Bedford students learn Gaelic culture through song, dance and language

The sounds of traditional Gaelic music echoed in the halls of Rocky Lake Elementary School on Friday.

Students have spent the last month learning to square dance, sing milling songs and learn about the Gaelic history in Nova Scotia, as well as the language.

“It’s a great way to bring together people to work on something together. We’re using Gaelic culture to celebrate diversity,” said Vince MacNeil, acting principal of Rocky Lake Elementary.

In Nova Scotia, May marks Gaelic Month.

In order to prepare students, community volunteers visited the school and taught students about the culture.

“I did history and language in the classrooms and then I did the milling song with Ms. Harding and dancing with Ms. Putt,” explained Beth Ann Macachen, Citadel High’s Gaelic teacher.

Macachen said it is important for students to learn about the Gaelic heritage and its contributions to Nova Scotia.

“It’s a third of us in Nova Scotia who can connect to Gaelic culture or Gaelic heritage,” said Macachen.

Music and dance plays an important role in Gaelic culture. It used to carry on stories and traditions.

“It’s all symbolic. For example, in Gaelic culture, the whole idea of a circle of life going around and around is showcased through its dance.”

The first dance students learned is the Inverness square set, which is a Cape Breton tradition.

The second is the Scottish two-step and shuffling.

“It’s a Scottish country dance tradition which is done all over the world and it’s directly from Scotland,” explained dance teacher Colleen Putt.

For the students, it has been an enjoyable couple of weeks full of learning.

“It’s been quite fun to learn about a culture that my name is a big relevance in that I’ve never learned before,” exclaimed one student.

Another said it’s the history behind each of the dances that has made it more fun to learn.

“You get to move around and move how they did years and years ago.”

The school is hosting an event full of live Gaelic music and dance for students and their families to show off their moves.