NEWS

Music In Communities is looking back at almost five years of music advocacy through this little non-profit, and we're feeling pretty delighted at how things have evolved! We currently provide part-time employment to almost 20 musicians in various programs and activities, as well as keeping the books, writing the grants, designing posters and promoting events. We hire music students through the Canada Summer Jobs program, providing them with mentorship and experience in live sound engineering, event production, music education and performance. We hire working musicians in our area to lead our programs, as a way to supplement their income as performers. We bring visiting musicians to our community and add value to their stay by having them offer workshops, talks and daytime shows for groups who may not make it to their gig.

Here is what we have going on right now:

Acoustic jam sessions open to all, with Rebecca Dunk

Queer Community Chorus with Freya Milliken

Present Moments Singers - for people with Alzheimers and dementia and their caregivers with Wendy LaPierre

After-School Ukulele and Guitar Jams in Canning and Wolfville with Freya Milliken, Tyler MacDonald and Jesse Potter

Adult Ukulele Group with Dayna Manning

Music classes for youth at risk, with Daniel McFadyen

Family-Friendly Lunch Matinees with childcare on site

Youth Open Mics / All-ages shows

Jam Dances: Improvised music and movement for people with learning disabilities

Climate Song Lab - a new program to sing out our climate anxiety and write climate anthems and protest songs, to be (re-)launched in April

The Canning Kitchen Party - our weekly concert in the gazebo featuring local and visiting musicians and some of our community groups

Drum-making workshops and Mi’kmaq song workshops

Plus: Shows and dances and workshops that come up throughout the year

Check our Upcoming Events section for more info on all of these things. If you’d like receive our email newsletter, send us a note at info@musicincommunities.com. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, too! @musicincommunities

We couldn’t do any of this without support! We face the challenge of paying our musicians fair working wages, while making our events affordable and accessible to our community. To do this, we have received grants from Arts Nova Scotia, the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada Council for the Arts, the Municipality of Kings County, Community Health Board, and Small Change Fund. We partner with many organizations including the Town of Wolfville, Canning and District Recreation, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts, Acadia Performing Arts Society, Deep Roots Music Cooperative, and many more. We are sponsored by so many of our wonderful local businesses, and we receive donations from kind folks like you. We also receive in-kind donations of food, services, and instruments for our instrument bank. We now own a small sound system, 16 ukuleles, several acoustic and electric guitars, basses, amps and drum kits, which are used in our youth programs.

We’re excited to contribute to the vibrant culture in our community, and bring music to people who need it the most, in the hope that live music will continue to thrive and enrich our lives here in the Annapolis Valley. Thanks for being part of our journey!

Click on a poster for links to more details about upcoming events. 

 

 

We are very grateful to acknowledge support from the Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia to make these events possible.