Heroes’ Students moved to dance by members of Celtic Harmony Festival Circuit
This past week the student of Heroes’ Memorial were treated to a marvelous musical hour of Celtic music. Richard Wood and Gordon Belsher, known as The Islanders, are both from Prince Edward Island. The students sat enrapt during the concert, clapping along with each reel and jig, and at the end, when Richard stepdanced while playing the fiddle, the students themselves got up to dance spontaneously. The musicians played an encore, which had the whole room dancing.
Richard Wood is a fiddler. His music training started with step dancing when he was seven years old and then he started to play the fiddle when he was eleven. He spoke to the students about how music is a part of culture and that it can be heard all over the world. Gordon Belsher started out playing the accordion at a young age but when he became interested in rock and roll music, he knew there would be no room in a band for an accordion. He has been playing the guitar since he was fourteen. Gordon also played the bodhran, an Irish drum, that is played with a two headed stick called a tipper.
One number that was quite different was a tune that Richard Wood had composed about the great African elephant. You could hear the sound of the elephants walking as he played the fiddle.
Every year when the Celtic Festival comes to Knowlton, some of the musicians offer concerts to local students. It was a special treat to have Richard and Gordon display their musical talents.