Sound the alarm.

Dear Educators,

Planet Earth is experiencing a climate emergency. The arctic is melting, sea levels are rising, extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes are on the rise, and the lengths of seasons are shifting. Ignoring this destruction is a privilege many young learners around the globe do not have.

Positioning climate-curious youth as integral stakeholders in Earth’s prosperity, Terra Inspira invites inquiry-based nature, climate, and biodiversity learning into your arts classroom.

Inspired by a more stable rotation of seasons in 1723, listen to Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s Winter from The Four Seasons. Would Winter sound the same if it were written today?

Embark on all that Terra Inspira has to offer with passion, resilience, and agency.

Have fun!

Ryan E. Drew, MGA, B.Mus
Founder & Artistic Director of Terra Inspira

The Four Seasons ("Winter")
Antonio Vivaldi | Performed on Marimba by Ryan E. Drew

  • Founder & Artistic Director

    Ryan E. Drew, percussionist and communications researcher from PEI, Canada, is a Teaching Artist with the National Arts Centre and performs with the PEI Symphony Orchestra and Charlottetown Festival Orchestra.

    His scholarly work in media studies, GenAI, inquiry-based learning, and "climate curiosity" has informed National Geographic-funded projects and presentations to international forums. Ryan is Artistic Director for Tuning in to Nature (PEISO), and recently associate produced for SPHERE: The NAC Orchestra's Festival for Listening to the Earth, and The Great Canadian Orchestra Field Trip (NAC). Ryan also works as a design consultant for the Canadian Army and teaches Inquiry Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island.

    Holding a Bachelor of Music and a Masters in Global Affairs, he’s now engaged in doctoral studies at the University of New Brunswick.

  • Creative Partner

    In 1967, the PEI Symphony Orchestra was established to present high quality, live orchestral music to audiences in Prince Edward Island, to provide practical training for young PEI students to learn and perform orchestral music, and to provide gifted Island musicians an opportunity to perform with a large orchestra.

    Today, under the baton of Maestro Mark Shapiro, the PEISO brings together approximately sixty musicians in a four-concert season that enthrals audiences with programming that includes both cherished favourites and adventurous new compositions. Top pop artists from the region such as Tara MacLean and David Myles are often featured, and audiences of both young and old fill the Confederation Centre’s Mainstage Theatre to capacity.

    Additionally, the orchestra’s activities have grown to include year-round programs such as the Music Alive partnership with the National Arts Centre which brings cross-cultural music workshops to Island schools. The “PEISO Presents” recital series regularly brings live chamber music performances to communities outside of Charlottetown and into continuing care residences. Especially popular are the recently instated “Tuning in to Nature” events, which provide a unique musical trail walk experience to patrons. 

  • Funding Agency

    The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization committed to exploring and protecting our planet. We fund hundreds of research and conservation projects around the world each year and inspire new generations through our education initiatives and resources.

    https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/

  • The lessons and activities included with Terra Inspira website package help to inspire creative, sustainability-minded, and climate-conscious learners through the arts. These lessons use a cross-curricular approach to learning making them relevant to any educator at the K-6 level, even outside of the arts teaching profession. The easy-to-follow lesson plans let educators quickly glance through for main points, to collect ideas of their own, or find more in-depth approaches without taking too much time out of their busy schedules. Overall, a fantastic resource for educators wanting to inspire climate action, and sustainable practices through the arts.

    Steve Giddings, B.Mus.Ed, M.Ed

    Music Teacher, Public Schools Branch
    Owner, Steve's Music Room Publishing
    Award-Winning Author of Rock Coach, Creative Musicking, and Technology for Unleashing Creativity (Available Now!)
    Workshop Facilitator
    https://www.stevesmusicroom.com

  • Throughout my years of advocating for climate justice, I've discovered the power of artistic expression to connect people and inspire change. The arts have a unique ability to engage individuals on an emotional level, which is essential for building the informed and empowered citizenry necessary for a sustainable future. Let us recognize and utilize the potential of the arts to not only drive progress in the climate movement but also in all endeavours towards creating a more just and equitable world.

    Aliénor Rougeot

    Co-Founder of Fridays for the Future Toronto
    Climate and Energy Program Manager at Environmental Defence.

  • Terra Inspira combines arts and sciences, knowledge and inquiry, and most importantly curiosity to inspire us all to think more deeply and more broadly about climate change. By using getting us to consider and experience climate change through the lens of music and firing up our sense of curiosity and wonder, Terra Inspira brings knowledge, engagement and hope to one of world’s most immediate “wicked problems”. Today’s children will soon be the primary caretakers of our planet and by engaging them actively in inquiry about climate change and integrating music to create a fuller experience, Terra Inspira will help lead them forward to creating a new, healthier relationship with Earth. Terra Inspira, though directed at grades K-6, is a valuable resource for all of us to explore climate change and engage in more active and creative inquiry about our relationship with our home. Thanks to Terra Inspira, I will never hear Vivaldi the same way again.

    Stacey L. MacKinnon , PhD

    Associate Professor, Psychology Graduate Research Supervisor, Faculty of Education Designer/Coordinator, First-Year Inquiry Studies
    University of Prince Edward Island

    Co-author of: MacKinnon, S.L. & Archer-Kuhn, B. (2022). Reigniting Curiosity and Inquiry in Higher Education: A Realist’s Guide to Getting Started with IBL. Stylus Publishing.