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BMus Community Music Class of 2020 💥

Today was supposed to be Convocation Day of the first graduating class of community music students in Laurier’s BMus. They have been with the program longer than me, and I’ve spent most of my last three years learning from them and their leadership, curiosity, ambition, kindness, commitment, and genuine enjoyment in each other’s company. A beautiful exemplar of a community of musicians who lift each other up and strive to make good change in the world through music. The community music specialization teaches musicianship, leadership/facilitation, and critical thinking. In students’ final year, they complete a capstone project: a music initiative… Read More »BMus Community Music Class of 2020 💥

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you may now call me dr. dee

I defended my thesis at the end of August, and handed in the final document a week later. I think that, technically, I’m not a doctor until my convocation in November, but unofficially: I AM A DOCTOR!! And I am a doctor who now lives in Edmonton, Alberta. I just had my childhood piano delivered from my parents’ house to mine today. My new studio needs work, but it’s looking promising: Not quiiiiite homey yet, but with a little love and a lot of work, I think this will make a fine studio. I also have plans in the works,… Read More »you may now call me dr. dee

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“the power of the arts”

This past weekend I attended the Power of the Arts National Forum in Ottawa, hosted by the Michaëlle Jean Foundation and Carleton University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Let me first say that there are a surprising number of organizations in Canada working at the intersection of arts and social change. I learned about fantastic projects, like Beautifulcity.ca, which successfully campaigned for a new tax on billboards in Toronto to be streamed into arts funding. Or the research project Pedagogical Impulse, which paired visual artists and 6th grade students to explore ‘Canada and its Trading partners’ in interesting and… Read More »“the power of the arts”

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advice for choosing a choir

I was the guest editor for Whole Note magazine’s May 2012 edition. This Toronto area-based music magazine is known for releasing its ‘Canary Pages’ in May– a listing of choirs and other singing opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area for anyone who’s looking to join a choir, or perhaps looking for a change. I was asked to write about choirs and community for this year’s edition(you can read it here). I also had some long, wonderful discussions with two Toronto-based conductors: Isabel Bernaus, conductor of the Jubilate Singers and Common Thread Community Choir; and Becca Whitla, conductor of Echo Women’s… Read More »advice for choosing a choir

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