FIDDLESTICKS!: December 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Playing Tests

A reminder to all of Mr. Bernier's students that Playing Tests will be taking place on December 21! Don't Forget! The Sign Up Sheet can be found at Room 5, which is Mr. Bernier's office.

Also, congratulations on another great performance to the girls who played at Pineview Terrace on Tuesday. Your Christmas cheer was very much appreciated by your audience. Keep up the good work! This is what it's all about!

Monday, December 6, 2010

What A Cool Family!

Yes, these guys are all from the same family, believe it or not. Take a look and tell me they're not adorable - and amazingly talented!

See? Practice, practice, practice!

I love these guys so much, I'm adding the full video of their "History of Music" - see how many songs you recognize! They're nice British boys (well I guess they could be hooligans for all I know, but I'm sure they stay home at night practicing their violins and drinking milk;)

Also, congratulations to the girls who played before "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at the Rawlinson Center Friday night! You represented Rivier splendidly and really helped all of us milling about to feel the spirit of Christmas before the play began. Well done - you all looked very professional. And yes, their uniforms were neat and tidy Sr. Mary!

Things you may not know about Mr. Bernier:

He began playing fiddle at the age of eleven and after earning his Bachelor of Music in Music Education at the University of Saskatchewan he went on to become the 1990 Grand Master Fiddler. Mr. Bernier began teaching full time as a private music teacher and also went on to teach students at music camps across Canada and the United States.

His dedication to music education, particularly in Saskatchewan, is evident in his lifetime of accomplishments which are really too numerous to fit into this sidebar – you’ll have to google him to find out (he even won the 2003 SCMA Humanitarian Award !)

Did you know that Mr. Bernier actually writes and arranges music in addition to teaching here at Rivier? Very cool.

His students have also gone on to accomplish great things such as: Winning the Royal Conservatory Silver Medal Award for the highest exam marks in the province; Touring with the National Youth Orchestra; and recording their own CDs. So pay attention in class!

Most important of all, Mr. Bernier has set up the ONLY strings program in Saskatchewan available to middle and high school students – and you can get academic credit for it. Wow!