ARCHIVED—Grant Etchegary
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Year: 2003 – Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
Certificate of Excellence Recipients
School: Holy Heart High School
55 Bonaventure Avenue
St. John's,
Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 3Z3
Principal: David Cooper
School Telephone: 709-754-1600
School Fax: 709-754-0855
School Email: getchegary@nf.sympatico.ca
School Website: www.hhm.k12.nf.ca
Grades/Subjects Taught: Grades 10-12 / music and technology
Teaching Approach:
Music enriches students in many ways - emotionally, creatively, socially and intellectually.
Provides challenging repertoire to foster students' commitment to, and passion for, music.
Outstanding Achievements:
Mr. Etchegary has created an outstanding music program, which is respected for the quality of instruction. He developed an ingenious way of teaching complex rhythms by encouraging students to start by envisioning the entire music phrase, and then break it down into smaller parts.
He uses new technologies, such as high-speed fibreoptic connectivity, to give students more opportunities to study music. As a result, 40 percent of students now take advantage of online mentoring sessions with master teachers from across Canada.
He also spearheaded the school's participation in a groundbreaking international online music project, which linked music students from five Canadian schools together with students from Finland, Switzerland and China via a high-speed fibreoptic connection. This successful project has now evolved into the successful MusicGrid initiative, where Canadian students and teachers, including Holy Heart students, get to collaborate online with professional musicians across Canada.
Mr. Etchegary has also commissioned six original works for his concert band, all relating to Newfoundland & Labrador themes.
In Praise Of:
"Very simply put, Grant has established a level of excellence in music education for Holy Heart students that is second to none in Canada. This manifests itself in an energy and enthusiasm that exists for all students in the music department at Holy Heart. A "magnet" that students cannot resist." - Former Holy Heart Principal
"The combination of his experience and his insight into the use of new technology makes Grant one of the finest examples of what music teaching may become in the future." - Leader, Institute for Information Technology, National Research Council of Canada