For Kara Heckford, a Grade 12 student and clarinettist from Winnipeg, MB, one of the most difficult things about life during the pandemic has been not being able to make music with other people. Prior to the closure of schools in the spring of 2020, Kara was a member of her high school’s concert band,
My name is Shania Raina and my number one passion is music. I’m fourteen years old and I am now in grade 9. Since I was young, I have found music as an escape. When I say this, I mean that when I play an instrument and/or sing, it feels as if all my worries
On May 4, 2020, during the Coalition for Music Education’s Music Monday @ Home broadcast, Noah Elliott Deptuck was announced as one of six 2020 NUFSICISUM Youth Leadership Award winners. With his NUFSICISUM Award in the Elementary Division, Noah, a 10-year-old student from Wellington, NS, earned the distinction of being the youngest ever NUFSICISUM winner!
My name is Irina Babayan and I have been this year’s Coalition for Music Education summer intern. This year more than any other, good work demands incredible strength of spirit, unwavering determination and, in this case, a true passion for music. My job demanded such qualities time and time again as I navigated the uncharted
Naomi Klassen, 23, had a rich musical education growing up in Winnipeg, MB; she joined every ensemble offered at her small high school, and took piano lessons outside of school, earning her Grade 8 Piano certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She first learned about music therapy when she was given a pamphlet from
Growing up in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Ben Macdonald’s earliest musical influence was his dad. “I got involved in music because my Dad has always had a huge passion and talent in music,” Ben told us in a recent interview. “My whole life he would always be playing/singing music and he passed that same passion on to
Born and raised in Toronto, Irene Harrett has come a long way since beginning the Humber College Community Music School’s Performing Orff program at age three. Now, at the age of 24, Irene is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Jazz Performance program, and an accomplished bass player with new and exciting projects on
At the age of 27, drummer Worrell McFarlane has amassed a number of impressive musical achievements, including working with Canadian jazz icon Molly Johnson and Grammy Award-winning musician Larnell Lewis. His experiences working with these two incredible musicians are among the highlights of a career on the rise, and the result of a dedication to
To say that music has been central to singer-songwriter Nicole Haber’s life would be an understatement: Nicole started singing at age four, and wrote her first song at age six. What began as an outlet for her creativity is now, at age 23, her passion and her calling, and what she describes as “the only
At 11 years of age, Vanessa Ayala Munoz already has a wealth of leadership experience under her belt. Born in the city of León in Guanajuato, Mexico, Vanessa moved to Brooks, Alberta with her family at the age of three, eventually settling in Tilley, Alberta a year later. Though she faced some challenges, such as