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The Manitoba Conservatory for Music and Arts (MCMA) is getting set to welcome aspiring musicians of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels into the wide array of opportunities within their Music Equals program in the coming weeks.
First started in 2005, Music Equals is an endeavour that offers music education to a vast array of communities that range from school-age children to adults, Winnipeggers to northern Manitoba residents, Indigenous communities to newcomer Canadians.
"The goal is to create and increase accessibility and to create musical opportunities where they wouldn’t normally exist,” says Domanie Schadek, the Director of Programming and Fund Development at the MCMA.
Rather than approaching communities with prescribed music lessons and encounters, the Music Equals program works closely with community stakeholders to first ascertain the community’s needs when it comes to music education and then to develop a program that fits those needs.
“We think about how we can start to really think outside the box and really impact the community in a positive way,” says Schadek.
“The programming isn’t about creating musicians,” she continues. “We can do that. We create these amazing little musicians and these people who love music, but it’s really based on creating these shared experiences that [are] going to positively impact the community in ways that you would never think possible.”
In recent years, the MCMA has made a concerted effort to stretch beyond the city of Winnipeg into geographical communities, including Churchill, Flin Flon, Thompson, Oxford House and St. Theresa Point. While these programs have largely been virtual, Schadek hopes to be able to offer in-person programming for those communities in the near future. “There’s obviously some travelling challenges to get through,” she explains. “It’s a work in progress, but so far, so good. We’ve got some really great partnerships happening and we’ll see where it goes.”
Regardless of where in the province someone interacts with the Music Equals program, Schadek knows that it will have a positive effect on their communities. “There’s a strengthening of community, building positive peer networks so kids feel supported,” she says. “There’s huge links to improved academic success like numeracy and literacy skills. Those are all the types of outcomes that we look for.”
For more information on the Music Equals program, including registration information and how to donate, visit the MCMA website.