SPRUCEDALE – You might be surprised to hear that a former second violinist from the Toronto Symphony was recently recognized for her lifetime contribution to aboriginal music, but Andrea Hansen earned it by helping to restore a piece of local culture to Canada’s remote northern communities.
The Ryerson Township resident received the honour at the recent Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, as founder of Strings Across the Sky, an organization dedicated to preserving the traditional fiddle music of the north.
It has been approximately 20 years since Hansen founded Strings Across the Sky, which began with a Toronto Symphony tour to the Arctic.
“One of the most memorable tours we’ve ever done was going across the Arctic Circle,” she said, noting that many people there had never seen a live orchestra. “They were fascinated.”
The orchestra played concerts in Inuvik, after which Hansen traveled with a smaller group to play in the community of Aklavik.
“We played about 30 minutes of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, and then we ripped the roof off,” said Hansen.
The people of Aklavik were surprised and delighted that these classical musicians could play such lively fiddle tunes. The fiddle has been a part of the culture of the area since the early days of the Hudson Bay Company, when hardy Scotsmen were hired to man the remote trading posts. The Scots brought their music, and the locals adopted it as their own, as entertainment for work as well as play.
“It was all over,” said Hansen. “There were tons of occasions when the fiddles would come out.”
Fiddle music thrived into the late 20th century before electronic media began to replace the art. By the time Hansen arrived in 1988, fiddle playing was dwindling. Strings Across the Sky was founded as a means of passing the art and the skill to a new generation, restoring what had been lost.
Hansen leaves no doubt that she is not a violin teacher. She doesn’t give private lessons, and she doesn’t enjoy one-on-one teaching. Her specialty is taking a roomful of children and teaching them the basics in a few days.
“Within two hours, I can get a beginner playing a tune,” she said.
People are always skeptical at first, but after just a few days, Hansen can have a whole class playing a handful of tunes reasonably well.
One of the keys to her technique, ironically, is that Hansen doesn’t give her students a violin right away. They learn the motions on a wooden spoon, while humming the tune. It is very important that the children enjoy learning, and starting on a violin is not always fun.
“The first sound is godawful, and it discourages the student, so we do away with that,” said Hansen.
The technique comes from Hansen’s own childhood. When she was three years old, her older sister received violin lessons. She was, however, considered too young at the time. This didn’t stop her, as she found her own way to play along while her sister learned.
“I went and got a wooden spoon from the drawer and a ruler from my dad’s workbench,” she said.
With this pretend violin, Hansen went through every motion with her sister, while singing the notes. The teacher finally decided she might not be too young for lessons after all. Hansen was a child prodigy, and went on to a successful career playing violin for the likes of Glenn Gould, Arthur Godfrey and Guy Lombardo before joining the symphony.
For her teaching, Hansen goes back to that original wooden-spoon technique, ensuring that when her students finally get a violin in their hands, they’ve already learned enough to make a somewhat pleasing sound. Just to make it sound a bit more musical, a guitarist accompanies the students throughout.
Over the years, the number of communities involved has grown significantly, and the program has spread to the northernmost communities of other provinces. A number of talented fiddlers have donated their time to teach. Hansen has also taught adults in many communities to teach the classes themselves, although this requires a certain level of talent and commitment. Just to help out, Strings Across the Sky now has an instructional DVD. Classes are also conducted remotely, via broadband Internet.
These classes provide a few basic skills that allow students to play the fiddle for their own enjoyment, as well as for social occasions. Some have chosen to pursue additional training to develop their talents further. Just the same, groups of Strings Across the Sky students have accompanied many of Canada’s major symphony orchestras over the years, and have traveled to Scotland’s Orkney Islands, where the fiddle music of the western Arctic has its roots.
Strings Across the Sky is a non-profit organization, and violins for the program have all been donated.
“There are about 200 violins and fiddles, all donated to us, that are floating around the countryside in the hands of kids,” said Hansen.
Although she used to hand out the violins more freely, now Hansen prefers leaving only a few in each community, as many get a greater sense of accomplishment from buying their own through fundraising or other means.
George Heinl and Company, of Toronto, donate their services to service and repair violins for Strings Across the Sky, and they will happily accept any previously enjoyed violin someone wants to donate.
Strings Across the Sky is also supported by a small, volunteer board of directors, and the business is handled by Lynne Atkinson of Parry Sound.
The Parry Sound connection doesn’t stop there. Strings Across the Sky runs an annual Parry Sound fiddle camp. The culmination of the week-long camp is a concert at the Stockey Centre, as part of the Festival of Sound. The camp is open to children eight years and older who have always dreamed of playing the fiddle.
“We can make that dream come true,” said Hansen.
In Hansen’s mind, there are few things worse than having an undiscovered talent burning inside. Until you find a way to let it out, your life is not complete. She wonders if that might be part of the high suicide rate in remote communities. Music, to Hansen, is a life skill learning tool that she is giving to people.
“It’s not just a fun thing, it feeds the soul,” she said. “When they’re sad, they can pick up the fiddle. When they’re happy, they can pick up the fiddle. They can play the fiddle at Grandma’s funeral or at a brother’s wedding.”
What’s more, music is brain training for youngsters. After starting the fiddle, many students have shown improved grades, and overall, have developed greater self esteem.
What is most amazing to Hansen is that she is receiving awards for doing something she loves. This would have been difficult for her to believe 20 years ago.
“My mother was alive in the first year,” she said. “Wherever she is, I’m sure she never had any dreams it could go this far.”
For more information, visit www.stringsacrossthesky.ca.
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