Telus Community Boards and Adopt an Instrument

TELUS helps award $10,000 in new instruments to Queen Alexandra Elementary!

On December 12th, 2011, Queen Alexandra Elementary School received a significant contribution towards their school music education program. Music BC Charitable Foundation and the TELUS Vancouver Community Board have teamed up to present this East Vancouver school with brand new band instruments through the Adopt an Instrument Program.

A $10,000 donation from TELUS, as part of their unique Community Boards funding program, has gone toward buying new flutes, trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, and more for this needy East Vancouver school. Industry partner and sponsor Long & McQuade Musical Instruments has also stepped in to supply instruments at discounted prices to make the donation go even further.

The public cheque presentation took place at Queen Alexandra Elementary School located at 1300 East Broadway, on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 9:00 AM. In attendance were: TELUS Vancouver Community Board manager Kristina Chang, Long & McQuade Musical Instrument’s Head of Education Mike Cronin, Music BC Charitable Foundation President Elka Yarlowe, Executive Director Bob D’Eith, Director Cal Misener, as well as teacher Rick Lee and about 40 students from Queen Alexandra Elementary.

The students helped us bring in the musical bounty, which was delivered in a sparkling white TELUS van, courtesy of TELUS Vancouver Community Boards. After unpacking the various instruments and stands, the students all got a chance to try their hand at the new instruments and pick their favorite. Foundation President and past music teacher Elka Yarlowe lead the group in an celebratory try-out of all the new musical gifts.

Recently awarded funds new funds, the Adopt an Instrument program will be expanding its reach and providing instruments to Queen Alexandra’s sister school Grandview Elementary, as well as remote public and band council schools in BC in the near future. Their Adopt an Instrument program aims to put an instrument in the hands of every BC child and has donated over 500 band and string instruments since launching the program in 2007.

To nominate your school for an Adopt an Instrument grant, please contact info@musicbcfoundation.org.

About the TELUS Community Boards
TELUS Community Boards are an innovative model for funding youth-focused charities and put decision-making in the hands of local leaders who know their communities best. Eleven TELUS Community Boards are making a positive impact across Canada from coast-to-coast in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Rimouski, Quebec City, Atlantic Canada and the most recently launched board in the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C. Since their inception in 2005, the Community Boards have contributed $30 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 2,300 community projects. The TELUS Community Boards and the meaningful difference they make significantly contributed to TELUS receiving the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2010 Freeman Philanthropic Services Award for the Most Outstanding Corporation globally. For more information about the TELUS Vancouver Community Board or to apply for funding, visit www.telus.com/community.

www.long-mcquade.com/

AVIVA Community Fund Project

Music BC Charitable Foundation is proud to announce our acceptance into the Aviva Community Fund online grant community! Our Adopt an Instrument program has been accepted into Round 3 of funding and your votes could mean new instruments for public school music programs through out BC!

The Aviva Community Fund was started by the Aviva Insurance Group to fund expert ideas that fuel community improvement. They have run 2 rounds of voting so far and the 3rd round is the final opportunity to make it to the semi-finals, where the Top 30 is then voted on again. The most popular out of each category in the Top 30 receive a portion of the $1,000,000 prize.

Please go and create an account on Aviva Community Fund and vote for us. You receive 15 votes for each round and can vote multiple times for the same project. We encourage you to vote for us and also check out the other very deserving proposals on the site.

Bring SONG to your school!

Have you ever wanted a tool to engage your students, get them excited about writing and literacy and challenge them to understand and critique popular media?

All these aspects, and more, make Songwriters of a New Generation a must-have program for elementary through secondary schools, as well as youth groups and community centers.

Songwriters Of a New Generation (S.O.N.G) is a program available to both public and private schools in BC. We provide music industry mentors who visit class rooms as an after school club or alternatively can be integrated into the curriculum. These mentors provide music industry education, a safe place for students to express themselves, show students how to be part of (and build) a community, as well as teaching the age old craft of songwriting. Additionally, we are also working on building up a network of music teachers who would like access to the unique SONG curriculum and training to teach it in their own music programs.

Having worked with numerous schools since 2005, this program has been extremely well received by students and administration alike. With success stories such as having students performing at the Juno Awards Gala Dinner, students winning songwriting contests, and the group of students in the band called The Latency (Signed a record deal right out of high school and had three #1 hits on Much Music), the program mentors provide knowledge which can only come from years of experience. This experience is then passed on to the students, helping them grow as artists and people.

Music BC Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce they are providing the SONG program to five needy schools this January free of cost. If you are interested in applying for this bursary please download the following form and submit to info@musicbcfoundation.org

Deadline to submit is November 15th, 2011. 5:00 PM

SONG BURSARY APPLICATION

SONG Year Launch Recital

On October 13th, 2011 Songwriters of a New Generation hosted it’s annual recital at Centennial Secondary School in Coquitlam, BC. “SONG” is an extra-curricular songwriting and community building program administered by Music BC Charitable Foundation on behalf of schools and community centers through BC and the lower mainland.

A gaggle of talented teens turned out to wow us with the songs they had written either in the SONG club at their school or after taking the program.

Sponsored by Nimbus School of Recording Arts, we were lucky to have a team of sound engineers on hand to run the technical side of things, as well as Nimbus founders (and renowned producers/engineers) Garth Richardson and Kevin Williams as mentors. Appropriately enough, our top three “studio ready” artists were also each awarded free recording time at Nimbus!

Alexis Douglas from Astral/CBC and Yael Akron from Pomme were also generous to donate their time to help provide helpful critiques to all the performers.

Thanks to generous donations from JAM! Industries (Erikson Audio, Erikson Music) Tom Lee Music and Music BC, we were able to score some amazing prizes and every student performer went home with something great- from a Marshall Megastack to an Audio Technica condenser mic to a free Music BC membership! Thanks to Tom Lee, every performer left with a $50 Next Level school gift certificate.

Photographers Ashley Tanasiychuk of Formatnoauto Photography and Elias Crespo-Mulatto  were on hand to capture both still and moving pictures. Here’s what we’ve managed to edit so far!

We are currently working on an edited video of the production, so please check back for updates on that!

Thanks to our wonderful judges, sound crew, photographers, teachers Andrew Clark & Malcolm Grier, Centennial Secondary School, Nimbus, Jam Industries, Tom Lee, Music BC and most of all the talented and inspiring performers who made the night a success!

Burt Harris Memorial Scholarship – Deadline Extended

We are happy to announce that the deadline for our Burt Harris Memorial Scholarship program has been extended for Private Tuition applicants to November 15th, 2011.

The Burt Harris Memorial Scholarship is awarded to private tuition and post-secondary music students in any genre, instrument, voice or grade level to assist in funding their musical education.The scholarships are awarded twice yearly for September and January start-dates.

For more information and to apply please surf to: http://musicbcfoundation.org/burt-harris-memorial-scholarship/

Best of luck to all our applicants!

FORTE 2011!

Music BC Charitable Foundation is proud to be a participant in this year’s BC Music Educator’s Association annual conference and meeting of the minds. Music teachers are possibly the greatest unsung heroes of the school system, fighting against the worst budget cuts of any department in public education and systemic undervaluing of the arts in general We cherish the opportunity to gather and learn from these amazing leaders and share what we do with them in the hopes to collaborate on future programming.

Music BC Charitable Foundation will have a booth in the Marketplace Saturday and Sunday, as well as hosting a SONG workshop on Saturday morning. We sincerely hope to continue to stimulate interest in our programs and spread the word about the work we do to help music education in BC.

If you will be attending, please come visit our booth and join us for a SONG session on Saturday.

BCMEA FORTE Conference – SONG Workshop: Activating Young Minds Through Songwriting
Saturday, October 22nd at 10:15 AM in Lounge A
River Rock Casino, Richmond
Have you ever wanted a tool to excite, engage, enthuse and empower your students?
Songwriter of a New Generation (S.O.N.G.) is an extra-curricular program that uses songwriting as a means of engagement, empowerment and self-discovery for the musically inclined and newcomer alike. Songwriting brings a plethora of developmental benefits to youth and young adults. When conducted in a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere, the creative process of composition enhances literacy, activates the imagination, encourages free play, and gives students the tools and courage to express their inner feelings and ideas. This activity breaks down social barriers and encourages the cross-pollination of ideas, friendships and empathetic connection between class members.

At Forte 2011, Music BC Charitable Foundation is pleased to present a S.O.N.G. demonstrational session, open to any teachers, administrators or guests who are curious about the program. Please mark your planners that our session will take place Saturday October 22nd, 10:15-11:30 at in Lounge A. A complimentary coffee break will be served courtesy of the Music BC Charitable Foundation.

SONG Launch Recital

Inspiring the Next Generation of Songwriters

Teachers, have you ever wanted a tool to excite, engage, enthuse and empower your students?

Musicians, want to give back to your community and share your love and passion for songwriting with young people?

About Song

Songwriters of a New Generation (S.O.N.G.) is an extra-curricular program that uses songwriting as a means of engagement, empowerment and self-discovery for kids ages 8 to 18. Formerly a chapter of the School Alliance of Student Songwriters, Music BC Charitable Foundation has recently come on board with artist, producer and artistic director Don Mcleod to oversee the delivery of this amazing program in BC schools and community arts centers.

As an extension of existing school curricula, S.O.N.G. seeks not to replace music classes, but to build on the fundamental skills taught throughout the year. It operates as a weekly extra-curricular club, facilitated by an established music industry mentor, and is open to all youth—be they musically-gifted or just musically-curious.

S.O.N.G provides performance opportunities for students within their communities and as well as a year-end recital for friends and family. At the  yearly recital, students compete for prizes as well as receive valuable feedback from a panel of music industry judges. Some our past judges/guest speakers have been: Jim Vallance (Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Ozzy), Vincent DeGiorgio (NCYNC), Dane DeViller (Kelly Rowland, Jessica Simpson, The Corrs), Tommy MacDonald (Hedley), Danny Craig (Default), Mike Reno (Loverboy), Faber (Faber Drive) and many more. Past prizes have included guitars, microphones, free recording time at world renowned studios, working with well known producers, recording software, amplifiers, and more.

Why Songwriting?

Songwriting brings a plethora of developmental benefits to youth and young adults. When conducted in a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere, the creative process of composition enhances literacy, activates the imagination, encourages free play, and gives students the tools and courage to express their inner feelings and ideas. This activity breaks down social barriers and encourages the cross-pollination of ideas, friendships and empathetic connection between class members.

How does it work?

The S.O.N.G. curriculum features in-depth analyses of existing popular songs chosen by the students for study, teaching methods of deconstructing and understanding the messages hidden within popular media. Students learn the foundation of lyric writing, literary themes, rhyme schemes, rhythmic meter and matching lyric mood to musical color.

In SONG sessions students who play instruments are matched with students who lack these skills, and all work together to produce original compositions within frameworks set by the S.O.N.G. mentor. In this way music students are encouraged to develop powerful leadership skills, as accompanists who guide the musical direction of compositions.

How much does it cost?

In the past S.O.N.G. has been primarily funded by the school districts in which it operates, but as we all know funding for the arts in public schools has been suffering relentless cuts in the past decade. To address this challenge, the Music BC Charitable Foundation offsets operational costs by full or partial subsidies through charitable fundraising, government grants and generous patrons of the program . S.O.N.G. is committed to working with teachers, Parental Advisory Committees and school administrators in its fundraising, planning and policy-making process.

Music BC Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce they are providing the SONG program to five needy schools this January free of cost. If you are interested in applying for this bursary please download the following form and submit to info@musicbcfoundation.org

Deadline to submit is November 15th, 2011. 5:00 PM

SONG BURSARY APPLICATION

Some of our past school partners include:

- Maillard Middle School, Coquitlam

- Terry Fox Secondary School, Coquitlam

- Kwayhquitlam middle School, Coquitlam

- New Westminster Secondary School, New West

- Garibaldi Secondary, Vancouver

- Thomas Haney Secondary,  Vancouver

- Kwantlen Park School, Surrey

- Langley Fundamental School, Langley

- Langley Secondary School, Langley

- Timberline Secondary School, Campbell River

- Mark Isfeld Secondary, Courtenay

- Gulf Island Secondary, Saltspring Island

How do I get more information?

Throughout the year schools and community centers can book a SONG information session with our artistic director and head songwriting mentor. In addition to an informative presentation for teachers and administrators, they also give a condensed demonstration of a typical SONG session for any interested students.

To book an visit from the SONG team, please email info@musicbcfoundation.org or call 604-873-1198.

How do I become a songwriting mentor?

SONG is always on the lookout for new songwriting mentors. If you are a songwriter with professional writing credits, an established music industry history and clean criminal record we definitely want to hear from you!

For more information on becoming a SONG mentor,  or to request a mentor application package please email info@musicbcfoundation.org or call 604-873-1198.

Launch of the 2011 Burt Harris Memorial Scholarships Program

We are pleased to announce the launch of our 2011 Burt Harris Memorial Scholarship program!

Starting in 2006 with initial funding through The Beat 94.5 FM this scholarship was built to award music education scholarships to needy students for private and institutional music programs.

The scholarship was named after Burt Harris, a music lawyer and fierce advocate for music and musicians, who passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Burt’s passion for all things music will be carried on through this scholarship program.

Through fundraising and generous donations from the public, we help students and individuals gain one on one musical instruction from a professional instructor and assist them in working toward a brighter future with confidence and passion, be it a profession in music or otherwise. We believe that the gift of music for these students will benefit the community beyond the music sector, as they take their dedication for playing music, and apply that same dedication and passion to the rest of their lives.

In the past, this program has been fortunate enough to receive funding from Tegan & Sara, who were former clients of Burt. They assembled a limited edition CD of their initial demo versions of The Con, and sold them while on tour. Proceeds from the sale of this album were donated to the Music BC Charitable Foundation’s scholarship program.

This year we will award a $500 scholarship to help pay for private instruction in Canada for a musical instrument/vocal coach.

We will also award a $1000 scholarship award to help pay for tuition for a music program at a recognized post-secondary institution.

This program is not for career training for positions in the music industry, so no applications for funding for an entertainment business management program, etc will be eligible.

For further details on how to apply, please surf to: http://musicbcfoundation.org/burt-harris-memorial-scholarship/

The deadlines for this program are Oct.30th, 2011 for Private Tuition and Nov. 15th, 2011 for Post-Secondary studies.

If you are a school administrator, counselor or teacher and would like an information package, please email info@musicbcfoundation.org

Best of luck to all our talented applicants!

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