Cheverie, Fr Charles - Dropouts from Singing Strings | Bowing Down Home

Transcript

File: cheveriecharles06-oh-singingstrings_M.mp3


Speakers:

CC – Fr. Charles Cheverie

KP – Curator Ken Perlman


CC: On PEI in the last 10, 15 years – Was John and Jan Clemmens around when you were here before?


KP: Yes, Singing Strings?


CC: Yes, Singing Strings. Apart from that the violin was introduced into the schools, and some picked up the violin. And I used to be one who talked to John Clemmens who was heading up the program [the Singing Strings classical violin program] and teaching. And I’ve asked John “Have any of your students stopped?” And once they stopped I used to say, “Well if they can read the notes, and if there's any genes there to be expressed, fiddling genes that is, or it's in their blood, maybe fiddling over violin playing would attract their attention.” And I found that, and even now among the Queens County Fiddlers there are some people, who are, much to the chagrin of John, [are] playing fiddle music and playing in the Singing Strings.