St. Michael Community School in Saskatoon has received a $10,500 grant from the MusiCounts Band Aid Program.
The grant was announced Thursday and was used to buy instruments and other musical equipment for the school.
“The extra equipment here is actually quite life-changing,” St. Michael Community School principal Cristin Dorgan Lee said. “We didn’t have enough fiddles for every student to have their own fiddle to practice. We didn’t have the recording equipment. We are one of about 80 schools across Canada that have received this grant. Over 600 grants were submitted. We feel very fortunate to be selected. We’re excited to share this with our entire community.”
Juno award-winning fiddler Karrnnel Sawitsky showed the students the new equipment and played fiddle alongside some of the youth at the announcement.
“We will set up a little recording studio in the school,” Sawitsky said. “Everyone in the school who plays fiddle can have their very own fiddle. We’ve got tuners for the fiddles. There’s also a bunch of headphones and a lot of gear.”
Sawitsky has worked with the students as part of an artist-in-residence program at the school.
Saskatchewan-bred rockers The Sheepdogs planned to help unveil the equipment and perform at the school, but the appearence was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
(Photo: Juno award-winning fiddler Karrnnel Sawitsky showing students at St. Michael Community School in Saskatoon the musical equipment purchased with a $10,500 grant from the MusiCounts Band Aid Program. Photo by Brendan Mayer.)