‘Living a blessed musical life’
Is a third nomination the charm for N.s.-raised music teacher?
Oh, the Meryl Streep of it all.
Stephen Richardson, who hails from Cape Breton and lived and studied in Halifax for years, is nominated a third time for a Musicounts Teacher of the Year Juno.
But he’s the kind of guy who is just deeply honoured to be nominated. No really.
“It’s crazy that it’s brought me back to my home province,” he said. “I’m thinking I’m living a blessed musical life and I’m so extremely grateful.”
This is one of the select awards that will be given out during the national broadcast of the Juno Awards on Sunday (the industry/opening night awards are on Saturday) at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
For over a decade, 50-year-old Richardson has been teaching music to elementary and junior high kids in Yellowknife, N.W.T. And how he does it — with the unique approach of a guy who plays in a rock band at night — is what’s capturing the attention of a national audience.
And who knows? With the Junos at home in Nova Scotia this year, maybe for Richardson the third time’s the charm.
HIS JOURNEY
Growing up in Grand River, Richardson got a failing grade from a curmudgeonly substitute music teacher in Grade 5.
“The only F I ever got in anything in school was from her … she failed me for not being able to tune a guitar and now I tune about 90 a day.”
He was always “heavy into music, but not playing,” and was born into a family with singing talent. He was into writing music and lyrics — inspired by Pearl Jam and The Tragically Hip — but he didn’t really learn guitar until he was a 21-year-old Saint Mary’s University student in Halifax.
He tells his students in Yellowknife about the weekly jam sessions at different Halifax venues in the ’90s where he learned so much from artists that included The Jimmy Swift Band.
“I tell students that with these musical tools, anyone can walk into any open mic, campsite, backyard BBQ and jam with other musicians.”
He said connecting to people through music is like having a “cheat code to this amazing life of endless musical connections and opportunities.”
He left SMU for St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish to study jazz guitar and get a bachelor of education degree.
TEACHING MUSIC
After years of bouncing around different Canadian cities, Richardson applied for a music teacher gig in Yellowknife. He started an indie rock band with fellow teachers, including a friend from Cape Breton.
“We were doing like 100 shows a year on top of all of us teaching,” Richardson said.
Now, he mostly plays solo as Agony of the Leaves and runs a studio to record and mentor musicians. He comes home to Nova Scotia every summer to gig, write and record with various musicians.
A hint of why he is consistently nominated for a Juno is in the creative projects he brings to class.
“We do film scores,” he said, “I’m a massive fan of the Zelda games so I’ll put on a Zelda game on Youtube, muted, and the Grade 2 (students) write the music to the scene like they’re a composer for a movie.”
Being a good music teacher means being a strong advocate for music and what it can do for anyone. Often it’s helping kids discover something they didn’t know they were good at.
He said he also likes to show kids that there is far more to the music industry than being a rockstar.
“The jobs are out there and they’re more abundant so I’m just trying to show them things like they could be writing their own music for Tiktok, videos on Youtube,” he said.
“It’s just trying to show them the possibilities and to have a lifetime, meaningful relationship with music which will help them when they’re down and help them when they’re celebrating.”
AND THE NOMINEES ARE ...
Winner of the Musicounts Teacher of the Year gets a Juno statuette and a $10,000 cash prize for their school. Musicounts is Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and the Juno Awards.
The five 2024 nominees are:
■ Zeda Ali — Sunnyview Middle School, Brampton, Ont.
■ Robert Bailey — École Charlie Killam School, Camrose, Alta.
■ Élisabeth Bouchard-bernier — École Des Explorateurs, Malartic, Que.
■ Sarah Comerford — Macdonald Drive Junior High, St. John’s, N.L.
■ Stephen Richardson — École St. Joseph, Yellowknife, N.W.T.