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Wheaties'
ReportCards
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| "We have had The Wheat
in the Barley perform for our students on two occasions.
Our students range in age from 5 years to 13 years and come from many different
cultures. The Wheat in the Barley is able to personalize their music
to interest the diverse audience and cultural backgrounds. ... The
Wheat in the Barley gave us a superb musical and cultural performance.
We look forward to having them return to Douglas Park and we would highly
recommend them to other schools."
Wendy Johnson,
Principal
Douglas Park Community School
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| "The narration between songs
.... was informative and entertaining. The multitude of instruments, ...
played so expertly, gave us the pleasure of hearing a sampling of the many
traditional forms of music that make up Canada's cultural mosaic.
We at Fleetwood would welcome back any time The Wheat in the Barley."
Rod MacLeod, Principal
Fleetwood Elementary
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| "Your group's musical talents
and enthusiasm are contagious, and your selection of music for our age
of youngsters was perfect. ... The concert included the valuable
explanations of different instruments and different musical styles of a
great variety from around the world. This was particularly appreciated
by our multicultural student body."
Graham Mulligan
Principal, H.T. Thrift
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| "...the various tunes and songs
reflected the history brought to Canada through immigration. Through
their liveliness and feeling, we caught a glimpse of their influence on
our culture. We certainly feel that the presentation was not only
enjoyable but very worthwhile. We would definitely consider booking
The
Wheat in the Barley to play at our school again."
Ron Bergeron,Vice-Principal
Guildford Park
Secondary
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| "...The musicianship was outstanding
and the performance was entertaining, educational and suited to a variety
of ages. ... I would recommend The Wheat in the Barley to
both elementary and high schools."
Angelo Morelli,
Principal
Hall's Prairie Elementary School
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| ìI appreciated how organized
your group was in terms of loading in and loading out after the show.
You understood that we are a school, and you fit into our busy schedule.
We are fortunate to have many
musical presentations at White Rock Elementary. It is rare that students
and teachers alike rave afterward as enthusiastically as they have about
The
Wheat in the Barley."
Chris Stanger,
Vice-Principal
White Rock Elementary
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| "... The time that you
spent at our school was a wonderfully uplifting experience for all of those
who were a part of the audience. We hope that we will have another
such opportunity to enjoy the music of
The Wheat in the Barley!"
Laurie Birnie,
Vice-Principal
Green Timbers Elementary School
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| "The group has incorporated
music from around the globe (Celtic, Ukrainian, Greek, Chilean and British)
and have put their own unique British Columbian flair to it. The
group was able to capture the children's attention throughout the performance.
... The feedback from the students, parents and staff was very positive
and I would be pleased to have the group play at the school again."
Ms. Mary Gibbons,
Principal
Kensington Prairie Elementary
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| "It is my pleasure, on behalf
of the staff and students of Dorothy Peacock Elementary, to write this
letter of recommendation for The Wheat in the Barley.
This group came to our school on November 8, 1999, and in a well-organized
and polished performance taught and entertained our students, staff and
parents."
Joanne Rempel,
Vice-Principal
Dorothy Peacock Elementary
School
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| Further references and contact details
may be provided on request. Please write to
or
if you
need any information. |
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Educational
School Concert Program
The Wheat in the Barley's wide array of string, wind and percussion instruments have made them a favourite at school concerts around BC. Their tightly arranged instrumentals, sparkling with improvisations, have a compelling rhythm for clapping along, while the songs recall the lives of ordinary working people and migrants to Canada from many points of the globe.
Please read the reviews
provided below from just a few of the schools at which we have performed.
The
Wheat in the Barley will take your school on a whirlwind trip around the world to lands from which the early pioneers journeyed to Canada in centuries gone by. Experience the music of Ireland, Scotland, France, Russia, the Ukraine, North and South America, and the Middle East---music that has already thrived for centuries longer than the pop music of today.
Students will experience music that their grandparents (and their grandparents) made with
their own hands holding their own hand-made instruments, passing their
music down to their descendents as their most precious cultural heritage.
The Wheat in the Barley journeys
with you from country to country, while swapping instruments along the
way, jamming with ancient melodies, and telling stories of immigrants,
instruments, music makers, working folks and wandering minstrels from long
ago in many lands.
Come, join in the adventure!
Study
Guide
This guide is made available
to schools in advance of a live performance to enhance the learning experience
of the students and facilitate questions at concerts |
Concert
Preview
Audio
Tracks
Click on
the names of the tunes to hear an excerpt of the tune from our CDs or from
a live concert
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| As
soon as the group has been introduced, we launch into Campbell's
Farewell to Red Gap (Track 1), a boisterous Celtic tune of Scottish
origin. The students can hear the instruments individually here as
they enter, one by one. This tune sets the mood of the concert with
its haunting thematic introduction building to a rousing finish.
We like to play music from many parts of the world, especially music of
the Celtic and Slavic types, which are presented in the next two tunes. |
Campbell's
Farewell (1:10)
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| Acres
of Clams (Track 2) is a pioneer
song from the state of Washington that's actually based on an old Irish
folk tune called Rosin the Bow. Steve's version tells the tale of
one of BC's early pioneers. An electrifying feature of the live version
(not on the CD) is a rollicking fiddle jam also featuring Mark on country
blues harmonica and Mickey's hot guitar-picking. |
Acres of Clams
(1:41)
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| Next up -- a lively Ukrainian
circle dance called Arkan (Track 3) that is a great tune for clap-along participation. While introducing the tune, Steve and Nicole show students the violin, bouzouki and mandolin and explain their similarities and differences. As the tune's
intensity builds, Steve (Mr Bouzouki) demonstrates some acrobatic Ukrainian
high-kick dancing! |
Arkan
(0:51)
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| Now we head down to South America,
with La Partida (Track 4), a haunting multi-rhythmic tune in 3/4 time from high in the Andes Mountains of South America played on the quena, a simple end-blown wooden flute handmade in Andean countries like Bolivia, similar in design to the Japanese shakuhachi flute. Mark introduces the tune with a show and tell about all the wind instruments laid out beside him, including the silver concert flute (built in the key of C) and its larger cousin the alto flute (in G), pennywhistles in nearly every key, zamponia and panpipes, the recorder and fife, and even an ocarina. |
La Partida
(1:04)
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| Before we leap into a rollicking version of a traditional Quebec fiddle tune, The Growling Old Man and the Growling Old Woman (Track 5), or "Growlies" for short, Mickey and Ed talk about and demonstrate the guitar and bass, and the African djembe and Arabic dumbek drums. After a funky introduction on the djembe, flute and accordion, Nicole rips into the traditional melody, in which voices of the "old man" and "old woman" can be heard arguing in the two parts of the melody. Then the different lead instruments - flute, violin, accordion, saxophone and harmonica - all take solos and jam together, which we use to show how traditional music can be adapted into new forms to make it exciting all over again. |
"Growlies" (3:37)
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| Paddy
Works on the Railway (Track 6) is an example of an "epic ballad" - a song that tells a long and often tragic story in a number of verses. We introduce it with a brief historical comment about the construction of the transcontinental railways, and that in the 1800's, many people spent a large part of of their lives building them. The audience is also encouraged to join with the whole group in singing the whimsical Irish chorus, "Filly-me-oori-oori-ay (3x), To work upon the railway." (What does it all mean? Singing together can be lots of fun!) |
Paddy Works
on the Railway
(0:56)
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| Following this song, we introduce some of the prettiest music ever to come out of 17th century Ireland--Planxty Fanny Power (Track 7) by Turlough O'Carolan, the blind Irish harpist
and composer of many of today's best-loved Celtic traditional tunes. The melody is carried first by Mark on the flute, then Nicole on the violin takes the lead the second time through while the flute plays harmony and counterpoint. |
Fanny Power (1:17)
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| Misirlu (Track 8) is an ancient, intriguing tune of middle eastern origin, which is based upon the exotic sounding but very important harmonic minor scale. Mark introduces it with an overview of reed instruments, comparing the sound of his soprano saxophone is to much older instruments such as the bombard from Brittany and its many middle eastern cousins. Mark then demonstrates a snake charmer's instrument from Sri Lanka (a melodic chanter with two drones), explains how reed instruments work. He then shows the harmonica family and the many different scales that various types can produce. Victor shows how his accordion works and compares its design to the harmonica. The Arabic dumbek drum and the Greek bouzouki then begin the hypnotic introduction to this piece, which could be used for belly dancing with its exotic rhythms. |
Misirlu
(1:09)
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| The ninth and final selection of the concert is a medley of two famous North American fiddle tunes, Soldier's Joy and June Apple Reel (Track 9). The ways in which music and culture evolve with emigration of people to new lands like Canada is talked about briefly. Mandolin, fiddle and pennywhistle are featured in this rousing finish. |
June
Apple Reel (1:10)
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| At the conclusion of the show, given enough time, questions from the students are fielded by all members of The Wheat in the Barley and, where permitted by their teachers (and by the group's touring schedule), students may gather round to view and discuss the many folk instruments at close hand. |
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Recorded
CDs
Audio
Clips
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The group has self-produced three CDs: Acres of Clams (1997), Grandad (1998), and After the Battle (2004), from which material the school program has been drawn.
The first pressing of their debut CD sold out in just 3 months and is now into its third pressing. Their second CD, "Grandad", has even more variety with guest vocalists and musicians, and it has now gone through its second pressing. The third has a much more intricate level of production effort (co-produced by Steve Gidora, Victor Smith and Mark Dowding) and includes a QuickTime movie of the group in concert. |
Audio
Clips
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Multimedia
CDROMs
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As a supplement to the group's live performance, and to enhance the learning function of the presentation, we can provide the school's library a CD-ROM with audio samples, web links, illustrations, reference material and sheet music. Interested students may browse through pictures of the instruments, listening to their music while watching them being played and viewing musical scores. This CD-ROM, which will be viewable with any QuickTime-enabled web browser, is now in production and should be available shortly. For information, contact
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| Info
& Bookings |
Further information, group bookings
or copies of the CDs can be obtained from
at (604) 723-3052, or from
at (604) 506-6916 or write to:
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ArtStarts
in Schools
If
you wish to print this 1-page report
try viewing it in Acrobat
Format
(best for high-resolution printing)
|
The Wheat in the Barley also
books through ArtStarts in Schools. They auditioned at ArtScan
2001, and earned an exceptional artistry rating of 4.9 out of 5
in the delegates' consensus book. (View this report in low-res
JPEG or print it from high-res
Acrobat format at left.) The group is now listed as approved
for all grade levels in the Vancouver School Board performers catalog.
To reserve a performance date, please contact:
ArtStarts in Schools
#301 - 873 Beatty Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M6
Tel: 604-878-7144 ext.3
Fax: 604-683-0501 ?
E-mail:
Web: www.artstarts.com
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