Hello March!
Dear students and parents,
Spring is coming, and isn't it nice to see a little more sun!
At the time of this writing we have mostly hurtled through the last week of February - I am never sorry to see the back of this month, but the extra sunshine and slightly longer days certainly help to take the edge off. We are beginning the ramp up to spring recital season (AKA The Best of Times) here at the studio, so the theme of this gazette is March: roaring in like a lion, roaring out like a rock star!
Here is some of what we've been up to the past few weeks, and a glimpse at what's coming up:
1. Save the Date(s)! We have sent out the first round of date assignments for our 17th Annual Spring Celebration and Recitals. The shows will be held at the fabulous Drake Underground again this year and I can't express enough how excited we are to see you all there! If you haven't yet confirmed your recital date please do so at your earliest convenience! And if (heaven forbid!!) you have not received the email with your assigned date, please let us know! Once we have heard from everyone about dates, we will begin assigning times. Stay tuned!
2. We love a souvenir! Our wildly talented friend Rachel designed this year's recital poster, and we'd be honoured to send one your way. As ever, we are printing a limited run of these beauties. You can order yours on our website, here.
3. Summer Camp Registration madness! What a thrill it's been to see so many 2024 summer camp registrations arrive in our inbox! We still have space available but a couple of the weeks are almost sold out, so if you had your heart set on a specific camp week and/or you're hoping to register with a friend or sibling, this is your reminder to get on it as space is limited! So many of you have made our camps an annual tradition and being a part of your summers is one of our favourite things!
4. We love a long week(end)! A reminder that the studio is closed for Spring Break from Saturday March 9th through Sunday March 17th, and also for the long weekend from Friday March 29th through Monday April 1st. However you choose to spend the extra downtime, we hope it brings you joy. Our full studio calendar can be found here!
5. Our people are the best people. Michael and I are proud to have an amazing community of instructors at MJMS who are also working professional musicians. We thought you might like to know what some of them are up to:
Lila Wright and Thomas Carli's band Meteor Heist is releasing the debut single - Straw Dogs - from their upcoming EP on Thursday February 29th. That same night, Meteor Heist will be performing at The Dakota Tavern to celebrate the release.
Gillian Grant is traveling with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir on tour with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. They'll be performing in Quebec City on February 28th; at Roy Thompson Hall on March 2nd; and at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on March 7th and 8th.
Nolan Jakupovski's band The Crime Family is presenting a music video release show on March 14th at the Monarch Tavern
Michael has shows upcoming with Skydiggers and the Paul Langlois Band - if you plan to be in Kingston, Belleville, Peterborough, or Ottawa at the end of this month, you can find ticket links here!
6. Finally, we have been thinking a lot about ritual, connection, and what it means to be a part of a community. Music historian Ted Gioia recently wrote an essay about the state of our culture and our takeaway was that it's more important than ever to cultivate lasting and real-life connections, and to choose a slower and more thoughtful approach to art, entertainment, and relationships as often as we can. This idea is at the foundation of our philosophy at MJMS, and it's part of the reason that we choose to celebrate our community, our art, our children, and our friends at our spring concerts each year. We love you and we can't wait to celebrate with you!
