Stephen Richardson, who hails from Cape Breton and lived and studied in Halifax for years, is nominated a third time for a MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Juno.“It’s crazy that it’s brought me back to my home province,” he said. “I’m thinking I’m living a blessed musical life and I’m so extremely grateful.”
And who knows? With the Junos at home in Nova Scotia this year, maybe for Richardson the third time's the charm.Growing up in Grand River, Richardson got a failing grade from a curmudgeonly substitute music teacher in Grade 5. He tells his students in Yellowknife about the weekly jam sessions at different Halifax venues in the ’90s where he learned so much from artists that included The Jimmy Swift Band.
He left SMU for St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish to study jazz guitar and get a bachelor of education degree.After years of bouncing around different Canadian cities, Richardson applied for a music teacher gig in Yellowknife. He started an indie rock band with fellow teachers, including a friend from Cape Breton.Stephen Richardson jams on his guitar in his hotel room in downtown Halifax on Thursday. Richardson, who is originally from Cape Breton, teaches music at Ecole St.
“We do film scores,” he said, “I’m a massive fan of the Zelda games so I’ll put on a Zelda game on YouTube, muted, and the Grade 2 write the music to the scene like they’re a composer for a movie.”