Ensembles and Programs

Cultural Enhancement Program

Arising from SHALLAWAY’s core as a cultural agency, this program began to develop subsidiary opportunities for choristers commencing with instruction in three prominent areas of traditional Newfoundland expression – strings (fiddle), flute (tin whistle) and percussion (bodhrán and bones).  This program has proved to be extremely popular with SHALLAWAY members and has been oversubscribed in recent years.  The goals of this program include:

  • To ensure the value, skills and knowledge base of traditional Newfoundland cultural practice are transmitted to a new generation of young people.
  • To enhance the musical development of SHALLAWAY choristers by providing a different medium of learning through which their musical understandings can be deepened.  The skills and concepts of singing and instrumental playing share much in common, but also have important differences and thus are complementary to each other.  The program combines choral pedagogy with instrumental playing, fusing elements that are common to both and exploring the techniques which are unique to instrumental playing but which also serve to enhance choristers overall musicianship and performance skills.
  • To research the impact of this Cultural Enhancement Program.

String Program – The String Program is directed by Christina Smith and focuses on the traditional string playing of our musical heritage in the province.  Christina is a performer, recording artist and teacher.  She teaches both Suzuki Method strings and Newfoundland Fiddling in St. John’s and at workshops in Ontario and Quebec.  In demand as a session player, she has backed up Newfoundland’s best known musicians, including Emile Benoit, Buddy Wassisname, the Irish Descendants, Jean Hewson, Jim Payne, Fergus O’Byrne, Ron Hynes and others.

Flute Program – The Flute Program is coordinated by Beverley Lane, former Principal Flutist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, who has extensive teaching experience ranging from beginner to the university level.

Percussion Program – The Percussion Program is coordinated by Rob Power, Assistant Professor of Percussion at Memorial University School of Music and Principal Percussionist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.  Small group session explore rhythm and sound through a comprehensive study of basic percussion skills, including the snare drum, hand drumming (African, South American) and such traditional Newfoundland/Irish percussion instruments as the bodhrán and bones.