The Halifax 'Pied Piper' Who Put the Ukulele in Canadian Schools Is the Hall of Fame's First International Inductee
J. Chalmers Doane, 87, was celebrated at The Carleton in Halifax on Sunday, where friends, family and fellow musicians gathered for a musical tribute. The Ukulele Hall of Fame, based in Hawaii, is inducting him; he is the first Canadian and first international inductee. Doane began exploring the ukulele as a teaching instrument in public schools in 1967, after earning a teaching certificate from the Nova Scotia Normal College and a bachelor of music degree from Boston University.
He is often called the 'Pied Piper of Halifax,' and he influenced music education by creating a ukulele program that public schools across Canada adopted.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The Hall of Fame induction is a capstone; the more consequential fact is that a ukulele program was adopted by public schools across Canada.
Adoption is not devotion. The 'Pied Piper' nickname is charming, but it is a nickname, not a measure of how many students kept playing.