Heather Wright/The Independent

Canadian musician Julian Taylor, above, gave students in LCCVI’s music department a private concert for Music Monday.

Taylor has been nominated for two Juno awards, five Native American Music Awards and prestigious Canadian Polaris Music Prize.

He talked to the students about everything from his unique style of playing guitar – “Anytime I was in a situation with another guitar player who was way better than I am…I would always ask questions and I ended up developing my own sort of style” – to hiding a pick in his ring for easy access, to writing songs.

Taylor told the students when he first started songwriting, he would compose the music and then the lyrics. But he says now, some of his best songs come when he writes prose first and adds music after.

The Petrolia students had a chance to play with Taylor, performing his hit song SEEDS.

Below, students Katelynn Booy, Brooklynn Shamblaw, and Ollie Salisbury, listen intently as Taylor plays his song, The Ridge.

Music Monday is a nation-wide event celebrating the importance of music education in schools and communities. It’s organized by The Coalition for Music Education.