Womad teaser a hit with school kids
Students from Tikorangi and Huirangi Schools had the first taste of Womad in 2017.
The World of Music, Arts and Dance came to them on March 15, when Canadian trio, The East Pointers, turned up in their backyard, courtesy of the Todd Energy community programme.
‘‘We do make a big fuss of it, and the students really do realise how lucky they are,’’ said Tikorangi School associate principal Hamish Hislop.
Despite a long flight the night before, the band was quick to get with the programme.
Cousins Tim played the (fiddle) and Koady Chaisson (banjo), along with Ontario-born guitarist, Jake Charron, took the students through a series of workshop workouts at the Clifton rugby clubrooms; exploring music and dance from the Chaisson’s homeland, Prince Edward Islands (PEI).
The PEI province is steeped in Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and French history; the band’s upbeat style of folk music echoed the traditional Celtic side, blended with their unique contemporary breath of fresh air.
‘‘It’s an eye-opener culturally,’’ Hislop said.
‘‘The kids experience in the flesh another lifestyle, of people who travel all over the world doing what they love to do most. They show them another way of life outside of what they know here,’’ he said.
With a laid-back teaching style, the band engaged the children
‘‘It's an eye-opener culturally.’’
Hamish Hislop
with impromptu casual banter.
Koady barely had time to pluck a string on his banjo before the kids turned into starry-eyed fans who couldn’t get close enough.
Two hyper sessions with 25 kids from each school laid the groundwork for a collaborative performance that captivated an audience of parents and teachers at the end of the day.
Touted as a festival teaser, the precursor gave the overseas East Coasters a taste of Kiwi culture too.
A powhiri at Tikorangi School to welcome the visitors included a stirring haka. ’’The artists were taken aback. They were blown away,’’ Hislop said
East Pointer sound engineer Donald Richard said they were excited to spend some time with the kids in the community.
‘‘To hear this kind of music this early on in life, then maybe they will want to grow up to make music of their own,’’ Richard said.
On the crew’s to-do list was ‘‘see the volcano and the beaches, and learn about the culture.’’