Moody middle school students are learning that a drum is not an inanimate object but a living thing that needs to be treated with respect - and even hugged to keep warm.
"Why don't we place a drum on the floor?" band teacher Alia Yeates asks her Grade 6 and 7 students.
"We don't want a lazy drum," Yeates says, answering her own question. "We want an active, strong, beautiful drum."
Sitting in a large circle, the students clasp their drums to their chests before they begin to play. Once the drums are warm, the students sing a welcome song; their voices start out soft as this is the first class of their day at the Port Moody school. But gradually, as they gain confidence, the students' voices ring out.
"Full voices, soft drum," Yeates says.
This is the second group of students participating in the pilot Indigenous Fine Arts Project (IFAP) at the school. It's a program, created by Yeates, a new teacher at the school, with the support of Aboriginal Education resource teacher Kirk Gummow and Sto:lo artist Carman McKay.
Yeates has been given special permission to teach a welcome song and a game song to her students and is using the opportunity to introduce the students to Coast Salish culture. The students have made a commitment blanket, which they hang before each class before giving thanks to the Coast Salish people who lived in the area. They also recite a commitment statement urging one another to show honour, effort, trustworthiness, commitment and empathy.
"It's something I've always been passionate about," said Yeates, who learned a lot about First Nations culture with people she worked with while a student at University of Victoria. "I wanted to teach students about a culture they wouldn't necessarily learn about and do it in a respectful and honourable way as much as I can.
"I love the music, I love the culture, I want to share it
Her students seem to enjoy the class and expressed a lot of enthusiasm about playing the drums and learning about the First Nations people.
"It's important to learn this because the Coast Salish were here first and it tells us about the history of our land and it shows us how the people lived," said student Brianne Falcioni.
"If you like music, you'd like this because it shows you different kind of drums," said classmate Adam Karse.
Approximately 120 students are taking part in the pilot program at the school and four will be selected to create their own traditional drum and play it at the Aboriginal Education department's honouring ceremony in late June.
Yeates' students will also get to play the drums and sing the songs they learned during a National Aboriginal Day event at the school on June 21.
dstrandberg@tricitynews.com
