Music transcends cultural differences

BY SHERRI TURNER

The group onstage looks like a normal high school jazz band, but there’s a difference. Interspersed alongside Nova Scotia high school musicians at Acadia’s Summer Jazz Camp are 17 visiting students from Cuba.

“We can’t communicate with each other without interpreters,” says Jeff Goodspeed, camp director and saxophonist. “But as soon as the downbeat hits, we all speak the same language.”

Goodspeed said that having students from Cuba attend Acadia’s Summer Jazz Camp exposes Nova Scotian participants to experts their own age. He explains that in Cuba an effort is placed on specialized education, with children as young as eight being placed in one of the country’s 65 dedicated arts schools to focus on their specific talent. In addition, many members of the Nova Scotia Honour Jazz Band, which Goodspeed directs, also attend the Acadia camp.

“These students are exceptional musicians and that changes the dynamic of the camp. The standard of music produced goes way up,” Goodspeed said.

Recently, Acadia hosted nearly 180 students in its jazz camp. It’s one of many camps offered on the university campus this summer in addition to camps on science, sports and arts. The university also hosts hybrid camps, which combine a mixture of interests.

“Acadia campus is an exciting place to be any time of the year,” Goodspeed said.

Performances at variety of venues

The group of Cuban jazz students will visit Nova Scotia throughout July with performances scheduled at a variety of venues, including the Atlantic Jazz Festival. They are dubbed Los Primos, which is Spanish for “The Cousins”, and their Nova Scotian counterparts are know as Canadian Primos.

Although many high school groups visit Cuba to soak up its rich jazz tradition, the Nova Scotia Los Primos project is the only one that brings Cuban students back. It’s a tradition that began at Acadia in the late 1990s when a jazz camp student suggested his Cuban uncle, a jazz performer, be invited to the Acadia camp. It sparked the unique cultural exchange, which has occurred every few years since.

Halifax West Grade 12 student Jonathon Haggett is a member of the Nova Scotia Jazz Honour Band and participated in the Acadia Jazz Camp. He said the Canadian Primos’ trip to Cuba was hot and filled with music, with seven performances over nine days. Coming to Acadia to attend jazz camp was a reunion of sorts for the young musician, who was inspired by the Cuban performers.

“Music is something I want to do for the rest of my life,” the trumpet player said. “Experiences like this are important and help me grow as a musician.”

There are still youth camp openings at Acadia University. These can be viewed at conted.acadiau.ca

Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been recognized as one of Canada’s premier undergraduate institutions. With its nationally and internationally recognized research initiatives, small classes and technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers students an experience that includes academic achievement combined with personal growth and development. For more information about Acadia, visit our website at www.acadiau.ca.