TESTIMONIALS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, THUNDERBIRD!
“Three magnificent tower cranes provided patients, staff and visitors with a sense of awe and wonder as they presided over the campus skyline. Crane 3 is endearingly named Thunderbird after First Nations Elder, Shannon Thunderbird….[Among other events], she presided over the Land and Tree Blessing Ceremony prior to construction. On behalf of West Park’s patients and staff, we would like to acknowledge Thunderbird’s diligent service to build the new West Park. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!”
NOTE FROM THUNDERBIRD: It was a huge honor to be named after a construction crane. The most memorable moment was the lifting of the final humongous steel beam to the roof top which represented the structural completion of the new hospital. Her lease favorite task was the lifting of the porta potties! LOL
 “You and your sister, Sandy were magnificent. When I asked people what was a highlight your name came up very often. I hope this is the start of a long, beautiful relationship. I loved what you had to say and the drumming was very spiritual.” (S. Flood, Plasp) |
 “Thank you for your presentation. Your name alone [Thunderbird] is inspiring and uplifting; your ability to teach and inform us with music and the sacred drum made us richer and better. Your attire is also really cool. Thank you for your insight into nature and animals, we really appreciated the discussion of sustainable living.” (Cardinal Leger SS) |
 “I would like to thank you for sharing your story, gift of song with a wonderful sense of humour. Your story is strong….Thank you for reminding us that we are…stewards of the land and each other. We are so blessed and privileged to have shared this experience with you. Our school is working tirelessly to share and celebrate our ancestral people.” (D. Della Rossa, St. john Fisher) |
 “Thank you so much for being part of the CAIS 2017 National Student Leadership Conference. You support was indispensable and the conference would not have been the same without.” (Rebecca, Laura, Nathan, Mihail) |
 “My teacher friends: Shannon Thunderbird was the keynote at the Peace Tree Conference and was truly amazing. Her interactive presentation brought positive messages and teachings of cooperation, inclusivity, equity and diversity and was extremely well received by educators and students. Please consider inviting Shannon Thunderbird and her big drums to your school.”
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 “How you engage students is incredible. You have the gift of making them feel special and talented. You took away their fears of answering questions and participating in activities…I have never seen them so engaged as I have with you.
Not only do you connect with students, however, I love the way you educate them about the Native peoples and the history of Canada. They were so interested. You brought an awareness about Native peoples to them that they never had before. I also loved the way you brought other social issues into your discussion e.g. sexuality, facebook, etc. The interactive performances involving the students was amazing….they let go of all of their inhibitions. Caryl Durst, Guidance Department College Heights Secondary School (Guelph) |
 “I was completely impressed, entertained, and enlightened. I have had very positive feedback from several teachers and many parents. The young children were excited after your presentation and loved the dancing and singing. I could tell from your energy when I met you that you were going to be an engaging and inspirational speaker and singer.”
(Felix Montessori, Toronto) |
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 “We really want to improve our awareness of and education around aboriginal wisdom, teachings, and history at our school. Another teacher told me that she loved your message of nobility and purpose in all living things. She thought that you really made the idea clear to students that all living things have a value and have something important to contribute to society.
Thank you for coming today. We were thrilled to have you here and I think you have made a lasting impression on the staff and students here at Kelsey.” Warm regards, Jackie Dixon, TDSB |
 “Shannon is passionate about bringing her peoples’ story to the youth of Canada. I have observed her workshops many times…and she continues to engage our young people in a very memorable interaction. Her message is one of respect and understanding; her workshop on the teachings of the Medicine Wheel dovetail beautifully into the Character Traits teachings in our schools. Shannon is a vote for wisdom and tolerance.”
(L. McGregor, Foundation for Enriching Education) |
 “Make the show longer. We could have listened to Shannon’s stories all day!. She is the best special guest by far we’ve had come to our school.” (K. Littleton, South Perth) |
“Shannon’s performances are always great, as was this one!”
(H. MacDonald, Lower School Director, Holy Trinity School, Richmond Hill, ON) |
 “The students were happy with Shannon. She has an excellent energy that makes you just want to be enveloped by her loving arms. The kids knew this about her right away.”T. Garratt, Eastdale SS, Niagara) |
 April/May, 2013. Four Provinces, 10,000 kids, 10,000 kilometres! WHEW! |
| “Shannon is an outstanding storyteller. Students listened intently. Excellent springboard for in-class character discussions and learning about First Nations culture. She increased self-esteem, one student said she never liked having red hair until Shannon made her feel special because of it.” (L. Erb, Clinton PS) |
“Once again, thanks for your enormous contribution to the success of our day – and Shannon, those angels[C.E. Webster Magic 60 Choir] at the McConnell Family Foundation tribute dinner were absolutely magnificent. The ‘big people’ spoke glowingly of their work all through the evening.” (L. Desilets, ArtsSmarts) |
 “You had to be there to see it, embrace
it, learn from it and enjoy it. Shannon and Sandy are absolutely fabulous. Without doubt, the best presentation I’ve seen in 27 years of teaching.” |
 Her show was so powerful. Many of the students were emotional. Keep her coming.”(J. Van Nie, Goderich Collegiate) |
 “How can I thank you enough? What luck for us to have met you – your work, presentation and greetings taught us so much, and re-enforced for me why we all work so damn hard! The opening, closing songs were an inspiration. The session was educational. The choir was magical! We look forward to working with you in the future. (A. Adair, Former Executive Director, ArtsSmarts) |
 We were so honoured to have you debut “Eagle Thunder” in our schools, and at three festivals. It is absolutely amazing how you and Sandy were able to keep on average four hundred and fifty kids riveted on what you were presenting. You have a gift of great storytelling and we learned so much about Canada’s Native people.” (Teacher, Merrillville PS, Indiana, USA) |
 “What a pleasure it was meeting you both during your FAME visit. You are such a wonderful, wise and beautiful woman and I truly enjoyed learning from you! You are a fascinating storyteller that just leave you wanting to hear more.”(T. Irmscher, Foundation of Music and Arts Education, Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
 How you kept over five hundred kids focused on you and Sandy, is a testament to your passion for your culture and just how good you both are at keeping the kids engaged. It was a great experience, your singing voices are gorgeous.”
(Teacher, Fort Wayne, IN) |
| “Thank you for your beautiful demonstration and words of wisdom. It was very much appreciated.” (Crime Stoppers Committee, AB Lucas High School, London) |
Click here for a Statement from the Northwestern Voice |
 “Your presentation had a great impression on me, and I think you are an incredible and inspirational woman. I learned a lot about Native beliefs and customs, and felt you really taught what we lack in class….You brought a sense of humility and understanding…and I was deeply touched by the messages. You are an amazing woman, and I think you are doing a great thing to help non-aboriginals understand your people. I would love to meet you and see you perform again. I feel privileged to have met you even once. Thank you so much. You have had a lasting impression on me and my classmates.” (CC, Madill High School, Wingham, ON) |
“Drawing on her Pacific Northwest Coast Tsimshian roots, Thunderbird’s mesmerizing emotional impact on audiences arises from her three and a half octave range, storytelling ability, and deep involvement with First Nations issues. Her drumming, original music and lyrics, stirring repertoire, presentation and luscious voice make her one of the most in-demand performing artists on the current scene.” (King Weekly) |
| “Thank you so much for the performance at our Canadian Symposium for Arts and Learning this week. The audience was just wowed by your performance, and we so appreciated it.”
(S. Robertson, Canadian Network for Arts and Learning) |
 “The opportunity for students to learn how First Nations music was originally created [Thunder Wolf], and then to actually write a song, that you translated into your language so they could sing it, was invaluable to their overall music education. I very appreciated your kindness and inclusivity.” (Music Teacher, Private School) |
| “On behalf of the students and staff we would like to thank you for the wonderful Indigenous presentation. The students continue to study many cultures, heritage and communities and more importantly we need to continue to respect, accept, get along with each other for the greater good. Thank you for bringing that message and reminding students of their contributions and to be caretakers of all living things. (G. Iafrate, Principle, St. Rose of Lima).
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY TESTIMONIAL |
 “Ni’it Shannon and Sandy,
The buzz around today is still high from your presentation yesterday. My kids couldn’t say enough about how great it was. They were “free thought journally” today and many filled a page and were sharing with each other. I love it! The children who had the opportunity to drum were still drumming today. One of my girls went home last night and made a couple of instruments to add to our gathering circle this morning. Wonderful! Of course singing the Water Song this morning was the highlight! They LOVE it! One boy said I love it because it’s catchy and you get to do actions. A great way to start our morning. Thank you for sending the lyrics. I asked the grade 8s what they thought and they too loved the afternoon. Many teachers were thanking me for having you come to the school. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and educating the kids in a fun way.” |
 Presentations support the curricula for all Grades and post-secondary. Most subject areas can benefit from First Nations knowledge, including: Native Studies, Art, Canadian and World Studies, Criminology and Justice, Dramatic Arts, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Humanities, Law, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Police Foundations and Training courses, Politics, Religion, Social Science, Social Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Storytelling, Theatre.
“First Nations knowledge influenced tribal life for thousands of years; it taught us about teamwork, co-operation, quelling the ego, and being part of the joyful sound of one heart beating.” (Shannon Thunderbird) |
More Testimonials about Shannon Thunderbird and Sandy Horne
“Shannon, On behalf of all the staff and students that attended your presentation, we absolutely loved it! The kids were very engaged in learning about many aspects of First Nations and about the importance of preserving your culture. We were very inspired to learn more about the Stolen Generation and watched a video on this terrible history of our nations past. We also saw the apology from Harper along with the response from our First Nation people, in which the students were very moved by this event. You created a very safe, inclusive environment that allowed our students to get reacquainted with each other, while being moved to the soothing sounds of the beating drums. The kids felt very honoured to be members of the wolf clan and they actively strive to live up to what the symbol of the wolf means.
Keep up the excellent work and we very much look forward to meeting again with you next year. Thank you for your expertise and genuine love of teaching.”
(Sincerely, Mrs. N. Young, and the Emily Carr Grade 6 Division)
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“If you don’t book this show [Thunder Rocks], you are missing out on a fabulous addition to the First Nations curriculum. Spoken from a Native perspective, Ms Thunderbird offered insight into things I did not know. My students and I had a fabulous time.” (Teacher, North York)
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“It was a pleasure having Sandy and yourself perform and work with the students over the past two days. The feedback has been nothing but positive. Everyone learned a ton and enjoyed the wealth of talent that both of you brought to our school community. I want to thank you both so much for making this such an excellent experience. All the best to you both!” (M. Menheere, Principal)
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“Students and Teachers can all benefit from Thunderbird’s considerable knowledge and the entertaining way in which she dispenses it!” (Vice-Principal, Avon Maitland)
YouTube Video – Thunderbird Storytelling
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