Young drummers shine at annual music festival

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Brendan Whitecap seems to have the golden touch when it comes to traditional First Nations drumming. Each of the three years he has entered the Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival, he has come home with first prize in the solo category.

This year, his solo, which he wrote, was dedicated to his grandmother, who he lives with on Moosomin First Nation. Whitecap was also invited to perform at the festival's annual gala, which features the "best of the best."

When he was six, Whitecap learned how to play the hand drum from his father. Now, at the tender age of 10, he is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a round dance singer. He practices half an hour twice a day, and joins with other students at Moosomin school who take hand drums lessons as an extra-curricular activity.

Charlene Blackstar is principal of Moosomin school. She said the school offers a lot of cultural activities for its students.

"We have a powwow group for the girls and for the boys. We also have round dance lessons," she said.

Gordon Albert was adjudicator for the First Nation traditional drumming competition at this year's Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival, which is held at a different school each year as a way to expose more and more students to First Nation culture. This year's event was held at Holy Family school at the end of March.

Albert, who was born and raised on Sweetgrass First Nation, admits he doesn't sing much, but said he has learned much about drumming and singing from his Elders and by attending ceremonies, and wants to share what he has learned.

"I try to practice my culture as much as I can. I try to pass it onto my children and grandchildren," he said.

In judging the competition, Albert first listens for uniformity, steadiness and rhythm in the beat. He also observes the tone of the song.

"In a group situation, you want the song to be sung at the same range. You don't want it too high and too low for all the singers. You have to try to strike a balance," he said.

In between the performances, Albert spent some time talking to audience members about the performances they were watching.

"The general public might think we're singing mumble-jumble. To us, it has meaning," he said.

He explained to the elementary students that there are different songs for different occasions. These songs are handed down from generation to generation and therefore have a lot of meaning.

"We sing songs to heal and entertain ourselves," he said.

Albert also spoke to the students about how a lead singer communicates instructions to the rest of his drum group.

"A lead singer is like a conductor in an orchestra," said Albert. "He indicates how loud the song is to be and who should take the lead in the next round."

Students were enthralled with the performances. When one of the groups played the large drum, a couple of students put their hands on their chests to augment the strong beat they felt. Another one pretended to play along with the drum on her palm.

Junior and senior drum groups competing in the festival came from the city and surrounding area, including Sakewew high school, St. Mary community school and Red Pheasant First Nation's Clifford Wuttunee school.

In the end, Sakewew won first prize in the senior group category while Clifford Wuttunee school took top honours in the junior category.

Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival president Jennifer Hesselson said the traditional drumming category was created to better reflect the community.

"That way everyone gets a chance to compete and show off their talent," she said.

She also noted the competition improves each year.

While the traditional drumming category has been included in the Saskatchewan Music Festival syllabus for the past few years, Grace Lang, who organizes the drumming category for the Battlefords festival said the local festival is the only one she knows of that holds formal competitions in this category.

"Ourmusic festival committee felt we should be including more of the community," she said.