News

KANATA, Ontario, December 2010 –Olivia Riddell and her husband David are the new owners of Music for Young Children effective December 1, 2010.  This was formalized on Dec. 9th when this photograph was taken at the signing.  From the left Lawrence Silber, Grant Walsh, David Riddell, Olivia Riddell, Frances Balodis and Gunars Balodis.

 

During the last five years succession planning has gone very well in transferring the management and responsibility to Olivia and David who bring many new and exciting ideas to Music for Young Children.

 

David and Olivia’s vision is to ensure the sustainability of MYC for the next 30 years, while growing the company and bringing policies, procedures and systems up to current business practices – all this while also reflecting the core values to which Frances and Gunars built the company.

 

MYC's 2010 International Conference in Banff, Alberta

The Banff Conference in July 2010, was a phenomenal success!  Here are some of the comments from teachers:

"Thank you Alberta teachers for a 12 out of 10 conference!!! Everything was top of the line ... excellent speakers, amazing food, wonderful fun, great party atmosphere, cool gifts, elegant accommodations, quality leadership, superb timing and organization, breath-taking scenery, healthy extra-curricular activities, loved the dancing, loved the singing, we had the perfect amount of free time to connect with others and you had vendors with products that are going to make my classes rock!!!
     Thank you for inviting Christopher Norton who wrote a special song just for Frances and Gunars and presented it with a beautiful slideshow.  We all cried...
    It was especially meaningful to me to hear the story of MYC from the very beginning and to see the torch passed from Frances and Gunars to Olivia and David.  Olivia and David are two very exceptional people.  They will take MYC to new heights of excellence and relevance.  What an amazing organization!  I am honoured to be part of it all!!  -- Terri


MYC2010 was a "WOW" Conference, right from comfortable accommodation and extremely cooperative hotel staff, terrific meals ... the fantastic closing banquet and all things in between.  My suitcase was bursting with all the extra special gifts, my mind is overloaded with all the fantastic teaching tips, and my heart is full of joy for the special people with whom I was able to connect and/or re-connect.  An extra special thank you to all those wonderful musicians who helped to make Christopher Norton's "At the Lake" into such a special performance; the players on piano, Lucina keytar, triangle, jingle tap and maracase, as well as that amazing choir in the background. -- Liselotte


I want to add my thanks.  Everything was AMAZING.  I feel so privileged to be a part of the MYC teaching team.  Alberta your hospitality and welcome can not be surpassed, again thank you. -- Doris


I have been to many conferences over the years for different industries and organizations with my parents, husband, and for myself.  The MYC conference was by far the most well-organized, productive, interesting, classy & inclusive conference I have ever been a part of.  Well done... -- Carrie


It's hard to say it any better than everyone already has!  What a conference!  It ran so smoothly with top notch speakers, invigorating conversations and a spectacular location!  It's so great to be part of MYC and meet the many, many talented musicians and teachers.  The future looks bright!  -- Marie


On behalf of the Alberta committee, I'd like to say that we were delighted to have you all there and hear your kind comments. ... We were thrilled with the surprises that Head Office provided for us as well (like the Birthday party, the t-shirts, and metal signs, the posters, Christopher Norton and his song, the entertainment at the Banquet).  Thanks for your wonderful efforts Kanata! -- Dora


What a wonderful experience - and even more wonderful were the people we got to share it with!  MYC certainly is a joy to be part of.  Thank you all for making this such a perfect conference not only for me, but my husband as well!  We loved every moment of it! -- Carol-Irma


As this was my first conference, I don't have anything to compare it to, but I certainly had fun and learned some things too!  I had been warned about how much fun I would have, but of course, you don't really know until you experience it. ... I can now honestly say that I would not miss another conference simply because it was a great experience in every way and I am already looking forward to the next one! -- Terri


Completely splendiferous!  ... Each breakout session that I went to was perfectly suited to my interests, needs, and passions.  I attended: Composing Made Fun, It's Not Just Business -- It's Personal, Movement in the Class, CC Idioms, and CC Mock Exam. ... Now to chart, graph, plan and implement everything I learned! -- Lydia

International Composition Winners!


KANATA, Ontario, March 25, 2008 – The highlight of Music for Young Children’s year has been the International Composition Festival now in its 21st year and the largest in the world of its kind. Every year Music for Young Children students have the opportunity to participate in this annual festival. Children strengthen their aural, reading and harmony skills through music composition. Composing is a long-term project, well worth the effort.

This year 12,710 students from across Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea took part in the festival.  Compositions are judged within their level in eight different regions – Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB), Ontario, Eastern Canada (PQ, NS, NB, PEI, NF), United States, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand . The first place winners of each of these regions then go on to be judged internationally.

Fifteen reviewers played every piece, including world renowned British composer and recording artist Christopher Norton. According to Mr. Norton, “I was one of the judges for the 2008 MYC Composition Competition and I really enjoyed the experience. There were more than 12,000 entries, and I'm sorry to say that I didn't personally see every single one. But the many entries I did see indicated that there's lots of enthusiasm and creativity among young people in Canada (and the U.S., Singapore and South Korea!). It always stood out if a student had a clear idea about the chords they really wanted to use, or wanted an effective variation in their melody or liked piano textures that were a bit different from the ones you always hear. Creative solutions stood out! The lessons they will have learned from notating their own pieces and playing around with a very specific set of notes and rhythms will lead to better listening and ultimately a love of music for life”.  

International winners are:

Sunshine One (3 + 4 years)

  1. Gracey Shea, My Shining Star, Kingston ON.
  2. Callie McAlduff, Computer Fun, Summerside, PE.
  3. Sally Hwang, The Swishing Wind, Korea.
  4. Brenna Hein, Strawberry Shortcake, Edmonton, AB.  

 Sunshine Two (4 + 5 years)

  1. Renee Arsenault, Jumping Frog, Kensington, PE.
  2. MacKenna Friesen, A Donkey’s Song, Airdrie, AB.
  3. Jake Barger, Dora’s Sad Song, Mechanicsville, VA.
  4. Samantha Horwood, Snowflake Dance, Toronto, ON.

Sunbeams One (5 + 6 years)  

  1. Alex Lowrie, Family, Toronto, ON.
  2. Katy Zoller, The Race, Rocky River, OH.
  3. Patrick Dunlop, P’s Sharps, Pointe-Claire, QC.
  4. Sophie-Jayne Morgan, I Love Piano, Calgary, AB.

Sunbeams Two (6 + 7 years)

  1. Kurtis George-Wegner, March of the Mammoths, Dartmouth, NS.
  2. David Faulkner, Rhythm of E, Lethbridge, AB.
  3. Julia Bennett Tick-Tock, Westlake, OH.
  4. Don-Yoon Goh, A Stream, Korea.

Sunbeams Three (7 + 8 years)

  1. Kourtney Kobitz, Skating, Estevan, SK.
  2. Sullivan Joseph Kilbanc, Big Time-Baseball, Olmstead, OH.
  3. Wie Tae Min, Snowy Night, Korea.
  4. Steven Macdonnell, Winter is Coming, Georgetown, ON.

Moonbeams One (7 + 8 years)

  1. Laurel Fife, The Alley Cat, Winnipeg, MB.
  2. Evan Ruby, Song for Mom, Brantford, ON.
  3. Pyeone-Ho Lee, Playground, Korea.
  4. Bela Nishi Gyorfi, Fishing with Grandpa, Mabou, NS.

Moonbeams Two (8 + 9 years)

  1. Alyssa Clutton, Sweet Sounds, Waterloo, ON.
  2. Jae-Young Seo, Shadow, Korea.
  3. Julia Knox, When to Pray, Brunswick, OH.
  4. Chelsea Gunderson, A Stormy Night, Lake Cowichan, BC.

Moonbeams Three (9+ years)

  1. Ben Pohorily, Zoo Animals, Winnipeg, MB.
  2. Adam Pettigrew, Bed Time, Ottawa-Kanata, ON.
  3. Yong-Boum Cho, Sad Love, Korea.
  4. Andrew Dawson, Knights of the Medieval Past, St. John ’s, NL.

My Choice 1 (7 + 8 years)

  1. Olivia Malito, My Owl’s Wings of Wisdom, Aurora, ON.
  2. Kate Ackroyd, Snow Days, Stockholm, SK.
  3. Neily Macburni, I Love Candy, Kentville, NS. 

My Choice 2 (8 + 9 years)

  1. Diana Yu, Winter, Deer Lake, NL.
  2. Morgan MacFarlane, Speed Swimming, Oxbow, SK.
  3. Kelly Snider, Sea Side, Ottawa-Kemptville, ON. 

Best Choice 1 (adult)

  1. Ava Hatcher, Music Lessons, Prince George, BC.
  2. Abby Bowling, Fleeting Memory, Boxford, MA.

Best Choice 2 (adult)

  1. Aileen Isaac, Strolling, Strolling Through the Woods, Kitchener, ON.
  2. Renee Waters, Evening Light, Abbotsford, BC.

For more information please contact Janice Reade (janice@myc.com), Public Relations in Ottawa 800-561-1692.  

 


Frances Balodis presented National Licentiate


KANATA, ON Nov 03, 2005 - The Canadian National Conservatory of Music (CNCM) presented Frances Balodis with an Honorary Licentiate on Saturday, Oct. 29th in London, Ontario. The CNCM was founded in February 2002 with a mandate to promote Canadian composers and repertoire. “Music for Young Children is at the cutting edge of Early Childhood Music Programs. I have worked with students and teachers involved with this wonderful organization and have witnessed the vibrant enthusiasm of the participants. The curriculum is holistic and inspired. I highly recommend this experience as the doorway into the wonderful world of music,” according to Clark Bryan, Concert Pianist.

Frances Balodis, in the centre of the photo, with Sandra Poolton, MYC coordinator for southern Ontario, on the left and Canadian composer Nancy Telfer on the right.

WaterCan Benefit in Ottawa

Ottawa, September 20, 2005 – Angela Hewitt performed Twelve Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I at Christ Church Cathedral on September 20 in aid of WaterCan. She also performed Three Mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin and Three Waltzes.

Ms. Hewitt chose to play for WaterCan because “So many people in the world suffer from a shortage of clean water – something all of us take for granted. I think of this every time I brush my teeth. I would like to do my part to help WaterCan’s activities, and to bring them to the attention of a wider public”.

The funds raised at this benefit concert will help support WaterCan’s clean water and sanitation projects in Eastern Africa.

Frances Balodis on the left with Angela Hewitt at the WaterCan Benefit Concert in Ottawa at Christ Church Cathedral, September 20, 2005.

Why music education is important for overall development

Kids can do better when they've exercised their minds

KANATA, Ontario, August 10, 2005 – Scientists have known for decades that environment affects behavior, but only in recent years have they started to understand that the brain is literally shaped by experience.

Nature acts like a sculptor throughout childhood, scientists say, chiseling away the excessive cells and synapses so the brain can function more efficiently in adulthood. In part it decides which synapses are superfluous by determining which ones never get used. That’s why people who take piano lessons before age nine find it easier to play piano as adults than those who didn’t start studying the instrument until later in life. By enrolling a child in music lessons, “you’ve changed the fine anatomy of the brain,” Dr. Chugani, a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan Children ’s Hospital, says.

Music seems to be more a biological imperative than a cultural “add-on”. Therefore, its importance in human life is considerably greater than is commonly thought. Music lessons teach children critical thinking skills needed in today’s workforce.

Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto at Mississauga found in his research children who took music lessons gained seven IQ points. What can you do to encourage your child? Support your child at home, encouraging practice and continuing participation.

Celebrating its 25 th anniversary, Music for Young Children has been among the world’s leading music-learning systems. C hildren start at ages 3-10 years in group keyboard lessons. The classes are highly structured and follow a carefully worked-out series of increasing complexities. The hour-long classes include rhythm ensembles, singing, ear-training, sight-reading, note-reading, theory and composing techniques.

Children enjoying their artwork at summer music camp.  

 

Music students donate $42,280 to The Fire Fighters Burn Fund Inc.

OTTAWA, May 9, 2005 – By practicing the piano approximately four million minutes, thousands of Music for Young Children students across Canada have raised $42,280 which is being donated to local Fire Fighters Burn Funds.

Over a four to six week period, parents were asked to donate a penny for every minute of practice – this is a great way to motivate students and they feel good about donating to such a worthwhile cause. MYC is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with this fund raiser.

“It’s really heartwarming to see and to know what MYC teachers and children are accomplishing. Either someone will be spared the agony of a burn because of something they learned in a prevention program, or their outcome will be better because of improvements in care that will be funded,” Martin Johnson, Chairman of the Manitoba Fire Fighters Burn Fund.

Cheques have been presented to the various Fire Fighters Burn Funds across Canada and in some cases donated to the Red Cross for the Tsunami Relief Fund.

For more information contact Janice Reade, Public Relations in Ottawa at 800-561-1692 janice@myc.com.

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