Orillia Secondary School had an afternoon full of music and dance on Tuesday.
Gurdeep Pandher made a stop at the school during his national tour to spread joy and positivity through a Punjab traditional folk dance. The Yukon resident and Sikh Canadian has been travelling across the country since gaining a national spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the peak of the pandemic, I was making dance videos in the snow and the cold while sending messages of positivity through social media,” he explained. “People were watching my work and sending me handwritten letters.”
Pandher, 44, learned joy and positivity are important to most people, which is what made him decide to go on a country-wide tour.
“I want to spread my messages in person,” he said. “I was invited to come here to Orillia, which was very exciting.”
A scene from Orillia Secondary School in Ontario today. 800 school students participated. pic.twitter.com/wfuNrPbS0N
— Gurdeep Pandher of the Yukon (@GurdeepPandher) October 18, 2022
Pandher enjoys connecting with young students and teaching them how to dance and how to spread hope and positivity.
“There are so many wonderful people living across the country,” he said. “They like to try new things and they like to dance together.”
He says using joy in the education system is important.
“I hope the students take away that being joyful and positive is helpful in education,” he said. “I would like them to also learn a few new moves so if they wanted to dance by themselves, they are able to.”
Pandher learned to dance during his childhood from his family and professional trainers in Punjab before moving to Canada.
“I’m honoured that people from across the country watch my work,” he said. “I enjoy sharing my culture among students and many different kinds of people.”
Ally Williams, a Grade 12 student, enjoyed Pandher’s presence Tuesday because it brought almost all students and staff together for the first time in her four years at Orillia Secondary School.
“I think this is so fun,” she said. “The purpose of it is to make everyone happy, and everyone seems very happy today.”
She says the event boosted school spirit.
“It’s so exciting,” she said. “I really love it.”
Pandher was set to perform Tuesday at Meridian Place in Barrie at 6 p.m. It was to be his last performance before heading home to the Yukon for the winter.
On Tuesday afternoon, Orillia Secondary School also hosted instrumental bands from across the Simcoe County District School Board for a series of workshops.
Laura Lee Matthie, an arts leader and music teacher at the school, says the event was meant to educate students who are beginners on their instruments. Students worked in groups and with a guest conductor on two pieces they received five days ago.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do field trips,” Matthie said. “COVID has really hit music in a challenging way. There was a time when we weren’t allowed to play.”
She says Tuesday’s event was a good way to kick-start the music year for students.
“It’s been awesome,” she said. “I was working with the clarinets, and they seem pretty jazzed with what we are doing.”
Grade 9 students Oliver Sawatzky and Abbey Howard participated in the workshops.
“It’s really an awesome experience,” Sawatzky said. “I like being able to collaborate with different schools and programs.”
Howard, who plays the French horn, enjoyed the opportunity to meet students from other schools.
“These are people who are in the same boat as us,” she said. “It’s great seeing other people who play instruments.”
Sawatzky, who plays the upright bass, says it’s important to collaborate with others when it comes to playing music.
“You can bounce ideas off of each other,” he said. “You can feed off their energy and share musical ideas.”
Howard says collaborating is also important for making connections in the world of music.
“Making music together is something we’ve been deprived of the past two years,” she said.
