John Arcand facts for kids

Jean Baptiste "John" Arcand, who is also known as CM, was born on July 19, 1942, in Jackson Lake, Saskatchewan. He is a talented Canadian fiddler, composer, teacher, and luthier (someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments).

John Arcand has been creating and playing music since he was a child. He learned traditional Métis tunes from his father, Victor, and his grandfather, Jean-Baptiste. John once said, "I knew from childhood I would be a fiddler." He also shared, "I love the constant challenge because you cannot ever master the fiddle." He is famous for his excellent sense of rhythm, which is very important when guiding dancers with his music.

The Métis community has honored John Arcand for helping to keep this important musical tradition alive. Besides his busy performance schedule, he is often a guest artist and judge at fiddle contests. He is also a popular teacher at many fiddle camps and gives private lessons. On top of all that, he makes and repairs fiddles!

John Arcand's Early Life

Jean Baptiste Arcand comes from a long line of musicians, going back nine generations. His family roots are in the Métis communities of Red River and Batoche, Saskatchewan. John was one of 14 children born to Victor Arcand and Emma Loyie, who lived in Debden, Saskatchewan.

He grew up surrounded by dancing and fiddle music. He started playing the fiddle when he was just six years old. While his father and grandfather did not compose music, they played traditional Métis tunes like jigs and reels for dances. By the age of 12, John was already playing for dances in people's homes and at school. He remembers, "My first fiddle was too long for me, and it only had two strings on it!"

John also became active playing for jiggers (dancers), square dancers, round dancers, and other dance groups. Much of his childhood was spent working on his family's farm, chopping wood and milking cows. He started working in logging camps at 16, which helped him earn money for his first proper fiddle.

John Arcand's Music Career

John Arcand started taking part in fiddle contests in 1970. He won the championship at "Back to Batoche Days" in 1971. He also competed at the Prince Albert Winter Festival fiddle contest and the Western Canadian Amateur Fiddle Championship.

Arcand helped start many fiddle groups and dance organizations in Saskatchewan. These included the Deep Lake Stompers and the Parkland Fiddlers Association. He also helped create the Saskatchewan Fiddle Committee.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Arcand worked at the Gabriel Dumont Institute in Saskatoon. There, he helped bring together well-known Métis fiddle players from across Western Canada. Their goal was to collect and save their traditional fiddle music. This project led to a special collection in 2002 called Drops of Brandy and other Traditional Métis Tunes.

This collection included four CDs with over 150 fiddle tunes played by 12 master Métis fiddlers. An accompanying book was also released. It had sheet music for every song, stories about the musicians, and details about the history and importance of Métis fiddling.

John Arcand has been a guide and teacher for many Canadian fiddlers throughout his long career. On March 28, 2003, he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture. This award was given to him at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. He was recognized for his efforts to protect and promote Métis fiddling.

The Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association also gave Arcand a Lifetime Achievement Award in August 2003. He was the guest artist at this national fiddle competition. John Arcand was the first Canadian Métis fiddler and the first Saskatchewan fiddler to receive this special honor. He also performed at the launch of Canada's first Métis radio station on the internet.

On May 3, 2007, John Arcand became a member of the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honors a Canadian can receive. He officially received the award on April 11, 2008.

Fiddle Festivals and Camps

John Arcand has recorded many music albums. One album features Métis fiddle tunes with fellow fiddler Calvin Vollrath. Together, they started the Emma Lake Fiddle Camp. Famous fiddlers like Richard Wood and Patti Kusturok Lamoreux also taught at this camp.

The John Arcand Fiddle Fest is held every August on his property south of Saskatoon. Fiddle music fans from all over the world attend this festival. In 2017, the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Musical Inspirations

John Arcand's music and his own compositions have been influenced by another great fiddler, Andy DeJarlis. You can hear this influence in how John has recorded several of DeJarlis's tunes over the years. He even included a DeJarlis fiddle tune class at his Fiddle Fest in 2005. Many of John Arcand's own songs sound similar to DeJarlis's tunes. They often use minor keys and similar rhythmic patterns.

John Arcand's Compositions

John Arcand has written nearly 400 original fiddle tunes! Many of these songs are named after people or places that are special to him. Here is a selection of some of his tunes:

• Big Bear
• Bill Kalyn's Two Step
• The Chicken Reel
• Cutknife Hill
• Dennis Weber Reel
• Don Kurmey's Polka
• Emma's Memorial Waltz
• Fay MacKenzie Two step
• Fiddle Fest Reel
• Fort Pitt Reel
• Fred Muir's Polka
• Gerald White's Memorial Duck Dance
• Gerry Dore Reel
• Harry Daniels
• January Jig
• Lionel's Jig
• Medric (Mederic) McDougall's First Change
• Mel Bedard's First Change
• Memories of Emma Lake
• Old Bone Trail
• Poinsettia Waltz
• Reel de Claquette
• Sugar Hill Road
• Turtle Lake Swing
• Victor Rose's Jig
• Yvon Dumont
• Windy Acres Two Step

Awards and Honors

John Arcand has received many important awards for his contributions to music:

• He was one of 27 people chosen to represent Western Canada at the Fiddles of the World Conference in Halifax (1999).
• He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Grand Masters for his "Outstanding Contribution to Old Time Fiddling" (2003).
• He won the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture (2003).
• He was honored with the Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor's Arts Award (2004).
• He received the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005).
• He won The City of Saskatoon's Cultural Diversity and Race Relations "Living in Harmony" Award (2006).
• He became a member of the Order of Canada, presented by Governor General Michaelle Jean (2008).
• He received The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
• He was awarded The Canada Council Molson Prize (2014).

See also

• Music of Canada
• List of Canadian musicians