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We had an exciting opportunity to host a Violin Duo with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensembles in a socially distanced performance this past weekend, and what a spectacular Sunday afternoon is was!

OSO concertmaster Rachel Kristenson and principal second violinist Martine denBok performed on our newly restored veranda for some of our students and their parents. There was so much interest, we had four 20-minute concerts to comply with the public health order of the 10-person maximum capacity for outdoor gatherings, and be able to maintain appropriate COVID-19 safety protocols for the musicians, staff, students and their families

The sun was shining and people were so happy to hear live music for the first time in what feels like forever. We are grateful to be able to share the joy of music within our community, and provide a bit of comfort to those who need it – especially in a pandemic. We look forward to having more outdoor concerts at our school in the near future, as we all look for ways to connect in our community!

Check out the great Castanet article written about the afternoon.

Friends! It’s here! Over 60 violin and cello students of Bev Martens, Morna Howie, and Natalie Kober came together in the Vernon Community Music School‘s Suzuki program, and with the extreme hard work and determination of Natalie and her husband Daniel Hayduk this masterpiece emerges! Pachelbel’s Canon in D…enjoy! BRAVO!

Background story:

Since March our Suzuki groups and our orchestra have not been able to meet in person. There are far too many of us for one thing (50+ students — not including parents or teachers) and using an online platform for this sort of group class was not feasible. 

The idea for a virtual orchestra project came after many of the Suzuki students and their parents lamented how much they were missing the group classes: the camaraderie, the experience of playing with others in unison or in harmony resulting in beautiful music, and the inspiration that comes from older students playing with younger ones.

The song Natalie knew would work for this virtual orchestra project was Pachelbel’s Canon: It is a piece with multiple parts and many layers. With some tweaking it works for our beginner students and even those who are more advanced.  

Technologically, Natalie relied on the expertise of her photographer/videographer husband, Daniel Hayduk. She said she would not be able to do this without his support, and since all his international assignments have been cancelled, he has time!

If you or your child are interested in learning more about creating multi-layered tracks and videos, check out the CBC music counts website for videos on how to do this. 

The Spring Newsletter is out and available for your perusal! This issue is chalk full of good information, including a “Guess Who” page, a Music Scavenger hunt to do during Spring Break, and information on the upcoming Spring Concert Series. As always, our newsletters are best enjoy over a hot beverage, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the read!

To download your own copy of the newsletter, click here.

Close your eyes and picture listening to beautiful sounds of students performing the magic of a song, the smells of spring and blossoming flowers tickle your nose, with a gentle breeze flowing around you. Your heart feels happy and joyful because this is one of the first times you’ve heard live music since the pandemic started. This year we are excited to announce our Spring Concert Series. This is an outdoor concert series that will be held out the front of the Smith House, by the newly restored pillars. The series will be held on Sunday afternoons, from May 23 – June 13, starting at 1:00 pm. Seating on the grass will be marked out so that physical distance can be maintained. More information to follow in the upcoming weeks, check our social media pages and website blog to learn more!

Oh man, are we excited! We’re working on the Spring Newsletter, and in this edition we are featuring a “Guess Who?” section, where you have to guess which teacher this is from their younger day by looking at the photo! Can you guess who this teacher is?

*hint – she teaches violin

There are spaces available in the Suzuki Violin Program with Natalie! Contact kobernatalie@gmail.com for more information.

In the Suzuki method of musical development skills are fostered and learned through the “Mother Tongue” approach. The child learns to play an instrument in a similar manner to the way he/she learned to speak – first through hearing and imitating what they hear, and then through repetition. The Suzuki approach seeks to develop the whole child. The purpose of Suzuki training is not only to produce great artists, but also to help every child find the joy that comes through music making. Children develop confidence and self-esteem, determination to try difficult things, self-discipline and concentration as well as lasting enjoyment of music and the sensitivity and skill for making music. This approach relies strongly on the cooperative relationship of teacher, parent and student in a pleasant, yet disciplined atmosphere. Students and parents take part in both private and group lessons.

Did you do a bunch of shopping at Nature’s Fare Markets over the holidays? Bring your receipts in to the Music School and we get 3% back on the items you purchased! Thanks to you and Natures Fare we just received a cheque in the mail for $526.21, and now more than ever, every little bit helps! All money raised goes towards purchasing new instruments for students and/or ongoing heritage house restoration projects, so THANK YOU! We couldn’t do this without you.

It’s that time of year! With the Vernon Winter Carnival Society annual parade coming up in a few weeks (Feb. 6), it’s time we get started on our Wild West themed parade entry! Because this year the parade is in reverse (meaning entrants will set up a float or scene on the side of the parade route and spectators will be marshaled through the street in their cars. Each entrant will be spaced according to physical distancing protocols), we’ve created shifts. There is a sign-up sheet in the office if you would like to participate during the parade and/or help with decorating!Students are welcome to join us at the event if they want to sign up for a spot! They must come dressed in the theme, and this is the perfect opportunity if you have pre-teen/teenage students who are bursting to come out and have some fun. They must sign up in the office, as we have a limit on the amount of students per shift due to physical distancing constraints. Watch for photos throughout the weeks to watch our entry come together! Whoop whoop!

To learn more about the parade and other Vernon Winter Carnival events, check out their website at vernonwintercarnival.com.

The students at the Music School have created a virtual Christmas Concert for those living in Retirement Residences, with the hopes they can watch it while they are eating dinner or together as an audience. There are 4 parts to the concert, and each part automatically rolls into the next part so you don’t have to worry about skipping to the next piece. The concert is up on YouTube, and shown down below.  We had 58 video submission in total for this project, so the concert is approximately 1 hour and 30 mins long.

We sincerely hope you and the residents enjoy watching the Christmas Recital, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

We are so excited to be the 2021 Winner for the Best Music Lessons category with the Vernon Matters B.O.B. awards! Thank you so much to all of you who voted for us, we are so happy to be a part of this city by providing lessons for all the wonderful people in our community.

The BOBS celebrate the finest in Food & Drink, Nightlife, Entertainment. Shopping, Mind & Body and more – hundreds of winners in all.

There were over 3,000 nominations, 189,345 votes placed and close to 6,950 participants, so thank you so much for recognizing us and honouring us with this award!