Teachers’ work-to-rule impacts music fest

The work-to-rule action taken by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union earlier this school year is affecting the New Glasgow Music Festival.

During the partial strike, all extra-curricular activities were cancelled, which included school choirs and bands. As a result, the band, instrumental and choral classes are much smaller than previous years.

“It had a big effect on us this year,” said Sandra Johnson, the chairperson of the program committee. “The numbers are greatly diminished because of work-to-rule.”

By the time work-to-rule situation ended in February, Johnson said, teachers didn’t have time to prepare their bands and choirs.

“Some schools are in, but it’s a fraction of what we normally have. We don’t have any elementary school choirs,” she said, adding that one choir from P.E.I., one from a local studio and one from North Nova Education Centre are registered.

Other disciplines, such as piano, voice, musical theatre and violin, weren’t affected because those students are generally privately taught. “But in the choral program and bands and instrumental, those entries are school based.”

For elementary choirs, she said it’s a huge undertaking to get all of the students singing in tune, teaching pitch, how to sing vowels, learning the parts such as soprano and alto, and how to get on and off the stage in an orderly fashion.

“I don’t know if most people recognize how much time it takes,” she said. “It’s more than teaching a couple of songs… and they had no time to prepare any of this.”

She said beginner bands are just learning how to use their instruments, and usually by February they would be “putting polish on their pieces, not learning notes and making sounds.”

It’s easier for choirs like those at NNEC, with many years of experience, to take part in the festival. “We’re very grateful North Nova is in it,” said Johnson.

Because of the smaller numbers, instead of having an adjudicator for four days for choral classes, that has been reduced to 2 1/2 days, and the number of band and instrumental sessions has also shrunk.

While these classes have fewer entries, the number of violin competitors has increased. “We’re very, very happy about that,” said Johnson, noting that this is due to a new teacher setting up in the area recently.

The second part of the New Glasgow Music Festival begins on Tuesday. Musical theatre classes were held at the beginning of the month.