Joint PPBSO-BCPA Teachers Symposium - Well Attended

This symposium, which was a joint effort by the PPBSO and the BCPA, was held on Saturday November 1st. The streamed event was attended by over 100 teachers of pipes and drums from across Ontario and BC. It took place in Guelph, Ontario with the in-person attendees joined by many participants online.

The list of very informative presenters included Alexandra Duncan, former Chair of the Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust, who provided an excellent overview on the Scottish experience and the challenges of getting pipes and drums teaching into schools.

Mary Ann Fratia, who is a faculty member at the Oscar Peterson School of Music and who has had a long career in music education - with a specialty in teaching music educators, gave a riveting presentation on pedagogy in relation to teaching music. This presentation was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

The day ended with a panel made up of teachers and leaders from the PPBSO and the BCPA sharing and discussing experiences, successes and challenges.

Teachers Symposium Discussion Panel

There was a general consensus of the need to find ways to get more young people involved and also find ways to keep them engaged and ensure we continue to build on creating a welcoming climate for all. A lot of positive energy in the sessions is hopefully an indication of things to come.

Thanks to the Youth Development Committee Chair, Tyler Bridge along with Peter Aumonier, Trish Kirkwood, Elizabeth Sheridan, Shaunna Hilder, Jamie Alfred, Jamie Blacklock, Conor Cooper, Greg Bowen, Glenna MacKay-Johnstone, Jennifer McCullough and Taylor Page, who were all instrumental in making this a successful day.

A special thank you also to all the amazing speakers and presenters who provided a great variety of perspectives on "getting chanters and stick in hands".

Malkie Bow

President

PPBSO