Singing to remember, singing to heal: Ts'msyen music in public schools.

The Ts'msyen Nation of the Terrace area of northern British Columbia has a rich cultural tradition that is not adequately represented in local public school music curricula, despite the support of government policy documents and First Nations organizations for such representation, and despite the significant proportion of First Nations students in the school district. This study seeks to develop resources for music teaching that reflect local Ts'msyen culture, heritage and language, in a manner consistent with Ts'msyen culture and protocol. The study consists of interviews with six Ts'msyen elders to determine their views about (1) the advisability of including Ts'msyen music in public schools (2) protocol for the use of Ts'msyen music in schools (3) ideas and material for presenting Ts'msyen music in schools. Finally, I examine other cultural information provided in the interviews and present teaching material that conforms to the guidelines that emerged from the study.