WELLINGTON: A young Wellington boy who is quick to volunteer for any musical opportunity” left such a lasting impact on his former music teacher at Holland Road Elementary School that he’s picked up a national leadership award.
On Music Monday, held May 4 across Canada through Coalition Canada, Noah Deptuck of Wellington was announced as the Leadership Award recipient for elementary schools across Canada. This year, the event took place via livestream and video due to restrictions related to COVID19.
Launched in 2005 by The Coalition for Music Education, Music Monday is one of the world’s largest single events dedicated to raising awareness for music education.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and music makers celebrate with events from coast to coast to coast and participate in the collective singing of the Music Monday Anthem, an original song written by a Canadian artist.
The 2020 anthem was the iconic “Hymn to Freedom,” by Oscar Peterson and Harriette Hamilton, in a new bilingual translation.
Deptuck, who attends Grade 4 at the Fletchers Lake school, said he liked being named the winner, although it’s hard to sum up what the award means to him.
“It is a hard question answer because I didn’t do anything different with music and I won an award for it,” he said in an email interview.
Noah’s favourite instrument is the fiddle.
“I like playing for people. It is a lot of fun,” he said. “My favourite place I like to play is the Christmas concert when the grandparents come in. I like creating music.”
Former music teacher at the school, Kerstin Boyce, nominated Noah for the honour.
“Noah is quick to volunteer for any musical opportunity, in school and in our community,” said Boyce. “Every Christmas, Noah offers to welcome our guests by performing many carols on his violin as they enter our school.
“Any time music needs to be performed; Noah jumps in to offer.”
She said that while in Garde 3 last year, Noah offered to create movements to enhance the “acrobatic tricks” in their Clowns performance.
In 2019, Holland Road sang “Hymn to Freedom” for Music Monday.
“Noah offered to play his violin. It was beautiful,” said Boyce. “If we are having a tough day, we just listen to Noah play his effortless jigs on the fiddle, and his classmates and our principal feel like all is well again.”
Noah couldn’t believe it when he heard his name called out on the livestream. He was unaware of the accomplishment he had achieved before hearing it on the livestream.
“I was like, “did they literally just say my name.” I didn’t really understand,” said Noah. “All I did understand is that it was a country wide thing.
“People started calling me, and that’s when I realized how big this thing was.”
