Back to school. Those words bring back so many memories and emotions.
When I think of ‘back to school,’ I think about reuniting with friends and shopping for stationery: picking out pens, a fresh pack of pencil crayons, the smell of a stack of new clean paper, binders and duo-tangs. I still want to go stationery shopping even 20 years later!
Along with such memories come others: the dread of essays hanging over my head or the project topic that still needs to be picked. I was, perhaps still am, a procrastinator.
What really saved me through school were the band room and the drama room. My friends and I would hang out there before and after school every day. That was where the fun, the laughing, joking, bonding, all went down.
I am so grateful for my time spent in the music room. I am amazed and concerned when I hear about schools now that don’t have either drama or music rooms. Where do kids, especially those who aren’t into sports, go for safe, fun guidance? Where do they learn how to get through those hard teenage years?
When I asked Arthur McGregor, owner of the Ottawa Folklore Centre, about this he suggested designating a room at the Centre specifically for youth programming.
“Part of the joy of music is knowing how many opportunities everyone has to find their music,” he said.
So many school boards have cut arts programming from their curricula. We feel strongly that music is a fundamental part of life. If youth can’t get it in school they need to be able to get it elsewhere.
The result of Arthur’s suggestion is a variety of youth group classes every day after school at the Centre: such as, Youth Folk Choir, Beginner Guitar for ages 10 -16, Beginner Fiddle for ages 8 – 14, African Percussion, a preteen ukulele club and an after school jam band.
The Ottawa Folklore Centre is in fact expanding its programming in early childhood classes, daytime classes (a ukulele ensemble class, a beginner uke class, and a senior folk rock band) and youth group lessons.
The Folklore Centre has always served as a hub for things musical. It will be especially so this September.
If you are interested in taking any class, check it out at www.ottawafolklore.com or call 613.730.2887.
Martha Cooper is the OFC’s Programming Director.
