A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Lettres françaises faculty, Gregg is an award-winning bilingual educator who has worked in collaboration with the education sector for the past 25 years. He started his education career in French Immersion with the Toronto District School Board. In his work as FSL Superstar Gregg LeRock, he has led curriculum-based, multi-school French programs for more than half a million elementary students across Canada, receiving critical acclaim from students, teachers and French consultants. He has received two Juno nominations for his French-language recordings and has written curriculum-based songs and materials for major publishers which are featured in textbooks used by hundreds of thousands of elementary FSL students across Canada.
In addition to teaching songwriting workshops and courses at elementary, high school, college and university levels, Gregg has led comprehensive, values-based songwriting projects for several school boards, co-writing songs with over 5,000 students, producing 20 full-length CDs and including over 250 schools. These collaborative projects engaged students in themes of integrity, equity, diversity, community, mental health and well-being. Gregg’s partnership with York Region middle school students led to the creation and recording of the title song for Hana’s Suitcase, CBC Sunday Edition producer Karen Levine’s story that makes the story of the Holocaust accessible to children. The book and song have helped teachers and parents around the world to speak with children about the importance of tolerance and respect. Gregg’s Literacy Through Music: Character Education Songwriting partnership with York Region DSB was awarded the Promising Practices Award by the Character Education Partnership, Washington, DC, and his Literacy and Values Through Music: The Future We Want program with Peel DSB garnered accolades from teachers, administrators, students and their families, and from the Ministry of Education, for its promotion of equity in public education.
Gregg has led workshops and written articles for numerous professional arts and education organizations, including the the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Modern Languages Teachers’ Association, Ontario Music Educators’ Association, Ontario Contact, Showcase Alberta, the Songwriters’ Association of Canada and Today’s Parent. He has served as a judge for the Juno Awards and was the featured performer for the Concours d’art oratoire, Canadian Parents for French’s national public speaking contest. Celebrated by CBC Radio as “the best songwriter you ‘never’ heard!,” Gregg has written topical songs for local and national radio programs, and created the Songs in the Key of Canada show which was featured nationally on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe for CBC’s Canada Day broadcasts. He performed an outdoor concert at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan to more than 10,000 Canadian and NATO troops with Blue Rodeo and Newfoundland’s Lori Anna Reid. Gregg’s collaborative charitable projects include the creation of the World Vision World Song project for Peel and Halton Region schools, leading the Stephen Lewis Foundation Voices for Africa project with York Region schools and working as musical director for Camp Trillium, a year-round camp for kids and families dealing with childhood cancer.