October Updates

Well, what do I find in my mailbox today but a letter to Mr. B from the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.  Your awesome teacher is soon to receive an award (obviously for his awesomeness.)
In appreciation "for his work in the orchestral community" they are presenting him with the SOA Orchestra Development Award!
He will be honoured Friday,  November 14th at the Saskatchewan Music Conference Banquet - AND he gets a free supper.  How great is that?

I hope you are all enjoying your instruments this year and by now moving on from the very beginning screeches to something resembling music!  Patience and practice, right?

As for Mr. B's science students - your classes are a mystery to me - sorry!  It makes it that much more important to pay attention in class and make sure you get notes and assignments from a friend if you miss a day!  Remember it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you miss, so be proactive!

Welcome Back!

You may or may not know that Mr. Bernier leads a wildly exciting life outside of his teaching time here at Rivier.  He is looking forward to training some new horses this fall and winter, rebuilding an antique wagon, and has been busy teaching and playing all summer.   Here's a short excerpt from his website:
" I had a great summer working for Dream Brokers in Saskatchewan, and the Alberta Society of Fiddlers. Thanks to all.  It was great to meet new people, and visit with old friends in the past two months.  Summer is over, and I now prepare for the new 2014-2015 school season."

Many of you are adjusting to the orchestra program for the first time this year, or taking up a brand new instrument.  Remember that practice makes perfect and if you want to rock that violin, bass, cello, etc. you have to put in the time!

Before you know it you will be doing cool things like this:

Who doesn't love music AND horses?

Am I right?  I know you all imagine that teachers live their entire lives AT SCHOOL, but if you ever wondered what happens after 3:30, you could have a look at Mr. Bernier's website
Bernier Music & Bernier's Belgians to learn a little bit more about Mr. B's other activities AND those huge horses he keeps busy with!
Congratulations to all of you who participated in music festival again this year - great job!
A reminder that the PASO concert is coming up on Sunday, April the 13th here at Rivier - grab your tickets from Mr. Bernier or any student orchestra members!  It's a great way to support the arts in our community and a great reason to go for ice cream on the way home!

Important Updates

News from Mr. Bernier:

Wayne Toews, the adjudicator for the strings section of music festival, will be holding a free strings workshop at River Academy next wednesday, March 19!  For more information and to register, please contact Linda Alberts (she will have handouts for you).  This would be a great event to participate in!
Here is Mr. Toews bio, and while I don't have the music festival program in front of me I am sure it will have Mrs. Alberts contact info for you.  Miss Campbell always has a program on her (because she is participating in a gajillion categories) if you have not purchased one yet.

Next, and equally importantly, it is once again time for the annual
Prince Albert Strings Orchestra Concert!  I have not seen a poster yet,  but Mr. Bernier has shared a bit of the playlist with me and it sounds like it is going to be as awesome as ever.  It will be held here at Rivier Academy on Sunday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets will be available from Mr. Bernier or from any of the Rivier students who are also members of  PASO - just ask and they will be more than happy to sell you one!

I won't do a duplicate post of all of the music festival times since I notice that Miss Campbell posted all them for you already - but I will send positive thoughts to all of you who are working hard to prepare your pieces in the next few weeks!

Somebody PLEASE do this!

Okay, this is a request from Mrs. C.:
Before I retire, I want to see SOMETHING LIKE THIS on the Rivier stage.  I know it can't be exactly like this, but I want something unexpected that will rock my socks with those string instruments.  Either that, or I am going to be forced to take up the cello myself, and that is probably not going to pretty.  Somebody will end up having to cut my hair free from the strings or the bow at the very least.
So please watch and be inspired - save me from myself.

Time to get ready!

Music Festival is a go!  So that means you should have your music chosen and be ready to register this Saturday, January 18th and then begin preparing for your performances!  As nerve-wracking as it may seem, it as a great opportunity to get some valuable feedback on your playing and to OWN that stage for a few minutes.  Just think - if you put in just 10 minutes a day from now until festival, you will be awesome.  And what's 10 minutes?  I have some shoes with tiny little buckles that take me that long to fasten.  I'm just saying.
Here's a bit of inspiration for today:

Music Festival Help Needed Soon!

Anyone interested in volunteering as strings coordinator for the P.A. Kiwanis Music Festival,  please contact Sheila Holash for more information. (she is in the phone book.)   This is a position for an adult, not a student and Sheila can give you an idea of the commitment of time involved.  The position is currently unfilled and the strings portion of  the music festival cannot go ahead without a coordinator!

We Are Tuning Up For A Great Year!

I hear that we have a great turnout for orchestra this year which is music to my ears (ha ha.) I hope you all have a wonderful experience in the program - just remember to ALWAYS check with your teacher to see what work you have missed EACH and EVERY class that you have gone to your orchestra with Mr. B. Use your agenda to keep track of assignments and exams, stay on top of your homework and it will all be good! Your teachers are here to help and your classmates can also keep you up-to-date on notes you may have missed. Just keep in mind that you are the one who is ultimately responsible for checking to see what went on while you were gone!

I don't often post TED talks here because they are a bit long, but this one is worth watching. Ji-Hae Park is a violin virtuoso who discusses her journey back from depression. Here is her biography from the TED website:

Why you should listen to her:
Ji-Hae Park was on the fast track to violin stardom when she ... paused. Why was it simply her goal to be the best violin player in the world? Was there more to music than that? And thus she began to think differently about how to "play" her life. Now -- along with playing prestigious concert halls, winning prizes and making a new album for Decca called Baroque in Rock -- she makes time to play in hospitals, churches, prisons, anywhere she feels she can reach people with music. Her friendly, entertaining rearrangements of classical music invite new listeners in.
She was named The Respected Korean 2010 for her leadership and influence on the national development. She is playing on the Petrus Guarnerius 1735, Venedig on loan from the German Foundation (Deutsche-Stiftung- Musikleben) since 2003.

Welcome Back!

Aren't we all super-excited to be back at school? I know I am! Orchestra is shaping up to be even more awesome this year, and Mr. B is hoping to have all of you showing off your skills more than ever. Mr. B as usual had a very busy summer not only keeping up with the horses and cowboy-type work, but teaching at fiddle camps, participating in a concert celebrating the 110th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Saskatchewan in 1903, and attending the 2013 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition where his son Wyatt was a showcase performer. BTW, first place in that competition went to James Steele, from Saskatoon! Go Western Canada!
I hope all of you who are signed up for orchestra are as enthusiastic about the program as Mr. B and I are! It really is such a wonderful opportunity and you would be amazed at what just a few minutes of regular practice each night will do for you over the school year! Remember to keep an eye on that orchestra schedule - it is vitally important to attend those classes and your subject teachers are aware of that and will arrange for you to catch up on what you have missed in your other classes. Speaking from Quinn's experience, she was a bit apprehensive at first - she waited until grade eight to sign up - but it became one of the favourite parts of her day! I really, really hope for that for all of you this year!

Mr. Bernier playing at the 110th Anniversary concert of the Sisters in July.

Finals are fast approaching!

Or so I hear from Quinn and other students of Mr. B's.  That stressful time of year is upon us with year-end concert next week and your academic finals coming up along with the final testing for your year of work with your strings instruments.  Good luck to all of you and kudos to everyone on the wonderful performances at Variety Night this week!  What an amazing mix of talent this year - it was a pleasure to be in the audience.  As an afterthought, I grabbed Quinn's camera and did manage to tape a couple of acts, including Mr. Bernier and Wyatt - although the stage lighting kind of washed out everyone's faces (okay I am just using that as an excuse for my complete lack of technical skills.)  Anyway, you can still hear the music, which is the important part.  This is their second piece - I was struggling with the zipper on the camera bag for the first song.  (I told you I have my challenges to overcome - and it was very dark in the audience.)
Mr Bernier and his son Wyatt accompanied by Arthur Lavertu:

Giddyup!

The very fortunate grade sevens from Mr. Bernier's science class will be having a live demonstration tomorrow, March 13th of blacksmithing and farrier science which will give them an excellent real-life example of heat and temperature as they have been studying from the curriculum! They will watch the forging of steel and see live horses get their shoes fitted (not heels though.) This will be in the yard, not the classroom, btw.

Mr. B. also wanted to thank all of his students who took the time and effort to prepare for and participate in Music Festival this year and said he was very pleased with all of your performances. Way to represent!

In other strings-related news, the PASO, or Prince Albert Strings Orchestra is having its annual concert at Rivier on April 21 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased from any of the orchestra members. I know we have at least five at school this year: Quinn, Emma Eaton, Violet, Jordan McEwen, and Megan Dierker. Sorry if I missed anyone!

Great Job At Music Festival!

A big congratulations to all of our Rivier music festival participants - it was great to see such wonderful representation once again this year. I know it is nerve-wracking to get up there on that stage, so WAY TO GO!!! Now you can breathe a sigh of relief (a bit) until the year-end concert!
I thought I would post this little video I really enjoyed from Soul Pancake - even though it's Christmas-themed it includes Kevin Olusola, a really awesome beat-boxing cellist. If you enjoy this little snippet of him here, I'm sure you can find out a lot more about him with a google search. Plus, "kid president" is just adorable! Enjoy.

Christmas Thoughts

It's almost Christmas and what better time to be reminded how fortunate we are to have instruments to play, warm homes, good food, the opportunity to go to school (even on the days we would rather stay home!)  and so MANY things we take for granted each and every day.  A friend posted this on facebook and I thought it was a perfect time of year to share it here:

And in breaking news...

For those of  who don't regularly read online news, you might want to check out this article featuring Mr. Bernier!  4th generation fiddler teacher teaches his art to many  Mr. B's son Wyatt, as well as two of  his other students were first place winners at the Old Time Fiddling contest in Nipawin this past weekend!

Congratulations from Rivier!

Happy Almost-Halloween!

In honour of the week before halloween, I couldn't resist posting this performance of "Dance of the Goblins" by the AMAZING Alexander Rybak. You know how I adore him - he is so talented and appears to be a nice young man when he speaks. Stick with this one past the 4:40 mark and you will see him rock out in the middle of this classical piece! Awesome.

Do It Your Way - Just Not At School ;)

Mr Bernier forwarded this video to me, which usually means he would like it on his blog. He can be a man of few words when it comes to technology. It is quite an amazing rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic - enjoy!
 By the way, I would LOVE to see all of you dressed like this for orchestra performances INCLUDING the lovely brooch for Mr. B.

Music is Hope...

I've been debating whether to post this here or on the Loopy Library since it involves slam poetry, a cello, and mention of a book we've discussed at Senior Book Club. Fiddlesticks wins, since I just posted on the library blog yesterday! Quinn had the amazing experience of attending a slam poetry workshop with Nathaniel Larochette at Encounters With Canada last week and his poetry and personality had a huge impact on her. She came home with his book and we have been watching more of his performances - I cannot believe how moving his words are! So watch, listen and then maybe look him up and enjoy more!

A New Year of Great Music Ahead!

Welcome back to all students returning to the orchestra program and to those of you just starting out! We are truly fortunate to be one of the few schools in the country able to offer this program to our students, so take advantage of this great opportunity and you will be able to leave your Rivier experience having learned how to play a stringed instrument!

Those of you who have put in a few years with the Rivier Strings may be interested in joining the Prince Albert Strings Orchestra. The registration evening is tonight, September 13, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Mr. Bernier can fill you in on the costs of membership. All practices are on Thursday evenings.

Finally, Nina Di Gregorio, the lead violin in this quartet was featured in the June edition of International Musician magazine and Mr. B thought you might be interested in seeing some of their work. Here is the promo video for Bella. They look a little familiar - we may have blogged about them before!

Awesome Bass!

I thought I would share this clip today along with next week's strings schedule. Remember to STAY HOME Monday :)

For all of the orchestra bass players - even if you just watch a few minutes, I think he is great! He starts bowing after about 2 minutes or so. Worth watching!

May 15: Period 3 - 30, Period 4, 10
May 16: Period 3 - 20
May 17: Period 3 - 20
May 18: Period 1 - 10, Period 3 - 30

Have a great weekend!

May is Underway!

The new issue of Strings magazine arrived today and as I flipped through I was captured by a photo of Ann Marie Calhoun. (Actually it was her shoes - what a surprise.) When I investigated her online I discovered that she worked on the soundtrack for the Sherlock Holmes movie, along with Tina Guo and several other great musicians. The video is kind of fun, so I'm posting it to remind you of the great things that can happen when you pursue your musical dreams - hanging out with Robert Downey Jr., for instance :).

Also this month, there's an article about an eighteen-year-old cellist, relatively unknown but promising, who had his cello replaced by one worth over 6 million dollars by an "unnamed wealthy patroness. So there you go: practice, be good, and good things can happen to you!