Featuring:
FIAEP students
Nicole Dumonceau Christopher Milani Ashley Deis
Robin Hamill Dylan Morin Roger Lareau
Aaron Higgins Tommy Wright
Robbie Keith Jordan Seitz
Peer Buddies
Lisa Brady Anna Currie Derek Dawson Joseph Wright
Ruaridh MacDonald Kim Higgins Morgan Kuntz Owen Lareau Janelle Lucyk
Eilidh MacDonald Jillian Probe Rebecca Toderian Kayla Gelowitz
Taryn Lutherbach Emma Power Melissa Sargeant-Radomskir Benoit Linteau
Others who are interested in joining the band are joining Best Buddies for a year, building relationships, and learning about BQUAD at rehearsals
Instructors
Mr. Chris Hamilton, Mrs. JoAnne Gelowitz, Mrs. Mary-Anne Harazny
Playing:
' Hound Dog; Everyday I Have the Blues; How Blue Can You Get; Wipe Out; Alright, Okay, You Win; Black Horse and the Cherry Tree; This Little Light of Mine; Sweet Home Chicago
And our original tunes:
Ain't Nothin' Like The Blues; Before We Go; The Best Buddies Blues; Tradin' 8's
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, and an Inclusion Award from The Association for Community Living.
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 are learning for the first time the bass, drums, keys, and/or guitar. We rehearse Tuesdays at lunch and work through a basic blues repertoire. We have a ½ hour set ready to perform.
This group is available to play for an appropriate honorarium. For more information or booking, please contact Chris Hamilton at (306) 522 4551, (306) 791 7250, 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.