New Brunswick

Sistema music program coming to Miramichi

The Sistema after-school music program is expanding to Miramichi. The music lessons, which will begin in January, will be held at St. Andrews Elementary, and the new Miramichi East school when it is built.

After-school music classes will begin in January

Sistema offers music lessons five days a week after school hours.

The Sistema after-school music program is expanding to Miramichi.

The music lessons, which will begin in January, are funded in part by the province of New Brunswick and by community partners.

Charlene Robinson, the principal at St. Andrews Elementary School, said Sistema will have a great impact on the area's children.

"It helps them in all academic areas," explained Robinson.

"It helps them with their math, with the music notes, it helps them with their literacy in reading the music notes, as well as the words. It helps them all around, especially with social aspects."

Three hour-long sessions, five-days-a-week will be held at St. Andrews, and eventually at the Miramichi East school when it is built.

Sistema Miramichi will be a string program featuring violin, viola, cello, and bass instruction.

Organizers expect to grow the initial thirty-person orchestra to seventy-five.

The Miramichi program will be the sixth in New Brunswick.

Sistema is already providing lessons in Moncton, Saint John, Richibucto, Tobique First Nation, and Edmundston.