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Student-directed music program helps Indigenous youth follow their passions

A new music program that lets students guide their lessons is offering a pressure-free way for Indigenous youth in Whitehorse to engage with music classes.

New Music Education North offers free music classes through Jordan's Principle funding

CBC News ·
An 11-year-old girl with a toque and long dark hair sits beside a woman who's pointing to something on a music lectern.
Erykah Cletheroe-Blackjack, left, is helping direct the music classes she takes with instructor Sarah Hamilton (right) through the New Music Education North program, held during the evenings at the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse. (George Maratos/CBC)

A new music program that lets students guide their lessons is offering a pressure-free way for Indigenous youth to engage with music classes.

Eleven-year-old Erykah Cletheroe-Blackjack, for example, has been writing, recording and mixing her own songs on an iPad, with the help of her instructors during the after-school program.

"It's really cool … and they helped make me feel really good. And it made me feel like it's another way of sharing my feelings," she said.

New Music Education North started in November and runs four nights per week out of the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse. Classes are taught by some of the territory's most recognized musicians.

A girl with long dark hair and a black toque sits beside an instrument stand, and looks off to the side with a half-smile on her face.
Erykah Cletheroe-Blackjack, an 11-year-old attending the New Music Education North program, says the music classes have helped her find a new way to express her feelings. (George Maratos/CBC)

"I noticed there was a real gap in terms of kids' access to education, so I started the program," said founder Andy Slade, who's also a pianist, composer and music teacher.

The program is funded with a grant from Jordan's Principle, a federal program that, in the Yukon, helps fund First Nations services related to health, culture, recreation, education and social supports. The classes are free, and meals and transportation are also provided.

"It's the most rewarding work I've ever done in my life. It's astonishing," Slade said.

A large man wearing a grey knit sweater with a big beard and glasses smiles for the camera.
Andy Slade, a pianist and composer in Whitehorse, says he founded the New Music Education North program to fill a gap in music education programming. (George Maratos/CBC)
A young girl with long dark hair, wearing a Super Mario T-shirt, sits in front of a keyboard.
Oceana Loblaw, 11, is learning to play piano through the free music classes offered by New Music Education North. (George Maratos/CBC)

Sarah Hamilton, a folk musician and program instructor, said the student-directed teaching philosophy they use lets kids explore their passions. 

"The main thing is that they are always coming to us because there's no pressure to learn a specific thing, and so they come with what it is that they're actually passionate about," she said.

"It really works well for the students."

A woman with a yellow knit sweater and strawberry blond hair and a flowery scarf smiles for the camera.
Sarah Hamilton, an instructor with New Music Education North, says she believes strongly in a student-directed approach to learning. (George Maratos/CBC)
A man and a child sit next to eachother in front of a keyboard and computer. The camera photo is from behind them, looking over their shoulder.
Andy Slade, founder and instructor at New Music Education North, teaches student Oceana Loblaw. (George Maratos/CBC)

Those running the program say they've seen a shift in the kids they're working with, in a matter of weeks. 

Gary Bailie, elder in residence of New Music Education North, who also produces the Blue Feather Music Festival, said the program is helping youth to express themselves.

"What I see here since we started is, when they come, they're kind of rather reserved and then they, you know, they get going," he said.

"I've just seen them really open up. I've seen that the progress is like, you know, really amazing."

The program is currently set to continue until May, but organizers say they hope they can continue it beyond the spring.

A man with long grey hair and a black jean jacket stands and smiles for the camera, the backdrop behind him is an airplane on display in a museum.
Gary Bailie, elder in residence for the New Music Education North program, says that "when you get around young people, it's like having a second or third childhood ... it's good energy." (George Maratos/CBC)

With files from George Maratos

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