Our nation鈥檚 history told through song in just one hour comes alive this week thanks to the voices of nearly 400 琉璃神社 students.
The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) and 脡cole Glenmore Elementary have teamed up for the production 鈥淗ow Canada Came to Be鈥� in celebration of Canada鈥檚 Sesquicentennial and the OSO鈥檚 annual Education Week.
This one interactive show took most of the school year to put together and is performed by the children who sing, dance, narrate and even fiddle Canadian stories.
Created nearly 10 years ago by educator Rhonda Draper, who won the Governor General鈥檚 Award for the production, the show helps students learn about culture, art and Canadian history.
鈥淚 was inspired to write 鈥楬ow Canada Came to Be鈥� because I wanted children to learn about their Canadian identity, to learn an overview of Canada鈥檚 history and to learn how to develop their singing voices through the folk music of their own country鈥�, says Draper.
Rosemary Thomson is OSO鈥檚 Music Director and says when heard Draper being interviewed on the radio several years ago she knew she had to work with her.
鈥淚 said to her we have to do this with the orchestra, so we did it in 2010 for our 50th anniversary for the orchestra and we thought because it is Canada鈥檚 150th birthday that it would be a great year to bring the show back,鈥� explained Thomson.
More than 20 members of OSO join the children for the event, which is held for students in 琉璃神社, Penticton and Vernon during the week of March 13-16.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a dry eye in the orchestra, they call cry during the show, they are so moved by it,鈥� said Thomson. 鈥淚t is so fun to see the kids blossom and when they hear the orchestra they just start to sing differently as well. So, it is a really beautiful partnership.鈥�
The partnership extends beyond the children and the orchestra, to UBC Okanagan鈥檚 campus after Faculty of Education recently joined on as part of a development project.
The three-year research project will explore how curriculum can draw students into the depth and complexity of learning across all subject matter. Funds to support this project are the result of the school receiving the honour of BC K-12 Innovation Partnership recognition and the university鈥檚 receipt of a Social Sciences Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant.
The 鈥淗ow Canada Came To Be鈥� public performance will take place in 琉璃神社 on Thursday, March 16 at 6 p.m. (doors open 5:00pm) at Evangel Church, 3261 Gordon Drive.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by phone at 250-763-7544 or
