Acadian in residence a first for Holland College
'They'll be able to talk about Acadians and say, Hey — I met a real one!'
Students at Holland College's School of Performing Arts will graduate with a new taste of Acadian music and culture thanks to the school's first Acadian in residence, Philippe LeBlanc.
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The residency is a pilot project in which LeBlanc, a retired grade school music teacher from Mont Carmel, P.E.I., is teaching a course in global and Celtic music this fall semester.
To teach French songs to people that don't speak the language is a challenge.— Philippe LeBlanc
"I was a little nervous at first, I didn't know how it was going to turn out," said LeBlanc, noting this is the first time in 32 years he's taught in English.
But with support from the school and fellow professors, LeBlanc has had students enthusiastically playing Celtic and Acadian music, even showing off what they learned at a local Celtic pub.
"They gobbled it up! It went very well from day one, and it's been a lot of fun for me," LeBlanc said.
"This is a great opportunity for students to grow, and this college has really got a good program going."
'Time for them to absorb'
The students have learned mouth music — what LeBlanc calls a tolut — foot-tapping tunes that don't use words but rather sounds like "dum-dum-da-deedle-deedle."
"I thought mouth music would be easier for them, because most of them are anglophones — and to teach French songs to people that don't speak the language is a challenge in itself," LeBlanc notes.
They've also learned a few songs in French including Vishten, a song that comes from P.E.I.'s Evangeline area where the majority of the Island's Acadians hail from.
He wishes he had more time to teach more songs, LeBlanc said, but the semester has flown by quickly.
"This is a new style for them, so it takes a little bit more time for them to absorb."
LeBlanc has added some star power to his class, bringing in one of his two daughters from the award-winning Acadian group Vishten to help teach rhythmic foot-tapping and bodhran.
'A full-body thing'
Many of the students at the school, who hail from around the globe, had never heard Acadian music and didn't know what an Acadian was.
"It's been really eye-opening and a very big learning experience, music-wise as well as evolving as a person," said Jocelyn Reyome, a second-year vocal major from Massachusetts.
Although she speaks no French, Reyome sang confidently and with a perfect accent in class, crediting LeBlanc with teaching her.
"It's a lot of faking!" she laughed. "It's a full-body thing! They do the feet-tapping ... I didn't realize how much of a workout it is! By the end of one song I'm already tired. It's been really cool to experience that in a really authentic way."
Drummer Josh Wright from the Bahamas said learning Celtic and Acadian beats was completely new to him.
"At first we were iffy about it, we were like, 'We don't think this is our cup of tea,'" Wright said. Students soon came around, however, and found themselves singing the tunes together as they walked back to their dorms.
"It's something that's going to stick with us for sure, and I feel as though everyone should be given the opportunity," Wright said.
'Not going to be exposed to elsewhere'
The position is a joint project of Holland College and Collège de l'Île along with P.E.I.'s Federation Culturelle, with funding from the provincial government.
"Students who come here learn something that they're not going to be exposed to elsewhere," said Michael O'Grady, vice-president of innovation, enterprise and strategic development at Holland College. O'Grady believes the Acadian-in-residence program could be a world first.
"Perhaps it will have an impact at some point in their own musical careers, what they learned here in Prince Edward Island."
Attracting French students and having a French presence on campus is a great idea, LeBlanc believes.
"Long-term what we are looking for is to be able to ensure if a francophone or an Acadian wants to come to the School of Performing Arts ... they can study somewhat in French," said Colette Aucoin, vice-president of Collège de l'Île. "This exploratory mission is sort of to see where we could go with this."
'One way to stop assimilation'
Teaching Acadian music is a great way to spread and strengthen P.E.I.'s Acadian culture, LeBlanc said.
"They'll be able to talk about Acadians and say, 'Hey — I met a real one!'" he laughs.
"It's one way to stop assimilation — to give yourself an identity, to say 'I'm Acadian, this is part of my culture, and I take ownership of this.' That is always a challenge."
LeBlanc would be open to another stint as Acadian in residence, he said, but hopes the school mounts the project again with or without him.
The pilot has been very successful, officials said, and are currently discussing making the position a permanent element of the school's programming.
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