Uncharted Beats｜Two Notes, One Harmony

I finished practicing my scales. Can I go play outside now? That's fine. Come back in an hour, okay? You still need to practice with all these four seasons and work on your fingerings. Alice! Drake is having another concert! Right here in Durand! Can you believe it? In his hometown! Super excited, right? Your dad is in the music industry. He took you to see him before, right? Uh, yeah, of course. He hasn't seen him. Welcome to my hometown! Papa, it's so cool! My mom bought some tickets as my birthday gift. And we're bringing my cousin too. Aren't you coming this time? Yeah, why not? Do you know how famous the violin teacher I found for her is? Do you know how many connections I had to pull? And how long it took? Do you know how expensive his hourly fee is? You see her a few days a month and you think you're the best mom in the world. It's been months since Alice last visited. I'm her mother. I have a right to see her. I've been busy with work. I'm doing my best to take care of her. Alice deserves a happy childhood. If you can't give her... What are you talking about? I can file a request with the court to transfer custody. All right. I'll bring her to you this coming long weekend. But you know how important her music is. She needs to continue to practice to succeed. Success isn't a one-way street. She has her own path. We've talked about this many times. Ken, remember, she's just a child. Dad, I'm back. Hey, Alice. You'll be going to your mom's this long weekend. Really? But what about my violin practice? You'll continue your practice there, of course. We'll just do them online. But you said all my lessons are... Yeah, they're not ideal. But that's what we can do, okay, sweetie? Okay. This time, I'll take this dreamcatcher with me. Furu, can you help me with the hand drum as well? Dad, going to the zoo is fun. But I don't want to go there. It makes me feel scared. Son, when I was your age, I was also very scared of performing in public. So what did you do? Did you run away from Grandpa? I wouldn't dare. Grandpa was very strict. All right, let's go. Oh, I almost forgot. Although we live a modern lifestyle now as Métis, we have to... Never forget our roots, where we come from. You got it. Shall we? Hello, Professor Brooks. Do students ask you about indigenous music? Of course. My classmates never ask me questions about it. Oh, how come? Well, we have brass, jazz, eastern instruments, but no one is interested in our music. Didn't you open up a music club at school? People come and go. Only a few stay. Maybe it's just not cool. Oh, I see. Well, let's make this a topic of our journey. Let's figure it out together. Thank you for coming to perform for us every year and for always supporting us. You are very welcome. I'm still nervous. Son, nervousness is normal. I get nervous, too. In moments like this, I close my eyes and feel the ground beneath me. Your grandpa always wanted to take me to the powwow. You had to perform there? That was the big festival with so many people. Yep, he wanted me to get up there with him. Just like how you're feeling now, nervous and shaking. Your grandpa asked me, do you want to be an eagle soaring high or a little bird hiding in its nest? Of course I want to be an eagle. That's what I said, too. The eagle is fearless, spreading its wings wide for everyone to see. Like now, we perform whenever we have the chance to share our music with others. Maybe more people will appreciate it because our culture has so much to offer. Our ancestors used music to tell stories and to bring people together. Hope we can find a bathroom here. You need to go? I'm fine. I'll go check over there. All right, don't go too far. Stick around. I know you can do a little eagle. Alice, I've been looking for you everywhere. We should really get going. We need to get to your mom's house before it gets dark. Just a few more minutes, please. All right, just a few more minutes. Thank you for enjoying our music. This is for you. Thank you. Your music is beautiful. We really need to go. Thanks. Not everyone will understand our music and culture right away. All we can do is just keep sharing it. Okay, thank you, Mr. Williams. You'll have an online class tomorrow with Mr. Williams at 4 o'clock. 4 p.m. is when Mom and I go swimming and play board games. Mr. Williams is only available at that time. Aren't we supposed to practice at least two hours a day, Alice? We haven't practiced yet, right? Dad, wasn't that so much fun? I've never experienced this before. Yeah, I can see the beauty in it. However, it's different from ours, you know? Different styles. Our strength comes from refining and mastering what we've learned. Dad, what's wrong? I'm not sure. Should we call for help? Yeah, we should call for help. Call for roadside assistance. Hopefully they can get here soon. What's that going to do, Dad? Somebody will call me back? All right, I'll wait for your call. Thank you. Dad, there's a new musician. Looks like you're having some car trouble. Need a hand? Yeah, we just called for roadside assistance. Roadside assistance usually takes about six hours to arrive in this area. Maybe I could take a look. Yes, please. Thank you. My name is Peru. I'm Ellis. It was great playing music with you. Yeah, that was so much fun. I never knew my flute could go with the violin. Me neither. Whoa, this place is beautiful. I know, right? This land has been in my people's stories for generations. You see that river over there? Yeah. That river is sacred to us. It's been a source of life for our people, providing water, fish, and a natural highway for travel. We believe that the spirits of our ancestors watch over it and protecting us. Whoa, we never heard about this. Not in school. That's why my dad takes me out for performances every year. It's a way for us to share our culture with others who may not have experienced it before. Now I kind of understand why my dad takes me on stage to perform every year. I was playing music with you. Me too. Well, I'm no mechanic. Looks like you've got a problem with your alternator. You'll need to get it to a repair shop. I see. Thank you for your help. Hello? Yes, when can you come? Another five hours. But it'll be night by then. Anyways, thank you. Yeah, I can't come for another five hours. This is a remote area. Don't expect too much. Anyways, thanks so much. So, what's your plan? I guess we have no choice but to wait here. Sunset is coming soon. It'll be very cold in the night. Can we take them with us to the village? Would you like to come with us to the village? It's about a ten minute drive from here. We can bring you back here tomorrow morning when roadside assistance arrives. I like that idea. Please, dad. Thank you. We appreciate it. Yes! These log cabins are over a hundred years old. Our ancestors lived here. They're beautiful. Thank you. My dad used to always take me. Now I take through as much as I can. We've never seen anything like this. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It's quite beautiful. Thank you. Wow. This is something amazing. Something different. These are longhouses. They're key to how we understand social structure. Extended matrilineal families made up of blood relatives through the female line. Each house has a clan mother. An elder for age and wisdom. The clan system still exists today. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were a music professor. I just thought you were a street performer. Street performer? It's okay. You're a classical musician, right? I hope I can be called a musician. Aren't you? I feel I'm still on my journey to find the real music. Real music? Yeah. What is real music to you? I'm not sure. But it should be the music with the power to elevate the soul. Not just release emotions. The soul? So you are religious? No. I just believe everyone has a soul. You really take good care of your violin. Gotta watch the humidity and temperature. My dad says musicians should treat their instruments like soldiers treat their weapons. I feel like my weapon isn't cool or popular. Your weapon is cool. It's unique and you should be proud of that. We are proud of what we offer to the world. Just like our ancestors cultivated corn, potatoes, chilies, peppers, tomatoes, peanuts, squash, strawberries, stuff like that. We want more people to know about our music too. China has over 5,000 years of history. You guys must also be proud of that. Yeah. We talk about roots and wings. Wings allow us to explore far and wide. But the land between our feet is our roots. That reminds me. The most authentic is the most universal. Exactly. We do face challenges though. We have to figure out a way to make our music more cooling and more appealing. That's actually the theme of this journey for me and my son. You're right. Being unique is what makes it cool. When we play together, it's a different experience. Without Dad telling me, I want to do it to keep our music and share it. If we can do that with a modern twist, we'll be honoring our ancestors in a new way. I've already got some ideas. Thanks to you. Do you love your music? Of course. Love your music. People will love it too. It's like loving someone. When I was a kid, my family bought a piano for about $250 USD. That's half my family's annual income. Can you believe that? I had to practice four hours a day. I have to practice two hours every day. That's why it's so good. It's really difficult to become the best in China. There's no rest, no play. I practiced so much that by the time I started school, I didn't know how to interact with people. I feel like I don't have any friends. They all talk about Drake's concerts. And I don't even know who that is. Back then, it was just about studying and practicing. I'm not even as strict as my father was. My dad's strict. He controls everything and doesn't let me do anything. Keeping her away from distractions is protecting her. Sometimes, I feel Dad doesn't love me as much as Mom does. I immigrated from China to Canada 15 years ago. Our mom was a local Chinese-Canadian. We had different views on how to raise kids. Our differences grew bigger and bigger. We eventually separated. They still argue, even though they're not together. I understand. It's very difficult for a man to raise a child alone. Farouk's mom passed when he was three. Sorry to hear that. I don't remember Mom's face like I remember in pictures. Oh. Yeah, I didn't know that. I'm sorry. What kind of person do you want Farouk to become? That's the eagle feather. Me and my dad want to be like the eagle, free to fly. Not the little bird hiding in its nest. What about you? My dad wants me to become a musician and perform on stage. Not just compose music. It sounds like you're projecting your own dreams onto her. Have you thought about what your daughter really wants? Your dad's right. To have you practice, you've got talent. My dad gives up a lot for me. He takes me an hour and a half away to my teacher's house. And on the way back, he buys me my favorite burger and milkshake. Everything I do is to help her succeed. It depends on what you define success. My ex-wife used to say, success isn't just a one-way street. All roads lead to Rome. Her mom and I are loving her in our own ways. I haven't practiced for two hours today yet. Do you want to hear some Chinese music? I'd love to hear it. It was beautiful. What is the music? Liangzhu. A beautiful story. What is the story? You know, in ancient China, no girls were allowed to go to school. Really? Yeah. Not public ones. Maybe family schools, though. Oh, okay. One girl went after dressing up as a boy. She studied there and fell in love with a classmate. But she was forced to quit and marry another guy. When her lover found out about it, he died. On her way to her wedding, she went to his tomb. And the tomb opened, and the two of them turned into a pair of butterflies. Oh, that's sad. Yeah, most people know the sad ending. But I found out there's another ending a few months ago. A happy ending. A happy ending? Yeah. They didn't turn into a pair of butterflies, but they got married with the blessings of their parents. Oh, that's good. Where did you see it? Shen Yun. My mom took me to see their show in Toronto this year. You should see their show. Do you have a phone? I do. This is it. Their music combines Eastern and Western elements. Oh, I want to see it. Most of the audience are Chinese, like you. Wolves. Wolves? Don't worry. Bruno knows how to handle it. They're gone. Wolves? Yes, they're gone. Did you see how lost I was in the music? Yes, I can tell, sweetie. It's like I'm floating in water. No, no. I'm surrounded by water. Yeah? You must really enjoy it. I got lost in the music and forgot about the surroundings. Yeah? What are you guys listening to? Shen Yun. Shen Yun? What is that? Shen Yun is a show. Mom took me there. When did you go there? I didn't know about it. In January. I came home and told you about it, but you didn't seem interested. You should listen to the music. There's both Western and Chinese instruments. Yes, fabulous. And also natural. Excuse me, I've got some new ideas. Well, I guess he wants to be left alone. Alice, I want you to know your mom and I love you so much. Jackie, I have something. Let me show you. So do re mi re do so fa mi re do so So do re mi re do so So la so fa mi Fruits flute Mi so la so la mi Re mi mi so so la so do La do re mi so mi re mi re do do Your drum Si la la so la so mi La si do re so mi La mi mi do re so re re mi re do La so la la so la so la There's so much fun stuff around here. Yeah.