Nicole Taylor runs the Muskoka Children’s Choir and strongly believes that music education is important for all children.
Unfortunately, she says, music programs continue to be cut across the province and not all families can afford to enroll their children in private music lessons.
Muskoka Children’s Choir is a very affordable option for many families. It runs for 12-week sessions and the cost is $135. This money pays for the room rental, music purchase and the director’s fee.
“I keep the tuition fee as low as possible so that I can cover my costs, while offering a program that is accessible to families. Still, there are children out there who would love to be able to take part in choir but don’t have the funds to do so. Since starting the choir in the fall of 2021, I have hoped to raise money to offer scholarships, so that students who are financially unable to sign up will still have the opportunity to participate,” explained Taylor.
“After covering our expenses last session, I was really pleased to have some money left over and am excited to reach out to the community and hope to find some keen young singers who would love to join but are financially unable. I hope to offer more scholarship spots as the program continues to grow. In fact, if any businesses are interested in sponsoring a child, I would love to hear from you! You can get in touch with me at [email protected].”
The Muskoka Children’s Choir is open to students in Grades 1 to 5. It is a great place for children who love to sing, want to develop their musical skills, and want to socialize with other kids who enjoy music!
“We sing a variety of styles and perform a concert at the end of each 12-week session,” explained Taylor.
The next session will begin on February 5th, with rehearsals running every Monday night at 5:00-5:50 pm. In addition to the Muskoka Children’s Choir, she offers a Pop Vocals class for students in Grades 6 to 12, which rehearses at 6:00-6:50 pm on Monday nights. There will be a shorter 6-week session this spring for children in JK, SK, and Gr. 1. In Children’s Choir and Pop Vocals, students learn to sing on pitch, read music, project their voices, blend their sound, and gain confidence singing in front of others. The groups are kind and supportive and everyone is there to have fun, noted Taylor.
How to apply
To apply for a scholarship, please send an email to the choir director Nicole Taylor ([email protected]) with the following information: your name, age, school, teacher, parents’ names, parents’ job title, contact information and a paragraph describing why you would like to be a part of the Muskoka Children’s Choir or Pop Vocals class. Please also include whether you are applying for a full or partial scholarship. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 2nd.
See video below. It has clips from all three groups (Primary Choir, Junior Choir and Pop Vocals) from the winter concert on December 11th at Trinity United Church.
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