Featuring:

FIAEP students

Nicole Dumonceau  Christopher Milani  Ashley Deis   

Robin Hamill   Dylan Morin  Aaron Higgins  Tommy Wright  

Robbie Keith   Jordan Seitz 

Peer Buddies

Kim Higgins   Lisa Brady  Anna Currie   Joseph Wright

Emma Power   Melissa Sargeant-Radomski   

Instructors

Mr. Chris Hamilton, Mrs. Mary-Anne Harazny

Playing:

Hound Dog - Wipe Out - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - Sweet Home Chicago

And our original tunes:

Ain't Nothin' Like The Blues - Before We Go - The Best Buddies Blues - Tradin' 8's – Celebrate!

The Best Buddies Blues Band

The Best Buddies Blues Band, also known as ‘BQUAD’, is group of high school students involved in an extra-curricular and curricular instrumental music program at Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  This pilot project was implemented in the fall of 2005.  Chris Hamilton, the instructor and creator of this program, has received the following awards: Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Board Award for Innovation in the Arts finalist, Saskatchewan Music Educators Association Award for Excellence in Music Education, an Inclusion Award from The Association for Community Living, and just recently the Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts.

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Students from the FIAEP program (see below) are the featured xylophone soloists, vocalists, and small percussion players for this blues band. The other members of the band are students from the Best Buddies program (see below) who sing or play the bass, drums, keys, and/or guitars. We rehearse Tuesdays at lunch and work through a basic blues repertoire. We have an hour set ready to perform for $500. BQUAD is off to play in Athens, Greece, at the 2011 Special Olympic World Summer Games and they need as much support as possible. For more information or booking, please contact Chris Hamilton at:

(306) 522 4551, (306) 791 7250, or ch.hamilton@accesscomm.ca.

High School Functionally Integrated Alternative Education Program (FIAEP)

The FIAEP program is available at Michael A. Riffel and Dr. Martin LeBoldus High Schools. Regina Catholic Schools provides the FIAEP program for adolescents with intellectual disabilities who require alternate education programs and services.
Students are welcomed into their high school and may remain in that school until they reach the age of 22 years. Students receive their education experiences within the special class setting and in the regular high school environment. The student’s education program involves self-care, behavioral management, functional academics, and social skills training. Transition planning to adult community programming is carried out by a school, family and community team in the last two years of school.

Best Buddies – www.bestbuddies.ca

Best Buddies ® is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment.