event this summer.

Playwright, poet, and essayist Daniel David Moses is the 2015 recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award.

The Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award also honours the next generation of artists: each year, the award recipient is invited to nominate an emerging Aboriginal artist to receive a $2,500 prize. Moses has selected actor, playwright and dramaturge Falen Johnson as this year’s emerging Aboriginal artist. Daniel David Moses hails from the Six Nations of the Grand River and lives in Kingston, Ontario. He has worked in the arts for more than three decades, first as a poet, and subsequently as a playwright, dramaturge, editor, essayist and artist-/playwright-/writer-in-residence.

In 2003, he joined the Department of Drama at Queen’s University as a Queen’s National Scholar. Daniel co-edited Oxford University Press’s, An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English, a founding text for the study of Canadian Indigenous literature. The fourth and 20th anniversary edition appeared in 2013. His 13 produced and/or published plays include Coyote City, The Dreaming Beauty and Almighty Voice and His Wife – the only Canadian work featured in The Norton Anthology of Drama, Volume Two (Second Edition). His most recent poetry collections are River Range (a CD with original music by David Deleary) and A Small Essay on the Largeness of Light and Other Poems. Daniel has worked with organizations as varied as Theatre Passe Muraille, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the University of British Columbia, the Sage Hill Writing Experience (Saskatoon, SK), Concordia University, the National Arts Centre’s English Theatre and the Institute for American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM). He has also served on the boards of the Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts, Native Earth Performing Arts, and the Playwrights Guild of Canada.

He holds an Honours BA in General Fine Arts from York University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.

“Daniel is very deserving of this prize,” noted the jury. “He is one of the key figures of Aboriginal theatre, both artistically and academically, and is developing an essential Indigenous archive. He is committed to telling the stories that created this country and is an advocate for Aboriginal culture.”

“We are delighted to recognize Daniel with this year’s Aboriginal Arts Award,” said Peter Caldwell, Director & CEO, Ontario Arts Council. “With his high standards and a long list of accomplishments, Daniel exemplifies the fine qualities that this award celebrates.”

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s summer exhibition showcases the work of one of the most important early artist alliances in Canada. 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. is on from May 9 to September 7, 2015.

Gathering informally in the early 1970s, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Alex Janvier, Carl Ray, and Joseph Sanchez officially incorporated their group as the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. (PNIAI) in February 1974. This “Group of Seven” was a groundbreaking cultural and political entity that self-organized to demand recognition as professional, contemporary artists. They challenged old constructs and stimulated a new way of thinking about contemporary First Nations people, their lives, and art.

Jackson Beardy, Nanabush Catches the Eagle, 1972, acrylic on board, 81.2 x 101.6 cm. Ermi Tano Collection. © Estate of Jackson Beardy. Photo credit: Don Hall

The exhibition draws on both private and public collections to bring together a variety of artworks including recently uncovered masterworks of the period that have not been accessible to the public for many years. The exhibition focuses exclusively on that crucial decade during which the seven artists were active as a group; exemplifying the range and diversity of work being produced by the PNIAI in the 1970s.

Alex Janvier, Daphne Odjig and Joseph Sanchez are all still practicing artists and were each interviewed about the group and their work for the Summer/Fall 2015 issue of McMichael Magazine. Below are quotes from those interviews:

“Do you feel the PNIAI was able to accomplish what it set out to?”

“Yes, there is more awareness of native arts, an inclusion in the Canadian art canon. The paintings of Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, and Alex Janvier are a legacy in the history of art in Canada, and the work of the rest of the group inspired others to follow suit, banding together and speaking in one voice. A spark was ignited during that time that still burns today.” (Joseph Sanchez in discussion with Rachel Weiner.)

“Do you see yourself continuing to paint for the foreseeable future?”

“As long as I can lift a brush and my eyes can see the colours, I’ll continue.”

“Are you able to describe how you feel when you’re painting?”

“I feel free. A free person. A free human being.” (Alex Janvier in discussion with Rachel Weiner.)

Alex Janvier, The August Sunrise, 1978, acrylic on paper, 39.3 x 55.7 cm. Courtesy of Janvier Gallery. © Alex Janvier. Photo credit: Don Hall

Jann L.M. Bailey wrote about Odjig’s interactions with the McMichaels as detailed in Robert McMichael’s book, One Man’s Obsession. When I first got in touch with Daphne Odjig in the 1970s, it was arranged that several of her canvases would be sent to Kleinburg so we could make a selection.

In a letter to McMichael dated April 21, 1975, Odjig specifies, “I have today sent four paintings for your selection. I appreciate the opportunity of having my work in the McMichael Canadian Collection.”

On May 5, 1975, McMichael wrote back to Odjig, indicating, “I want to thank you for sending the four fine paintings by you for our Collection. We have selected three for purchase by the Collection. I hope, possibly when the Gallery is opened, you might have an opportunity to visit the Collection. I would like very much to meet.”

In the final correspondence to Robert McMichael on May 12, 1975, Odjig wrote, “I would also like to meet you and tour the McMichael Collection.”

Odjig visited and kept in touch with the McMichaels, and over time they became good friends. It seems very fitting that the work that she and the others did with the Professional Native Artists Inc. during that same time period should now be exhibited at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

TORONTO, ONTARIO –Aboriginal leaders, youth, authors, artists, and members from local communities gathered at the Art Gallery of Ontario on June 9 to honour the winners of Historica Canada’s annual Aboriginal Arts & Stories contest.

Isaac Narciso Weber (age 27) of Toronto, Ontario won the first place senior award for his painting Spiritual Warrior.

Winners were selected from more than 500 submissions from across Canada. First place in the junior and senior writing categories went to Sunshine O’Donovan (14) of Merritt, British Columbia for her story, Hell’s Gate, and Shaelyn Johnston (28) of Burnaby, British Columbia, for her piece Anishinaabemowin. First place in the junior and senior arts categories went to Mary McPherson (18) of Thunder Bay, Ontario for her piece, Cross Assimilation and Isaac Narciso Weber (27) of Toronto, Ontario for his painting, Spiritual Warrior . The first place junior and senior category winners will also be honoured at the Governor General’s History Awards taking place in Ottawa in October. In the youngest age category, the Emerging Writer recipient was Cecil Montour (13) of Ohsweken, Ontario, and the Emerging Artist recipient was Xavier York (13) of Thompson, Manitoba.

Mary McPherson (age 18) of Thunder Bay, Ontario won the first place junior award for her piece Cross Assimilation.

Hosted by John Kim Bell – composer and community leader – the reception was attended by esteemed writers and artists from the Aboriginal Arts & Stories jury, including Drew Harden Taylor, Lee Maracle, Brian Maracle and Maxine Noel. The event also featured an exhibition of winning work and a special performance by Juno Award-winning duo, Digging Roots.

“As Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians seek to transform their relationship, the submissions from young Aboriginal artists and storytellers provide a unique insight into the perceptions, past and present realities of their peoples,” said Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada. “They give new appreciation and understanding of the heritage and culture of their ancestors and communities.”

Aboriginal Arts & Stories invites First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists (ages 11-29) to interpret an aspect of their culture and heritage through literary and visual arts for a chance to earn prizes and national recognition. A jury of accomplished Aboriginal authors, artists, and community leaders select the winning submissions.

Presented by Enbridge Inc., supporting sponsors include Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, TD Bank, Canada’s History, and Aboriginal Link.

Historica Canada is the country’s largest organization dedicated to enhancing awareness of Canada’s history and citizenship.

by Andre Morrisseau

Education has long been the outstanding barrier between Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and their equitable place at the table of prosperity in Canada today. The 2% cap on Aboriginal education funding put in place in 1996 has served to exacerbate a situation that see’s Aboriginal youth attending substandard schools with a lack of facilities that mainstream Canadian youth not only take for granted but demand.

The national game of ping pong played out between Federal and Provincial governments has served as the gray area that has led to a national crisis that gets a lot air play but a major lack of fair play.

Toronto based Artist Management and Independent Record Company Coalition Music started in 1991, whose current client roster includes Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan, Finger Eleven and others is using young people’s love of music to make a difference and keep Aboriginal youth in school.

From L to R: Taylor May, Shayne May, Ashley Buchholtz of U.S.S. and Kira Assiniwe working on “Drowning” in the Coalition Music Studios.

Within the renovated walls of a former convent in Toronto, Eric Lawrence and co-founder Rob Lanni built studios, rehearsal spaces, professional development and educational programs, and a performance space, in an effort to provide artists a place to create, learn and hone their skills.

Currently they are working with Wasse Abin High School (Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island) and Nbisiing High School (Nipissing First Nation, North Bay) bringing the unique TEMPO learning experience to Northern First Nations youth.

TEMPO is a registered charity started in 2013 delivering ‘The Music Business’ high school credit program working in partnership with school boards and Aboriginal communities locally and around the province, offering music business education and entrepreneurship programs at the high school level.

As with most of the arts, there’s a major gap between those having the skills and those with the ability to build a sustainable career. Unlike law, medicine or even athletics, there’s no clearly defined path to a career in the music business.

Artists need help. Tempo is fully committed to their education and professional long-term development. Everything they do is about helping artists help themselves.

The Music Business: Grade 12 interdisciplinary credit course, OSSD accredited (Ontario Secondary School Diploma). Course has 50% focus on creative elements like song writing, performance and recording, and 50% focus on general and music specific business concepts, like law and copyright, marketing, branding, and communications. Recommended for students with an interest in music or the music industry, who have some degree of past musical experience, (lessons or self-taught).

As a course feature, all students have an opportunity to record their original songs written in the course at Coalition Music.

Delivered through summer, night, and day school programming in collaboration with The Toronto District School Board’s Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts (day school) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s Continuing Education Department, (night and summer school). They have delivered over 18 semesters since 2011, with over 2,000 instructional and mentorship hours to date, and worked with over 540 youth since its inception.

In March, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne visited Coalition Music to tour the facility and to announce Coalition Music as a recent recipient of the Ontario Music Fund as well as recognizing the economic value and impact of the music sector.

The primary message their organizations actively communicate to artists, students, industry professionals, and all levels of government is that musicians/recording artists/songwriters are more than entertainers. They are starter companies, small businesses. They face the same challenges and obstacles as any other.

Aboriginal youth represent the fastest growing demographic in Canada today with more than 50% of the Aboriginal population being under the age of 25. Their challenges from education, suicide, isolation and systemic racism place them in a situation where hope is built into the hearts and minds of anyone with a love for music. Tempo offers an attractive avenue of creative expression that demands special nurturing and an understanding of who our Aboriginal peoples are unlocking the extraordinary talent that has graced the country with giants such as Buffy St. Marie, Tom Jackson, and Susan Aglukark to name just a few.

CMI and TEMPO are built on three pillars: Mentorship, Networking, and Collaboration. Coalition was already running their high school credit course program when they were approached by Rogers Media with access to funding specifically for diversity and asked if they had any way educationally to do that.

They had a previous relationship with the principal of the high school at Wassi Abin at Wikwemekon on Manitoulin Island and approached him about the TEMPO program they were already running in Toronto. They knew that if their high school had someone who could teach the kids they could put the whole package together so that it’s delivered as a credit course at their school.

It was through the great connectivity with Coalition Music and TEMPO that they would come up and visit and work with the students three times during the semester and then have them come to Toronto and work in their recording studio throughout the course of the semester. As a program, it is an accepted credit course for any high school student in Canada, outside of Metro Toronto, working as a perfect fit for Ontario and Canada’s often isolated Aboriginal students and schools.

Students also coordinate a culminating live music event in their respective communities to showcase the music they’ve written through performance and to implement the entrepreneurial and music industry knowledge they have accumulated over the course of the semester. In 2014, the Wasse Abin Music Business Class live music event called Rezfest (named by the kids at Wiki) sold out the local arena with over 400 community members in attendance.

The true excitement and accomplishment of the Coalition Music/TEMPO’s Music Business Program will be on display for the entire country to share when program participants sisters Shayne and Taylor May from Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin Island share their first released single “Drowning.”

The song was written as part of “The Music Business” program offered at their high school, in collaboration with Coalition Music and TEMPO. Ashley Buchholz, lead singer and guitarist of Toronto-based USS, produced Shayne and Taylor’s first commercial release after being given the opportunity to workshop with their class.

When Shayne and Taylor May hit the main stage at APTN’s Aboriginal Day Live and Celebration on June 20th in Winnipeg, a circle will have closed around their dreams as they share the optimism that creative education endeavours such as the work of Coalition Music, TEMPO, and their original programs can create and bring to life.

To hear the original song “Drowning” go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RdNWkSC1-Q