Interview

mit Musiker Scott Woods

Scott Woods and his band travel across Canada every year and they help raise money for various charities. They change their show twice a year so the material is always fresh and new. Scott comes from a family of musicians. He plays seven instruments and has won numerous prizes. This fall will be his first tour in Germany. (See in „Veranstaltungen“ from September 21st on).

You will be touring Germany for the first time this September / October. What are your expectations?

Yes this will be my first time in Germany. I did play at the International Country Music Festival in Zevenbergen, Holland back in the mid-90’s but other than that, our touring has been in Canada and the United States. I am really looking forward to seeing the country and meeting the people. I’m not sure how they will react to Canadian Fiddle Music but I’m sure the danceability and melodic lines of the old time tunes will get their toes tapping. It is very happy music and very contagious. The melodies are simple and easy to get stuck in you head and before long, I’m sure many people will be humming the tunes.

You have been playing the fiddle and many other instruments since you were very young. Which one is your favourite and what other instrument would you yet like to learn?

I started playing violin at age 4 – I remember I couldn’t wait to start. My dad played fiddle and mom the piano. My 2 sisters and my brother were already joining mom and dad onstage and I wanted to go too. We all studied Classical music as my parents knew that a solid foundation in technique would make us better players. But as a reward for practising the scales, studies, etudes etc., dad would teach us fiddle tunes. It was so much fun to play and listen to. Because we had a family band, there were times when we needed another instrument to be played. I played drums a lot for a while. I also played bass for many fiddle jams. I still enjoy playing drums and bass on my recordings and with other bands from time to time. Although I can play piano, clarinet, saxophone, mandolin and guitar… I rarely have the opportunity to perform on those instruments. Sometimes while recording I will need a track and just grab a guitar or play some keyboards. I have often thought about playing the bagpipes, but I’m not sure my neighbours would appreciate me practising them. (I like to practise late at night!)

What is your ultimate goal/dream as an artist?

My music is not main-stream. I certainly have a niche market in North America. My fans are very loyal and dedicated. So my goals as an artist are really to keep fiddle music alive by continuing to present high quality entertainment for my fans and introducing the music to new unfamiliar fans. I also wish to make a contribution to the continuation of old time fiddling by composing tunes and by having young fiddlers or step dancers on my shows – it gives them an opportunity to perform and fine tune their art as well as grow themselves as an artist. Many young performers I have had on my tours now are performing professionally and touring on their own. I guess if there was one „bucket list“ dream for my playing, it would be to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee.

You have been touring all across Canada for quite a while, what are your favourite places and why?

I have performed since I was about 5 years old. We started travelling & playing outside Ontario when I was a young teenager and in 1986 at age 15 I was hired as the headline guest artist at a big fiddle festival in Carman Manitoba. I have travelled across Western Canada about 40 times since then and in the Maritime provinces about 30 times. I have yet to perform in Newfoundland and the Territories. Canada is a beautiful country and very big! There is always lots of driving between shows. I can be several thousand miles from home in Canada and still feel very much at home. The people are all very generous and gracious. They are appreciative of our music wherever we go and although we don’t see many of the tourist-type attractions because our schedule is so busy, the geography we see going down the highway makes the trip worthwhile. So I don’t really have a favourite place – they are all beautiful.

Music was always a part of you since both your parents were musicians and your siblings too. But was there ever a moment in your life when you thought of doing a different profession?

When I went to University, I decided that I did not want to play music for a living. I wanted artistic control of my music and I thought that „having to play“ would eliminate that. So I studied business and marketing. I got my real estate brokerage license and followed my parents in the real estate industry. I still own that business today. But in the late 1990’s I was teaching fiddle, recording, composing and performing a fair bit. My real estate career started to take a back seat. Soon the balance shifted to touring more and selling houses less. By 2005 I basically was doing full-time music. I still like to buy and sell a few properties myself and my brother still has an interest in our real estate company but neither of us spends very much time with real estate these days. When my band travels now, we have a big 45’ tour bus that I bought 10 years ago. I like to drive and do all the driving of the bus. I often thought that if I wasn’t playing music, perhaps I would drive a truck for a living. I guess the bus will have to do for now!

If you could choose a place to play anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I am very excited to be playing in Germany. My hope is that we will introduce Germans to Canadian Fiddle Music and be able to expand our tours to other European countries in the coming years. I love to travel and see new places and even though I will continue to travel in North America, I would be very happy to spend more time on the road in Europe (and other places) with my music.

what songs are always on your personal playlist when you prepare your phone/mp3 device for a trip?

I listen to fiddle music of course, but also to Traditional Country Music and Western Swing. I love the chord progressions in the swing music. It allows for very tight harmonies and there is just something about the beat. Big band and jazz are great too although I am more a fan of the old dixieland jazz as opposed to the more modern style. My favourite is getting a new fiddle album and seeing what the artist has done to some old standards or what new tunes they have created.

which musician would you like to jam with and what would be the songs you’d play together ?

I think if I could, I would go back in time and jam with the great fiddlers from a generation or two ago. Canadian Fiddlers like Don Messer, Al Cherny and Graham Townsend would be at the top of the its (I did perform and record with Graham Townsend). But other great fiddles too – Winston Scotty Fitzgerald, Joseph Allard, King Ganam. And American Fiddlers Chubby Wise, Kenny Baker, Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Johnny Gimble.

These are the artists I listened to and learned from and I suppose the ones I admire the most. I would love to play the old tunes they recorded back in the 40’s 50’ 60’s. I have had the pleasure of working with a few of them but it was many years ago and I did not take advantage of the opportunity as I was very shy. But I remember standing back stage with Kenny Baker and Chubby Wise – just chatting with them while another performer was onstage.

Interview

mit Professor Maureen Bourassa

Maureen Bourassa, PhD, Associate Professor of Marketing Graduate Chair, Master of Science in Marketing Edwards School of Business of the University of Saskatchewan, graciously agreed to give us an interview. Mrs Bourassa visited Stuttgart with her students this last Spring and will be back next year in Germany. Thank you very much for taking the time!

Mrs. Bourassa, you are a marketing professor at the University of Saskatchewan, tell us a little more about your work.

My job as an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan, involves teaching, research, and what we call “service.” As a teacher, I have instructed a range of courses – marketing research, marketing strategy, introduction to marketing, and most recently, a course about evidence-based decision making. As a researcher, I collect data –through interviews, focus groups, participant observation, experiments, and surveys – to explore topics and answer research questions that I think are important. In terms of service, I am a part of several committees, I supervise graduate and undergraduate research projects, and I coordinate our Master of Science in Marketing program.

In May you visited Stuttgart with your students, tell us about the purpose of your visit. Why Germany/Stuttgart?

The trip is part of an undergraduate course titled “Evidence-Based Decision Making.” The aim of the course is to explore the role of research and data in making better strategic decisions. It is an experiential learning course that also has an international travel component. It is funded by sponsors, including PotashCorp. The course took place for the first time in May 2017, and we will be holding it again in May 2018.

Why Stuttgart, Germany? I am the course leader, and am fortunate to have the support of my colleague, Dr. Marjorie Delbaere, who has personal connections in Stuttgart’s business community. These relationships are what enable the course to be successful. Also, both Marjorie and I speak German, so this is an asset in leading our group of students!

Are there other countries you would like to visit with your students, why?

Students gain so much from international travel that, really, any country is an amazing learning opportunity. Intense learning takes place when we are in a place that is different from what we know or take for granted, and it is these differences that challenge our thinking and our perspectives.

That said, I have never been to South America, and Chile has been on my bucket list for a long time. If I could use teaching as an excuse to get there, I definitely would. Hiking in the Andes Mountains would be breathtaking.

One of your current project researches is: “The Role of Respect, Power, and Emotion in Stakeholder Engagement”. Can you summarize the main points for us?

In my research, I am interested in marketing ethics – specifically, my work aims to understand how stakeholders from multiple sectors engage with each other to solve complex social issues. For example, how can industry, government, and community successfully work together on topics related to nuclear energy, urban poverty, or childhood obesity? I am particularly interested in the role that respect (and disrespect) plays in these processes. When a person feels valued (or not valued) in their relationships with others, how does this change how they feel about their colleagues and the process, and how does that ultimately impact the outcomes?

You worked on various projects and publications, which achievement are you most proud of?

Can I call my three beautiful children an achievement? I have a daughter who is 10, and two sons who are 7 and 5 years old. My first child was born while I was a PhD student, my second child was born just after I successfully defended my PhD thesis, and my third child was born in the early years of my career as a marketing professor. This has challenged me to spread my attention not only between the three facets of my work – teaching, research, and service – but also between three little people. It has made me more efficient and focused in my job, and has, of course, brought me much joy.

What do you enjoy the most about teaching?

I enjoy challenging students to think critically – to not only make observations, but also try to figure out why the world works the way it does. We do this on our course in Germany. It is not always easy, especially because it can be ambiguous, but it is also so rewarding.

Are you originally from Saskatoon? What do you like the most about it?

I moved to Saskatoon when I was 4 years old. I have spent time abroad (going to school and working in Austria) and in Ontario, Canada (I did my graduate schooling at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario). But, I have lived in Saskatoon for the majority of my life.

What I like most about Saskatoon is our gorgeous river valley. The South Saskatchewan River runs through our city, and there are dozens of trails along the river for walking, running, and biking. I have lived in several neighbourhoods in Saskatoon, but no matter where, it is always close to the river!

What are your all-time favourite places in Canada and why?

The lakes and rivers in northern Saskatchewan: The northern half of our province is covered in dense boreal forest, Precambrian shield, and over 100,000 lakes. It is amazing! Our family loves spending time at our cottage, camping, and canoeing (including white-water canoeing) in the north. It is my escape from reality.

Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia: About 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia) with my work. It was a short visit, only two days and one night, but it was a magical place both in landscape and culture and I have always hoped to go back.

The Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia – The Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island is a 300 km highway with incredible scenery of mountains and ocean all at the same time. I have driven the highway before; we camped along the way. I have some friends who recently cycled the highway and I think it would be even more spectacular to experience the trail from my bike.

What professional dreams would you like to realise one day?

Happiness!

The great thing about academia is that there are many paths to success, and some of these paths unfold as one’s career progresses. I definitely want to work towards becoming a full professor (I am currently an associate professor, so full professor is the next step). After that, I think I may enjoy an administrative position at the University, at least for a period of time. I am on sabbatical next year, 2018-19, and our family is planning to move to France for one year where I will conduct my research and our children will attend school. That has been a professional dream for some time now, and it is exciting that it is just around the corner!

What are your 3 favourite books?

I have so many favourites! Instead, three recent books still on my nightstand are:

The Book of Letters I Didn’t Know Where to Send by Steve Patterson. The author is host of CBC’s “The Debaters.” I had seen him live and very much enjoyed his (clean!) humour; his book of letters is equally entertaining.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. A beautifully crafted story by a Swedish writer.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson. Another Swedish author; I always enjoy his work. I’m in the middle of this book right now.

Which person would you like to work with on a project, if you could have a free pick, and why do you chose him/her?

My husband! With three young children and full-time jobs, we never have enough time for each other it seems. If I chose him as my project partner, then we would get to spend more time together 🙂

Interview

mit Herrn Bernhard Beutler

Mr Bernhard Beutler and his wife spent a great part of their life in Canada. Today Mr Beutler writes articles for the DKG Journal and is very active within the cultural scene. Discover the fascinating story of someone who personally met Marshall Mcluhan, Glenn Gould, Margaret Atwood and many other Canadian personalities.

Mr. Beutler, please tell us about your professional “parcours” and waypoints.

Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1936, I attended a local Volksschule and later Gymnasium in Hamburg. My studies in Philologie led me to places like Frankfurt, Paris, Toronto, Oxford and Munich (English language and literature, History, Theology). Initially, for four years, I taught German language and literature at St. Lawrence University In New York State, just south of the St. Lawrence River, and at the University of Western Ontario, where I also obtained an MA…in German literature.

My studies towards a “Dr. phil.” (Hamburg) in Canadian Literature led me to move to the Montreal area in order to be able to do research at the National Library in Ottawa– then still! – highly open and welcoming. By mere chance I got a teaching post at the Goethe-Institut Montreal. My wife Hildegard, “imported” from Germany, could also teach there and at various CEGEPs.

The concept of bringing nations and people together through cultural cooperation – after the horrors of World War II – attracted me highly, not as a profession but as a vocation, particularly in Europe where reconciliation had to be the main agenda. Thus I stayed with the Goethe-Institut, a government-sponsored cultural organisation until my retirement, initially in teaching positions, later with then higher responsibilities, for example the Press Office in the Munich headquarters, 1984 – 1988, then directorships in Bergen /Norway, Lyon/France and, finally, in Brussels/Belgium.

You lived in Montreal /Canada for many years. Please share with us what brought you overseas and when and for how many years did you stay?

Well, the topic of the main essay in my Abitur at a Jesuit college in Hamburg was: “ Zufall, Schicksal, Fügung –eine Begriffsbestimmung” (coincidence /fate/providence). In hindsight, it was due to providence that I encountered a group of Canadian tourists being on a “pilgrimage” throughout Europe and which was attending the so-called “Eucharistic Congress” in Munich in 1960, a huge meeting of Catholics gathering on the field of the famous Oktoberfest.

I accompanied this group to various places, translated speeches and talks – in short my first encounter with “real Canadians”. In parting I was offered a private scholarship as a guest student for a semester at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto (winter 1961/62). The fountain at the University of Munich where this invitation was formulated is now, in retirement, on my walk or bike-ride towards the Englischer Garten, the local park in Munich. Thus I stay almost physically connected with my beginnings in Canada.

Arriving in Canada by boat was as magnificent as the impressions of the vastness of the landscape and skies. No fences! And for the most part not in the minds of people either! – What a contrast to good old Germany!!

This semester at U of T was decisive. Imagine: only 16 years after the war a young German would be welcomed abroad, given all sorts of aid-, from a beautiful home within a Unitarian family in Neville Park,(a few steps from this vast lake Ontario), the access to Hart House with concerts and swimming-pool (I still use the same lock from the locker-room in our basement today…(Aah,nostalgia!) . The visits to a hockey-game, rowing on a lake in Algonquin Park, etc. etc.: many contrasting events! – It was unbelievable! But also my first encounters with Jews having fled Nazi-Germany: “We have forgiven, but not forgotten: Never again!” …

In this short semester I enjoyed taking part in small seminars with Marshall McLuhan (with visionary predictions of a digital world to come, and an intuitive seminar on the Victorian poet and priest G.M. Hopkins), with Etienne Gilson at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies (on music), and with the late Professor Gregory Baum (on Ecumenism). Through him I even met briefly once with the Right Honourable George Vanier, the empathetic Governor General. One highlight was attending a Glenn Gould repetition on the stage of Massey Hall with him humming along… I felt that to be odd. In the end my first predictions on the future of both McLuhan and Gould were proven wrong…as both turned out to become cultural “lighthouses” of Canada…

After this semester in Toronto I knew I wanted to come back to Canada.

Then coming from Upstate New York my wife and I applied successfully for the status of landed immigrant to Canada in 1969. We stayed for nearly 10 years, first, studying and lecturing at UWO in London, afterwards at the Goethe-Institut Montreal. It was the poet Ronald Bates at UWO who strongly suggested I should take up my research on Canadian literature in the Ottawa-Montreal area – and, in fact, this advice turned out to be most fruitful…

If I am not mistaken you were in Montreal during the quiet revolution and the famous ‘Vive le Québec libre’ from General de Gaulle. How was it for newly arrived foreigners and how much has changed since then?

In fact I arrived as a guest on a freighter from Europe in Sorel, Québec, in fall 1967, still during the Expo “Man and His World” in Canada, shortly after De Gaulle’s famous proclamation. When we moved definitely into Québec four years later, indeed, people in Ontario were asking, how we could dare to go to Québec, and even take up residence in Longueuil, where Minister Pierre Laporte had been killed in 1970. But having survived the war, having experienced blow-ups of electric facilities in Alto Adige /South Tyrol, we were not afraid, but mainly attracted by this immense St. Lawrence River which we could oversee from our balcony. We were taken by its vastness, by the Jacques-Cartier-Bridge, and by the fabulous 7- minute ride by Metro from Montreal Island to the south shore – but had to get used to the “Joual”…

Surely, the city was sharply divided at that time. Hugh MacLennan once wrote about the “Two Solitudes”. During the seventies we encountered the debates around Loi /Bill 101, the status of the English language in Québec etc. All that has changed remarkably.

To my Montreal years, I owe enriching studies in Canadian literature, and my decisive friendship and long-time correspondence with LOUIS DUDEK, professor at McGill University, poet and essayist. Dudek also introduced me to his former student Leonard Cohen, to Michael Gnarowski, renowned historian of modern Canadian literature, and to Pierre DesRuisseaux, whose pocket book “Dudek, l’essentiel” inspired me to publish, much later, a bilingual English-German edition of poetry by Dudek (“Louis Dudek – For you, you- Für Dich, Dir”, Elfenbein, Berlin 2006).

I remember being much impressed by very relaxed and informal encounters with Canadian authors such as Margaret Atwood (recently honoured with the Peace Prize of the German book trade) and Mordecai Richler, Dorothy Livesay, Marie-Claire Blais and others. Also, by comparison with German university structures, the openness of academic institutions in Canada offered me great enjoyment – and I profited from them highly.

Montreal has since become a fascinating, multicultural “phare”, a light-house in North America! We regard Canada and Montreal as our second home.

What did Canada represent to you back then and what does it represent today?

I’ve mentioned already the vastness of the landscape and skies, partially also of the minds of Canadians. It happens that now the son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau has taken up office. His father managed to change from one language to the other in the middle of a sentence. Both display openness, liberty, probably few hypocritical traits, and sincerity – thus a higher degree of credibility.

In our times of resurging populism around the globe and here in Europe

I recommend to young people that they immigrate to Canada – as I did in 1969.

What did you miss the most from Germany while you were abroad and what do you miss the most from Canada now that you are back on the old continent?

In Canada, certain feasts like X-mas, birthdays etc. are celebrated differently. (Spontaneously being invited to “come on over for an eggnog” on a nostalgic Christmas Eve surely was a surprise!) On that level I miss somehow the big family gatherings for a Thanksgiving dinner…

Here in Europe, in general, sometimes interpersonal relationships/friendships tend to sink in “deeper” in their feelings. On the other hand, in North America, it was/ is so easy to quickly get to know the unknown neighbour…

What are your favourite places in Canada and Montreal and why?

The steps down the ladder from Neville Park in East Toronto to Lake Ontario is certainly my No. 1; also the terrific international waters at the Thousand Islands which we cruised several times until lately. And: the lonesome Isles de la Madeleine where I started to write my PH.D.thesis.

In Montreal we crossed the Jacques Cartier Bridge ever so often. Bridges also have symbolic values, often overlooked.- And there is this quiet place, the Square St. Louis with its almost Roman fountain, the statue of Emile Nelligan nearby, the painted roofs on the old stone mansions – a place of meditation and reminder of “old Europe”.

What Canadian aspects would you like to bring to Germany and vice-versa?

If Canada has not changed too much over the last few years when I could only briefly visit the country, it is surely the spirit of openness, down-to-earth-decisions, fewer hypocritical arguments, spontaneity in relationships,

an “ esprit” of “laisser-faire”, higher tolerance levels, the less visible, stuffy arrogance of people in high offices or professions, fewer prejudices…

In Canada, maybe, more transparency in city planning and developments, cleanliness, improvements to the railway system, and, so we hear, the safeguarding of the health system might be envisaged. But I am not an expert in these areas.

What qualifies Canada as an interesting destination for German professionals today?

Here I am as a retired old man no longer qualified to answer. It must be, however, taken in to account that in the so long postponed debate on an immigration concept for Germany a quota system as the one in Canada is often being proposed. There again, it is a certain hypocritical and bureaucratic attitude in German debates which hampers overdue decisions here.

Looking back on your Canadian adventures, what would you have done differently and what are your most valuable lessons?

I should have fought much more strongly for a dual nationality and passports – at that time when a Canadian university offered me a post if I acquired the Canadian citizenship; the German government, however, then still refused a dual status.

I began to answer your questions on the Canadian Thanksgiving Day: I owe Canada most of our closest friends, generous, often spontaneous hospitality, multicultural experience, openness, vivid and frank discussions on poetry and politics, an appreciation of the solitude and beauty of the often vast and almost “unlimited” Canadian landscape, often also in thoughts and visions – in short, Canada remains THE essential part of my biography, a “promised land” – and “un rêve”!

Interview

mit Timothy Kaposy, ehemaliger Gastdozent an der Universität Bonn

DKG: Whereabouts in Canada are you from?

I was born in Hamilton, Ontario and currently I live nearby in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. The two cities are a thirty minute drive apart.

DKG: You lived in Bonn for a year. How did your career trajectory land you here?

I was completing my doctoral studies in 2007 when I began looking for a postdoc or an academic job. The market for stable positions was beginning to slowly dissipate. I found an ad online for the position of Visiting Professor of North American Studies at the University of Bonn. I was unfamiliar with the Canadian who held the job, but I contacted them to learn more. They endorsed it and I applied and received the job—this was when I was 8/9ths of the way through writing my dissertation. I photocopied about a thousand pages and put them in my suitcase with a slew of books, brought them over and finished writing my dissertation in Bonn. I came here in early October and went back to defend the dissertation in January. After that, I was here up until late July of 2008.

DKG: What brings you back to Germany? What are you doing these days?

Bonn University notified me in September that a competitive grant application could be filed by former visiting scholars to return, lecture and work with graduate students. I wrote Professor Simone Knewitz and Professor Sabine Sielke to ask whether they’d welcome my application and perhaps arrange a date to come back. Both were happy to help and were incredibly hospitable during my stay.

I was able to visit, in part, because I’m at the end of a year-long parental leave at Niagara College in Ontario (where I teach communications and writing). I’ve been raising my son, Arlo. Since I wasn’t teaching at the moment, I could visit for a week.

At the moment, I’m on leave from teaching; however, I’ve been writing as much as I am able. I recently finished a review of the work of Eyal Weizman—he’s a theorist of visual forensics and spatial conflict—and I’m trying to complete a final revision of a manuscript on economic documentaries.

DKG: What do you tell people about your year here?

Well, I raved about it. After me, in the position of Visiting Scholar, came one of my closest friends, Dr. Andrew Pendakis, who was here for two years. Then after him came another close friend, Dr. Justin Sully, who also graduated from McMaster University. Justin was here for three years, renewing his contract twice. Both of them also had productive times and both returned to North America for postdocs and jobs. I ask people in the North American Studies programme whether they know that the people who have come through here have been quite successful when they go back to America! I think they have a good sense of it.

DKG: Was there something from that time that you remember especially well or think back on fondly?

Sure. It was that moment when you transition from being very intensely focused on a doctorate, which is 300 pages of writing and years of preparation, to a small period of collegiality and interaction with other faculty—that was a period of growth and development. Once you finish your dissertation, you’re chomping at the bit to get other things done. So it finally felt like ‚Now I’m able to go ahead and travel to Berlin and give a lecture there‘, which was very memorable or, “Wow, now I’m able to travel to Poland,” give a paper there and stay for a week without worrying about the types of responsibilities I had. I remember developing severe plantar fasciitis from the amount of walking I did while visiting these cities. But, ultimately, employment lifts the weight of poverty you shouldered while trying to complete a dissertation. It was nice to feel like that doctoral preoccupations eventually gave way to other challenges.

DKG: A few days ago the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development released its PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings for the core domains of math science and reading. But they also measured skills they deemed necessary to survive in the 21st century like collaborative problem solving. For this particular variable, Singapore topped the list and Canada followed closely at number 5 and Germany came in 12th. The OECD strongly recommends amendments to curricula to cultivate these social skills which according to them make student more employable. Canadian students outperformed Germans on the scale! As someone who has taught in both countries, what do you think this can be attributed to? Is the academic milieu in Germany different or better to that in Canada?

This is kind of a thorny question to try to answer. One thing that I’ve noticed is that the German university system compared to the Canadian college or university system is far less corporate. Even though you can see some construction around the University of Bonn, you have nothing like the push to build glass clad structures in North American institutions—massive sports complexes or arenas on campus. In Canada, this growth model is standard. You don’t have to pay mind to the architectural developments of the places to understand the culture, but it is a far more corporate environment in North America. I only spent a year working within the corporate elements in a Germany university, but you can feel the ways that the Canadian system has an administrative bloat. Now, how does this affect students? There might be a doggedness or attention to detail about how students develop in the North American postsecondary education system, in terms of indexes and measurements, testing and awards. These measurements do not guarantee that.

National comparisons are difficult to parse, because you’re kind of comparing apples to oranges or kiwis to Audis. Who’s to say these qualities of, say, student preparedness are needed in a particular economy? Articles abound in North American media, for example, about humanities graduates being the most employable despite having seemingly less direct vocational skills.

It’s also a question of whether the university should be a place of skill development. There’s all kinds of philosophies or theories for what a university should do to prepare, teach or educate someone. When I see these reports, I wonder how they create a standard measuring stick for all students across all learning environments.

DKG: Did you find you had to change anything about your teaching style and adapt it to German students?

I’m always learning improved ways to teach with clarity, resourcefulness and critical acuity. Preparedness is essential and yet I learn indirectly, in a slow way, and I expect most of us learn this way. Learning takes a lot of time. Teaching students in Canada or Germany is similar in the sense of connecting with them so that they identify and grasp what works for them. Their—the students—ability to identify what works might differ from one national culture to the other.

DKG: Is there something about Canada you like (a place, cuisine, traditions) that people don’t often hear about?

I live in Niagara, which is wine country (and on the same latitude as Rheinian wine country), but I’ve been impressed of late by the quality of beer being produced. I know it sounds kind of macho, but this is beer that comes out of wine country and their traditions. Breweries here are taking the used wine barrels from other wineries in the areas, and fermenting their beer there. It’s a big boom industry, and the college I work at has a brewmaster program so you can study to become a brewmaster. If I’m not mistaken, they have a 100% employment rate; there’s a program I think is doing it right! Everyone’s getting full-time jobs straight out of the program. Canadian beer based in Southern Ontario is changing dramatically. Some of the breweries in that area will do a collaboration with breweries here (in Germany), and since I’ve been here I’ve been trying all sorts of beer. I’m probably “sampling” too much beer, but because I’ve heard of the breweries and I know the types of beer from living in that region for 5 years so I had to try them! So, Niagara is now a destination for beer as well as wine aficionados.

Interview

mit Singer Songwriter Chris Ladd

Chris Ladd is another great talent from Winnipeg, Manitoba who has been living in Germany for the last 2 years. An accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter not to be missed at one of the many venues he plays in the country and especially at the DKG Night of Canadian Music this coming October in Cologne….touching, funny, witty, very talented: pleasure guaranteed!

Tell us how and why you decided to become a musician?

When I was in Grade 4 my best friend Brad Southam brought his guitar to school. He took it out in class and all the kids crowded around him to watch him play. It fascinated me. We became best friends and took guitar lessons together. I just thought guitar was the coolest thing in the world. It brings people together.

And the first time I saw a picture of Eddie Van Halen doing the splits in the air after jumping off of his Marshall stack – that blew me away.

Any music influences?

I have many of course. Before I started to sing I really played and practiced a lot of guitar. Sometimes up to 16 hours a day or more and for months.

My guitar influences: Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Lenny Breau, Andrés Segovia, Django Reinhardt).

My songwriting influences would be Lou Reed, T. Rex, Jeff Buckley, the Clash, the Pixies, Pavement, Neil Young, Nirvana.

What brought you to Germany?

It was a series of circumstances. I had always wanted to live somewhere in Europe but never really knew where. I toured a few times in Europe. A friend of mine from Winnipeg was living in Kassel and gigging. He introduced me to a great community of people into the arts scene. So it was just easy and made sense to situate myself in Kassel.

What do you miss the most from Canada apart form your family and friends?

I miss the lakes of Manitoba and Ontario in summertime. You can drive any direction and find a beautiful large body of water to swim in and sit in the sun and camp – within 45 minutes.

And I really miss Winnipeg’s river skate. I love a really cold winter however they last a little too long.

And the pillows. I really need a North American pillow.

What do you appreciate the most in Germany?

I appreciate how supportive, accepting and interested the Germans are in art, culture and people. I have been lucky as I have had very positive experiences so far. The landscape and old architecture are amazing. I also love how connected everything is – the transportation systems in and outside of cities.

Who is your favourite Canadian artist, why?

I would have to say Neil Young in terms of songwriting. His voice is very unique and not so typical. He doesn’t worry too much about if he is singing with perfect pitch. He just sings. And his songwriting is simple and very clever. He really paved the way for musicians who have no interest in conforming to a specific model of how you should be as an artist. Or how you should look or sound. To me he seems to have had the perfect career in this respect.

In terms of guitar influences, I have to say Lenny Breau. He is so unknown, from Winnipeg, and one of the greatest guitarists ever. Early on in my guitar studying I had heard of him and when I first listened to his playing, I was astounded at what he could do. Playing all styles and a complete master on the guitar. I was just fascinated with his complete dedication to his art and his ability. It was so inspiring.

Who is your favorite German artist, why?

I have to say ‘Can.’ They were just so far ahead of their time and so innovative. It is like they wrote the template for part of modern rock music.

If you could perform with any German artist, who would it be and why?

I would love to play with the Scorpions. Either as one of their guitarists or as an opener. I really loved them when I was a kid. Their songs were the right kind of ‘heavy’ and really catchy. I loved the guitar playing and the singing was awesome. Just a great metal band.

What is your ultimate goal as a musician?

…to be able to play until I take my last breath. I hope that I can live to be eighty something or older and still play some shows, write songs and record them. I hope to play around more of the world. It would be nice to make a living off of just playing music but this is not so easy. It was my ultimate goal to come to Europe to exist as a musician and I have been lucky enough to achieve this.