This Canada day I was I hoping that I can always be proud of our country and how we treat people.  This year with the apology and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee things took a step in the right direction and I’m grateful for that.

I’m happy to see some amazing growth in ArtsCan Circle with the coming of spring and summer.  Carol Teal is our new Executive Director and with the generous Trillium Grant we are getting ready to finally be able to reach more communities more often.

We really need volunteers at every level to help us step up to these new challenges so if you have ever thought about getting involved now is a great time.

Thanks for continuing to be interested in what we do.

Mike

It's a real privilege to work with the ArtsCan Circle Board of Directors, members and great volunteers and an honour to travel to these remote communities.  Please feel free to contact me anytime regarding the work of ArtsCan Circle.  I love hearing from all our supporters and look forward to continuing our relationships as we build the organization and expand our programs to reach more Aboriginal youth.  If you'd like to volunteer and be more involved please contact me.  We have many and varied tasks to match to your skills and expertise!

Thanks for your support.

Carol Teal

Executive Director

carol.teal@sympatico.ca

Pikangikum’s huge school building burned to the ground last spring.  It was nothing short of a miracle that the students were back in school by December in 17 portable buildings on the site where the old school was.  Most portables had 2 classrooms and were hooked to running water and sewer systems.  Two larger buildings had about 6 classrooms each.  They are still lacking a gym or any large gathering area.  We held our community concert in the large central hallway of one of the bigger portable buildings.  A new school is to be built but has not been started yet.

Pikangikum Photo:  The red roofs and two large white roofs are the new current school buildings.  Truly an amazing construction feat in a short time.

This trip we took a computer based recording studio with us and Mike and Brian set it up and trained the music teachers how to use it.  They were very excited to have the recording studio equipment to use and plan to incorporate it into the music curriculum this spring and next year.

We held many mask-making workshops and songwriting workshops for a variety of ages.  The kids showed their creativity to be in fine form in all the activities, participated eagerly and were proud of their creations.  A highlight for me was hearing kids singing songs on the playground that they had written with me earlier in their classes. 

On Thursday night we had a community concert with a packed house of parents, kids and teachers.  Students from each of the songwriting workshops overcame their shyness and came up to help sing the songs they had written.  Other kids performed their own original music and enjoyed jamming with Mike and Alex, the music teacher.  It was a great night of celebration and a good time was had by all.  Thanks to the teaching staff for being so supportive and the students for sharing all their great ideas and enthusiasm with us.  

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Mike & Alex (music teacher) jam with students

The songwriters perform their creations with Carol

The sixth grade class had fun teaching Carol a few words in Ojibwe.  Here's one of their songs:          

My Anamosh  -  6^th grade class

Chorus:  I'm sad, so sad that my dog died.   
             I'm sad, so sad, every night I cry.

  1) Oh, my anamosh (dog)
      My poor boshes (cat)
      They went into the woods
      And got eaten by bears and sasquatch     Chorus:     


2) I will get a makaki  (frog)
    Or catch a waboose (rabbit)    
    They could all be my pets
    'Til I let them loose                  Chorus:

Carol Teal, Richard Knechtel, Marty Hamer & Randy Cameron

This was the first time any of this team had visited Mishkeegogamang but they welcomed us with open arms from the legacy of previous ArtsCan Circle visits.  The area is very beautiful with many lakes.  The Missabay School which is fairly new, was one of the most beautiful schools we have seen.  It sits on the shore of a lovely lake and is kept in a pristine condition by the dedicated custodial staff.

Students show off their "windsock" creations 

7th graders making rainsticks with Randy & Marty

Box Guitar Band jams

The 8^th graders each built a box guitar and had fun jamming at our closing concert. Richard engaged the kids with magic tricks everywhere we went in school and the community.  He sure can draw a crowd.

The highlight of my week was the third graders seeking me out to practice the song they had written in the song writing workshop.  All about "Love" it’s a lovely tune.  They all copied it off the board into their notebooks so I expect they are singing it still.  What a great bunch of kids!

Love - by the third grade class 

Thanks to all the folks who donated AeroPlan Airmiles during our May campaign.  Our goal was 100,00 Airmiles and we far surpassed that with a grand total of 201,111 AeroPlan Miles donated!!  That will get two teams to Labrador or three trips to Northern Ontario!  Our sincere thanks and celebrations!  Way to go!

Musical instruments truly are "instrumental" to our programs as we continue to take instruments to every community we visit to build a lending library of instruments for the youth there.  Our sincere thanks to everyone who has donated an instrument in the past few months.  We wish we could thank you all personally but we will promise to get your instruments to communities that can use them!  Thanks to the Parent Advisory Committe on the Arts at the Ottawa Public School Board for again passing on some instruments donated during their annual instrument drive.  All your gifts will help give youth a chance to learn to make music of their own

More thanks go to all the musicians, hosts, venues, organizers, volunteers and audiences who donated their time and energy to create a successful series of House concerts and other benefit concerts through the winter and spring months.  Not only did you help raise funds to support the work of ArtsCan Circle but you all helped build community by getting folks together to work and play and celebrate.  Together the concerts raised over $8,500.00.  Thanks to everyone involved!

Summer is my favourite time of year partly due to the weather but also because of the fun of attending summer music festivals!  ArtsCan Circle is pleased to have a booth this year at the Mariposa Festival in Orillia July 4 - 7 and the Ottawa Folk Festival in Ottawa August 15 - 17.  Please do stop by our booth as say hello if you're attending.  Enjoy the season!

Two of our long time board members have recently moved on to other tasks and challenges in their lives.  Our sincere appreciation goes to Laura Bird and Richard Knechtel for all the work they've done while serving on our Board of Directors.  We hope they will continue to be involved in the work of ArtsCan Circle and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

ArtsCan Circle gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council.