{"id":25523,"date":"2026-05-01T09:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kativik.qc.ca\/?p=25523"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T18:54:16","slug":"music-education-nunavik-jaanimmarik","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kativik.qc.ca\/en\/music-education-nunavik-jaanimmarik\/","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Roots, Modern Groove: Music at Jaanimmarik School"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text css=””]If you walk down the halls of Jaanimmarik School and hear a blend of strumming ukuleles, Inuktitut lyrics, and the steady thump of a drum set, you\u2019ve stumbled upon Sarah Russell\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

A veteran of the North with more than 12 years of service, Sarah has seen how music transforms the student experience. Since 2017, she\u2019s been turning her classroom into a recording studio and a stage. Through her unique teaching approach, she proves that closing the distance between traditional Inuit culture and modern performance is just a matter of finding the right beat.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white” style=”dashed” border_width=”4″ el_width=”60″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″]

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What\u2019s cool is that some classes listen well enough that we can just jam. I\u2019ll be on keyboard, and then we have students on the drum set, the caj\u00f3n, the Inuit drums, and the Tubano drums. It\u2019s mostly percussive, with me doing a melody, but they just listen and get into the beat. It\u2019s an exploration.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Sarah Russell<\/span> Music Teacher, Jaanimmarik School (Kuujjuaq)<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Practice, Consistency, and the Slow Build<\/h2>\n

Sarah sees music as a lesson in long-term work. In an era where many games offer immediate rewards, she finds satisfaction in seeing kids work toward a performance. \u201cAll it takes is practice and consistency,\u201d Sarah explains. \u201cIf you don\u2019t try, you\u2019re not going to get anywhere. If you try and you\u2019re not very good, well, that\u2019s a good place to start from.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text css=””]The soundscape of the classroom\u00a0is a unique Northern mashup. One day, students might be practising the ukulele or piano; the next, they are recording a school-wide song for Every Child Matters<\/strong>\u00a0using a digital recorder.<\/p>\n

Sarah makes a conscious effort to ensure the music remains grounded in the community. At assemblies, she invited students who recently started secondary school to lead the Inuit drumming. \u201cKids pay attention even more, when the person can speak Inuktitut,\u201d she says.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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A Space to Grow<\/h2>\n

This community spirit extends\u00a0to the annual Talent Show, which showcases everything from digital art and athletic feats to a full-band rendition of\u00a0Hotel California<\/em>, with staff rallying behind a talented student guitarist.<\/p>\n

One standout tradition is the surprise show for the Grade 6 graduation. As Sarah recalls: \u201cWe took Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u2018Texas Hold \u2019Em\u2019 and turned it into something entirely our own. By rewriting the lyrics into a trilingual mix of Inuktitut, French, and English, the younger students and many staff members were able to surprise the graduates with a show that really represented them.\u201d For Sarah, it\u2019s about making these musical moments a habit\u2014one vocal warm-up, one drum beat, and one \u201cnew\u201d experience at a time.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″]

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It\u2019s not hard, it\u2019s just new. So jump in and try it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Sarah Russell<\/span> Music Teacher, Jaanimmarik School (Kuujjuaq)<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \"\"\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_separator color=”white” style=”dashed” border_width=”4″ el_width=”60″][vc_column_text css=””]We have an awesome team of dedicated staff.
\nMeet more of our long-time employees <\/strong>here \u2794<\/strong><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”10\/12″][vc_column_text css=””]If you walk down the halls of Jaanimmarik School and hear a blend of strumming ukuleles, Inuktitut lyrics, and the steady thump of a drum set, you\u2019ve stumbled upon Sarah Russell\u2019s world. A veteran of the North with more than 12 years of service, Sarah has seen how music transforms the student […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMusic at Jaanimmarik School: Sarah Russell\u2019s Modern Groove<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Music at Jaanimmarik School inspires students. 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