Nicholas Donaldson
Aboriginal musician Shy-anne Hovorka spent last Wednesday getting to know the area and meeting the people here.
Hovorka, who spoke with the Times before staging a concert at the Couchiching multi-use facility last Wednesday night, said she’s always enjoyed music and education.
She was very happy to come to the area and meet with people to share her experiences as a musician.
Hovorka said she grew up as a foster child on a reserve and dealt with a lot of bullying.
She feels like it helps her connect with kids and encourage them to pursue their passions.
“It’s an ‘If I can do it, you can do it,’ sort of thing,” Hovorka explained.
When organizer Dave Savard asked her if she wanted to do the visit, Hovorka said she was excited for the opportunity.
The day also included a visit to a day-care centre and a seniors’ centre.
Hovorka said she loved being able to visit and get to know the area instead of just coming to play a show.
“It was nice to actually see the community,” she remarked.
“We have a better understanding of the audience now.”
Hovorka also led a workshop for young musicians that afternoon.
She talked to the youths, as well as answered their questions about the music industry and making a music career.
One of the things Hovorka mentioned was how difficult it is to have both a family and a music career.
Hovorka spoke about her 17-month-old son, Rex, and her decision to stop touring in order to stay with him.
“I took a step back from music to be a mom,” she explained.
Hovorka also said she always has been interested in education.
“When I was 12 years old, I was kind of the community baby-sitter,” she noted.
Hovorka started a sort of summer camp, free of charge, for all of the kids on her street. She recalled how she would organize homework activities, hold “choir practice,” and even have concerts with the children on a trampoline.
“It was fun for me, I loved it,” she remarked.
Hovorka noted there is a lot of potential and talent in all of the youths she works with.
“Sometimes I don’t want to sing after hearing them sing,” she laughed.
She said she likes working with teens because they are just coming into the world and have a “wide-eyed view.”
She also thinks they are less cynical about the world and ready for opportunity.
“At that age, that’s the time to say, ‘Yes you can,'” she stressed.
Hovorka also said from what she has seen, they just need a little bit of hope and then they take off.
Her message to the youth is to just try it–and don’t be afraid because you are not going to be good at everything.
“Every little thing you do is going to help you on the path you want to take in life,” Hovorka reasoned.
She also admitted she still doesn’t feel like she knows what she’s doing in her music career.
But she said that if she did know it all, she probably would get bored of it.
“You always want to stretch the boundaries; do something bigger and better next time,” she advised.
“I hope I am not even close to knowing everything yet.”
“The uncertainty of it all keeps the passion alive. For anything I think,” echoed her guitarist, Jordan Elcheson.
Savard also was very happy with the day and the positive interactions Hovorka had with the community.
For him, the entire day was about bringing people together, stressing that Hovorka’s visit was not just for First Nations’ residents.
He wanted everyone to feel welcome at the workshops and the concert.
Savard said when Hovorka visited the day-care centre, she sat on the ground with the children.
“The kids loved it,” he enthused. “She was on the same level as them and they were all jamming out.”
Hovorka also was the “celebrity guest” Bingo caller while visiting the seniors’ centre.
The day was about showing Hovorka around the area and giving her the full “Couchiching experience,” noted Savard.
But it also was an opportunity for young musicians to learn about the industry and get some inspiration for starting their own music career.
In the afternoon, Hovorka gathered with teens at the Couchiching multi-use centre and answered their questions about the music business.
Savard said Hovorka talked to the youths about the highs and the lows of the music industry, and “how to stay in the middle.”
The teens also were able to do a sound check with Hovorka and learn about the tech side of the industry.
Two of them, Paige Whitebush, 17, and Shakira Waboose, 14, also were given the opportunity to perform on stage during Hovorka’s concert.
This was part of Hovorka’s blend of music and education–and the opportunity for local musicians to get stage experience.
They also met with Hovorka before the concert and saw some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on.
Savard made it a point to show the young musicians things they do not see when attending a regular show.
The teens got to meet the concert security and sit in on Hovorka’s interview with the local media.
“Playing up on stage, that is the reward, and today the kids got to see the work that goes into that,” Savard noted.
