I am the Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga Inc and we present live, professional, classical music and storytelling performances annually to family and school audiences. One of our productions is called Tales and Tunes for Toonies.
Tales and Tunes for Toonies (TT4T) was created to provide accessible live arts programming for new and young audiences of elementary students and families. Collaborating with Orchestras Mississauga (OM) TT4T will present annually a unique program of classical music with narrative on the stage of Hammerson Hall in the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, performed by the professional musicians of CMSM and OM . Thanks to an initial grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation admission is just a $2 donation! The experience of these performances is further supported by a set of in school visits by the performing musicians prior to the live concert and all teachers receive a curriculum guide with lesson plans to further assist the students in preparing for the visit to the Living Arts Centre. For many attendees this will be their first visit to the Mississauga Living Arts Centre. Over 4000 students and families from 30 schools throughout the GTA, Peel and Halton booked seats for the first TT4T performances in February 10-13, 2010. Many of these schools have large populations of new Canadians and have been identified as having large numbers of students at risk.
To keep the admission costs low (a toonie, $2) we do a considerable amount of fundraising. Currently we are in the running for a $10,000 donation from Pepsi Refresh. The first 3 ranking applicants will receive the funding. Currently The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga is number 4. We need your help to get the votes. Vote every day, tell your friends to vote every day and get their friends and their friends etc to vote every day.
What will the children learn? What are the benefits for them?
- Scientific studies have shown that exposure to the performing arts has a positive and long-lasting impact on children’s learning and self- esteem. Yet government cutbacks in funding for the arts have prevented many elementary schools (especially in the culturally under-serviced communities of Mississauga and Peel) from developing arts programs for their children.
The teachers themselves often lack the skills, confidence and resources to teach curriculum for the performing arts. Yet it is these schools, with high populations of youth-at-risk and children from new Canadian families who would benefit the most from these programs.
By continuing to access funding from the private sector to pay professional performers and by presenting engaging, curriculum-based cultural programs in these schools, the CMSM will fill this gap and create new audiences for the future.
- In other concerts for children, given by the CMSM, the children have always been enthralled by the presence of live musicians and they take every opportunity to question them: “How did you learn to play your instrument?” “How long did it take you before you could play it really well?” “Do you have to practice every day?” “For how long?”
- For most of the children, it will be the very first time they have been in a concert hall for a performance of real, live musicians and actors. Our intention is that Tales and Tunes for Toonies performances will fire their imagination and inspire their own creativity.
thanks for your assistance
Peggy Hills
Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga inc
Winner of the Laurie Pallett Award
JUNO AWARD nomination for Best Children's Album
www.chambermusicmississauga.org
