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Suite Silver Dart
(PDF) News & Press:
Symphony, students take centre stage (Oct/09) Click photos for larger views...
VIDEO: Scott watches the 1st flight of the Replica
of the Silver Dart on Feb 22nd, 2009, one hundred years
after Alexander and Mabel Bell along with the other
members of the Aerial Experiment Association to the
original Silver Dart flown by Cape Bretoner Douglas
McCurdy into the air over Baddeck Bay.
June 2009 Nova Scotia Composer/Guitarist Scott Macmillan's newest work,"Suite Silver Dart" will be premiered as part of a special 2009 Celtic Colours International Festival tribute to Alexander Graham Bell and the 100th Anniversary of the Flight of the Silver Dart Friday October 16, 2009 at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, 7:30pm, with an encore presentation. Saturday October 17, 2009 at Strathspey Place in Mabou, 2pm. Scott Macmillan has been commissioned by Celtic Colours International Festival, Centre Bras d'Or Assoc and the Silver Dart Centennial Association to compose a new musical work,Suite Silver Dart for Violin, Harp, Guitar, Piano, String Orchestra, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in Canada by Alexander Graham Bell and the Aerial Experiment Association (A.E.A.). With financial backing by Mabel Bell the A.E.A. flew the Silver Dart into aviation history on February 23, 1909, in Baddeck, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.Macmillan's composition is a musical exploration of the hard work, anticipation, and celebration that culminated for the A.E.A. and the Baddeck community, on that historic day. On Oct. 12th at 1:00 PM (Free) as part of Celtic Colours The Bell Series, Macmillan will present a discussion about Composing Suite Silver Dart at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck.
For more info contact: Joella
Foulds (902) 539-8800
www.celtic-colours.com
June 2009: Sky's the Limit Youth Project
On May 19th Scott Macmillan embarked on phase 2 of our Sky's the Limit Youth Project about Alexander Graham Bell and the 100th Anniversary of flight in Canada.What he wanted to achieve at this time was to visit each of the groups that came to Baddeck for our Creation Day April 3, and review what they created and work with the youth to complete their creations to a level that he can now embark on arranging their songs for their Celtic Colours performances on October 16th and 17th. We are delighted to confirm that there will be a school show in Baddeck, the morning of October 16th with Symphony Nova Scotia and our Sky's the Limit Youth Project To that end Scott and I met with the youth in Waycobah and Baddeck on May 19th, the youth from Cheticamp on May 23rd, followed by Glace Bay and Highland Academy on May 25th.Each session with the youth lasted about an hour. Scott joined the youth on guitar and we played their songs many times till they were all comfortable with their songs, their melodies, rhythms, beginnings and endings. Each group has a really unique approach and we are really excited by their creations and what we accomplished together at these sessions. In Waycobah we were joined by Andrea Currie, who helping us to lock in the dynamic and rhythmic energy of the drums. We worked their poem and the guitar and piano and how these elements will accompany the drums.
Over their lunch hour in Baddeck we met with our group there and formalized the structure of their song and worked on singing their song and establishing the piano and guitar accompaniment.
In Cheticamp the youth have created their song in french. Along with getting really comfortable with singing their song we solidified the bass and guitar parts that will accompany the singing.
After Cheticamp we made our way to Glace Bay and worked with the youth there. Their creation is a beat poem so we had lots of fun working with the words and rhythms.
Then back across the Island to meet with the youth at Highland Heights.They have decided to take their song and work it up in Gaelic. We worked with their song and explored adding fiddles and drum to their creation.
Each of these creations is very exciting and I will meet up with them all again in September when we'll work with the musical arrangements that I will write for them over the summer.
June
3, 2009
“There’s a tendency among young drummers to speed up. Focus on the tempo,” Currie advises as she begins. The We’koqma’q students are: Gavin Cremo, Cody Crowe, Kirby Googoo, Cordell Pearo, and Scott Phillips. They are being assisted by Norma Gould, a community coordinator in We’koqma’q First Nation. These five students from We’koqma’q School are among twenty-two high school students from five schools across Cape Breton enjoying the opportunity to create original music with one of Nova Scotia’s best- known composers, Scott Macmillan. The experience is part of The Sky’s the Limit, Centennial Flight Youth Education Project, and the students will perform their original compositions during the Celtic Colours International Festival in the fall of 2009. The students from all five schools met in Baddeck for a Creation Day on April 3rd and are continuing to work with Macmillan on arranging the songs for their Celtic Colours performances on October 16th and 17th.
“This has been a very good learning experience because this never happened before in our community. I would like to try to continue with this for our school and community,” said Gavin Cremo. “Learning to get rhythm, this program has done a lot for me, and it’s been fun working with Scott Macmillan and all the other students. When I did an English language arts biography on Alexander Graham Bell it sparked my interest,” said Cody Crowe. Scott Phillips added: “It’s been fun and a new experience for me.” Cordell Pearo added: “I love music, and the trip to the Graham Bell Museum and property was so much fun, and we’re making new friends.” “I would go again anytime. It’s been a good experience. It was fun,” said Kirby Googoo. “In the beginning the Waycobah students were cautious, but they’re becoming very enthusiastic about the project,” said Norma Gould. “We’re happy that Scott, Jennyfer and Andrea Currie have been so great to work with, and we’re glad to be networking with the other students and musicians. Our students came up with a poem on the creation day that we’re incorporating into the work. It’s all about Bell, his love of children, his love for Mabel and his attraction to Baddeck,” Gould added. The CBHA students are Kirsten Shaw, Lena Murphy, Amos Chaisoon and Douglas Cameron who are working with facilitator/teacher Lawrence Cameron. The Cheticamp NDA students are Élyse Delaney, Valerie Roach, Carmen LeBlanc and Maxim Cormier, and they are working with facilitator/teacher Michel Aucoin.
“Each of the sessions with the
schools lasted about an hour. I joined them on guitar and made a
recording of these performances. We recorded several takes till
we were all comfortable with the songs, their melodies, rhythms,
beginnings and endings. Each group has a really unique approach,
and I am really excited by their creations and what we
accomplished together at these sessions. In Cheticamp the
students have created their song in French. The students at CBHA
in Terre Noire have decided to take their song and sing it in
Gaelic. We worked with the song and explored adding fiddles and
drum to their creation. Each of these creations is very
exciting, and I will meet up with them all again in September.
At that point I will have completed my arrangements and will
have a computer version for them and have the students prepare
for the final rehearsals,” Macmillan concluded.
April 4, 2009 BADDECK -- Twenty students from across Cape Breton spent Friday absorbed in the diverse legacy of Alexander Graham Bell at both the Bell Museum and Beinn Bhreagh. As part of The Sky's the Limit, Centennial of Flight Youth Education Project, their next task was to create musical explorations on flight in celebration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada.
Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post
The Sky's the Limit is a creative
exploration of Alexander Graham Bell, the Aerial Experiment
Association and the history-making flight of the Silver Dart.
I can imagine how exciting this is
for a 15-year-old, to be involved in this type of creative
project, it would be a blast, MacMillan said. Our goal was to
end the day with five short pieces, one from each of the five
schools.
The original idea to celebrate the
anniversary with a musical piece came from Sharon Morrow, who
works at the Bell Museum, he said. When we approached her about
doing a youth project similar to the one we did in 2001, it was
a go. Bell was quite an accomplished musician, Macmillan said. "If he hadn't been an inventor, I'm sure he would have been an accomplished piano player."
Macmillan was privileged to sit at
the very piano where Bell had played for hours. The date, location and artists for the premiere of Suite Silver Dart will be announced with the lineup of the Celtic Colours International Festival program in late June.
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You can contact Scott Macmillan at scott@scott-macmillan.ca |
Facilitator
Norma Gould was busy last week preparing a pow wow drum while
five high school students from We’koqma’q First Nation waited to
begin a workshop with composer Scott Macmillan and drumming
workshop leader Andrea Currie. Keyboard player Cordell Pearo
started off a little jam session with the opening chorus riff of
Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours while Scott Macmillan joined in on banjo
and the other students began to find their parts. Before long,
the students shifted from a cover song to working on their own
creation with Andrea and Scott. 
The
five schools involved include Glace Bay Academy and Baddeck
Academy, but three of the schools involved are in Inverness
County – NDA in Cheticamp, CBHA in Terre Noire and the
We’koqma’q School,” said Macmillan.
Composer/musician
Scott Macmillan, centre, is working with Cape Breton students on
The Sky's The Limit, a youth project celebrating the 100th
anniversary of the flight of the Silver Dart. He is shown with,
from left, Valerie Roach, NDA School in Cheticamp; Cordel Pierro,
Whycocomagh Education Centre; Kristen Shaw, Cape Breton
Highlands Academy in Margaree; Jamie Toomey, Glace Bay High; and
Kendra MacCuspic, Baddeck Academy.