This is the second in a series of articles profiling Coast musicians, teachers, and performing arts instructors by Gibsons guitarist/songwriter/music teacher Bonar. As the backup man for The Howling Cats (Emily and Ginny Cardinall and Rose Cardinall-Redfern) he realized that these young musicians were enriched by a spectrum of teachers – and access to this kind of talented mentorship is a special part of the Coast lifestyle.
A unique synergy is at work among the network of performing arts teachers on Canada’s Sunshine Coast. The result: a hothouse capable of nurturing the amazingly talented young people who live here and an outstanding place to raise kids if you value a performing arts education.
This issue, we focus on a cross-section of instructors in a variety of disciplines who focus on music and performance for younger students.
A well-known performer in her own right (most recently as a member of Definitely Divas,) Lynne Dickson is probably more recognizable to Coast parents as the founder of Music Makers – a music education program for children from 10 months to 6 years. Dickson takes a holistic approach to early music education, combining the Orff, Kodaly and Dalcroze methods of teaching music and movement to prepare her young charges for further musical pursuits. The pre-school programs at Music Makers Studio (www.music-makers.ca) are all now led by Sara Munson, Lynne’s daughter. It’s a family affair!
Lynne Dickson
Speaking with Lynne, one is struck by her incredible energy, enthusiasm and just plain joy. Lynne says, “It’s really cool here on the Coast. It is just an amazing community of exceptional performers. I think it must be a very high density (of performers) per capita. It’s incredible.” When I asked her about kids who work with other teachers, “Oh yes, we have several young students who are studying performing arts elsewhere. In fact we have a couple of five year olds – one studying drumming with Barry Taylor and one taking dance. I think it’s wonderful!”
“I think it’s beneficial for these children to work with a teacher who performs as well because then the teacher knows all about the feelings and concerns associated with performance and can really properly prepare the child for the performance experience.”
Like Lynne Dickson, Penny Hudson is so full of energy and enthusiasm and excitement that she seems to practically hum. The Dance Works Academy of Performing Arts (www.danceworksacademy.com) founder has been dancing, teaching, preparing students and teachers for examinations and has choreographed numerous award-winning performances over the past 40 years.
Penny agrees that “there are an awful lot of very talented performing arts teachers here. At the same time there is a kind of independent spirit which, in a way, is all right, but sometimes I wonder if it might be a kind of ‘protectionism’. I think a lot of people are worried about where their money is coming from so there is maybe a kind of defensiveness and that leads to less collaboration and less communication.”
I mention Steve K’s suggestion, reported last issue, that we need a centre for the performing arts and Penny’s eyes blaze. “We absolutely need a ‘Place des Arts,’ in fact what we really need is a proper school of the performing arts with a fully integrated academic program – that would allow us to really focus our efforts.” She goes on, “We are always able to find the funding for sports in conjunction with education but we should be just as willing to do that with the arts. And performing arts synergize with an academic education. In a performing arts school, when we study a historical period, we use that as a vehicle to go back in time and study the music, the dance, the arts of that particular period so that we develop an overall understanding of what the culture was like at that time an place. I think looking at social studies through the history of the culture is much more compelling for the students.”
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Dance Works’ new Musical Theatre Director, Laura-Jean Hogan, singles out Penny Hudson as one of the “incredible, wonderful” people working in the arts on the Sunshine Coast. “She tracked me down a few years ago and asked me to work with Dance Works in the voice and musical theater area, which I absolutely love. We tried things out and after that first year-end show I think we were both very happy and so our relationship really became cemented. Penny is fantastic and I am so appreciative that she has given me the opportunity to work with her students.”
Laura-Jean Hogan
“I am primarily a performing artist”, Laura-Jean says. “I teach to survive – as many performers do. But I have to say that I love children, I love teaching children and I am very inspired by my students.”
Laura-Jean’s voice program Have Voice Will Sing is offered through SCRD Parks and Recreation; she also offers private instruction and may be contacted at 604.886.7130 or by email at havevoicewillsing@yahoo.com
Vocal coach Nikki Weber echoed Penny Hudson’s thoughts on the state of arts in education. “On the Sunshine Coast we give no particular preference to the performing arts. There is great support for sports and different things, but not for fine art or for the performing arts. These programs have been almost completely removed from the schools, and as a community we don’t place any emphasis on this for our children’s education. And this is important. What is wrong with the Sunshine Coast that we don’t support it?”
She points out that an arts education “enriches the mind and all those wonderful things that everyone always mentions, but the main thing is this: the arts bring a balanced perspective and it broadens the mind and broadens how you see things and how you think of things like nothing else does. Why is this? Because the arts are international. If a performer from Finland comes here to perform, the language or the culture they come from is not a barrier because we share the same universal language: art. You can understand them through the music, for example, even though they come from somewhere else. Only the arts give us this.”
In an echo of Serena Eades’ comments last issue, Nikki points out that “There are not enough performing arts teachers on the Coast.” She notes “there are quite a few piano teachers and quite a few fiddlers, but how many classical violin teachers? (Classical violin) is very different from the Celtic fiddling, and it is important and we need it. How many woodwinds teachers? Only a few teaching voice. No, there are not enough and there are many gaps where we do not have enough people teaching.”
Living on the Sunshine Coast since 1980, Nikki Weber has assembled, coached and led a number of vocal groups who have appeared at virtually every venue available here. These days Nikki is often noted as one time vocal coach of Gibsons’ Canadian Idol contestant, Sarah Loverock. “I coached Sarah for 5 years, from age 9 to 14. She has a beautiful voice – a natural belter right from the beginning!” Nikki confides.
Nikki is doing less vocal coaching these days, but if you have a youngster who is passionate and dedicated, then you should call this living legend (604.740.0933) and have a chat. You never know, she might be persuaded to share a little magic!
about the author
Bonar is a guitarist, songwriter and music teacher who has made Gibsons his home for the past five years. He has performed in numerous settings with a wide variety of acts across Canada since the mid 1970’s. These days he is most often seen on the Coast backing up Emily and Ginny Cardinall and Rose Cardinall-Redfern, performing as The Howling Cats. He is currently working on production of a DVD of his original method for learning music called ‘The Six Rings’ and also teaches guitar and bass privately.
Find out more at myspace.com/bonar_songs or give him a call at 604.886.4893.
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