School of Music Montreal

The School of Music Montreal's mission is to promote education equality to children at risk, to reduce that risk by providing a safe and supporting environment, and to achieve this education and personal growth potential through musical avenues. Individual risk can be defined as financial, academic, or personal circumstances that may hinder the child from receiving an equal opportunity for educati

on. We hope to reduce this risk and create a sense of personal empowerment in these children by introducing them to musical technique, exploring music through workshops, providing individual lessons and group classes, and by sharing our passion for music with them. We want to allow every child a chance to learn music for free. We want to give them an opportunity to recognize and utilize alternative sources for learning to take control of their own education. We not only strive to kickstart their musical development, we also aim to foster and create an environment in which the student can grow emotionally and individually. At the core of the School of Music Montreal (SoMM) programming, we provide weekly lessons at schools. Volunteers spend their time each week at the schools with the children and take on a mentorship role while teaching music. The instruments taught include piano, guitar, voice, percussion and more. The instruments are all provided for the children to play and practice on. Our SoMM Workshop Series is another programming sector. The series bring mobile workshops throughout the community to be able to engage participants that are not at one of our partner schools. The workshops are run by volunteers and partner groups such as bands, a cappella groups and more. The third branch of our programming connects the community to music students through the Community Private Lesson program (CPL). We look to match individuals in the community of all ages to those with a music degree or those studying in a music degree. Not only will the individual benefit from affordable music lessons, but the teacher will also gain valuable work experience, while donating to a scholarship fund for SoMM. The scholarship fund is then used to create a scholarship for those that show financial risk. Our last sector of programming is an approach alongside the university environment. On-Campus Workshops will look to bring in music instructors, music therapists, and more, to the university campus. These workshops will be offered for free or by donation to the university students to help promote mental health during stressful exam seasons and to engage the university community. The children receiving the education foster a relationship with a mentor figure and the joy of music in their lives. SoMM will unite education and musically inclined volunteers with those who are invested in promoting education equality in a combined effort to ignite musical passion and ignite individual strength for these children as we expand and grow our program. The organization has had such great success due to the support of the community of volunteers and supporters, which we are always looking for. Feel free to like our page to stay tuned. All questions and opportunities can be directed to [email protected].