OTTAWA—The National Arts Centre is delighted to announce that it has established a real-time, high-quality broadband videoconference link that will connect students at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit to the NAC’s Hexagon Studio.

The new link will allow the NAC to continue its relationship with Inuksuk High School students that began earlier this year as part of the NAC’s Music Alive program. That visit saw NAC Orchestra musicians work with young music students and collaborate with some of Nunavut’s most talented throat singers, choirs and musicians over the course of two memorable days in January.

“The experience made a huge impact on me,” said the NAC Orchestra’s Principal Trumpet Karen Donnelly. “The students in Iqaluit taught me a lot about passion and expression and commitment. I can’t wait to check in with them and hear their progress, and to keep working on music together via broadband. It’s the next best thing to being there. ”

Three broadband teaching sessions will take place next week:

Monday, April 23

3:15-4:15 p.m. – NAC Orchestra Principal Trumpet Karen Donnelly with trumpet students from Inuksuk High School

Tuesday, April 24

12:00-12:55 p.m. – NAC Orchestra Principal Clarinet Kimball Sykes with clarinet students from Inuksuk High School

3:20-4:20 p.m. – Music Alive Teaching Musician Greg Brown with elementary school students from the Iqaluit Fiddle Club

MUSIC ALIVE NUNAVUT

Created by the National Arts Centre, the Music Alive program in Nunavut was designed in consultation with local educators and community leaders and is supported by the Government of Nunavut, RBC Foundation and travel partner First Air. The program was founded to enhance music education in remote communities across Canada and has five goals:

 

• Music education for children and youth
• Music making in the community
• Building capacity among educators and teaching musicians
• Preserving and celebrating local culture
• Showcasing Northern artists

Music Alive teaching musicians come from diverse backgrounds. Many are classically trained orchestral players, while others specialize in songwriting, traditional aboriginal and Inuit music, or another musical genre.

THE NAC’S MUSIC ALIVE

Since Music Alive was launched in 2005, it has visited over 425 schools and reached more than 60,000 children.

The National Arts Centre plans to continue expanding Music Alive to other underserved parts of the country over the next few years. The program was founded in Alberta and Saskatchewan and was expanded to Nunavut two years ago. And beginning this year, Music Alive is also being piloted in Manitoba. 

THE NAC’S HEXAGON PROJECT

The NAC’s Hexagon project supports education outreach activities by leveraging next-generation networks like Canada’s CANARIE network (www.canarie.ca) and Internet2 (www.internet2.org) in the United States as well as regional high speed networks throughout the world. The NAC’s broadband infrastructure includes state-of-the-art optical network access in all its performance spaces as well as on-site videoconference and audio-video production facilities. Hexagon projects include tele-mentoring sessions with master teachers in music, theatre and dance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank the very generous corporations and individuals who support the NAC Music Alive Program in Nunavut including the RBC Foundation, First Air, The Government of Nunavut and The Government of Canada. In Nunavut our artistic partners include the Qaggiavuut Society, the Alianait Arts Festival and participating schools.

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Mary Gordon Communications, National Arts Centre Tel. 613-947-7000, ext. 849 Email: mary.gordon@nac-cna.ca