School may be out for summer, but that doesn’t mean kids have to stop learning until September.
The Rain City Strings Orchestra is looking for students to take part in its first ever Summer Music Festival, where kids can learn how to play violin, viola or cello. The program is split into two groups: one for beginners and another for “debuts” who’ve played for one to four years.
“This is the first year of us doing it and we’re really excited,” said organizer Kathryn Emiko Lee. “I taught the district’s strings group for two years, and then last year, I taught the summer strings program with the Burnaby school district.
“I’ve had kids that did that last year that wanted to do it this year – that’s, I guess, the big reason behind all of it.”
Lee, who teaches music in Burnaby elementary schools, knows as well as anybody that kids can be reluctant to get into music – in fact, she was one of those kids, begrudgingly learning violin at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts when she was seven.
“My parents put me into private lessons and I hated playing violin for about two years,” said Lee with a laugh. “Then I saw a violinist around my age playing really, really hard stuff and I was like, ‘I can maybe do that one day,’ and I fell in love with it.”
The festival is designed for children who are going into Grades 4 to 8, and Lee hopes it will inspire the kids to further pursue music. The beginner group will learn basic songs from a strings method book while the debut group will learn such songs as “Revenge of the Dust Bunnies,” music from the James Bond film series and the tremendously popular smash “Let It Go” from Frozen.
“It’s about body awareness, having fun with strings, learning more about the instruments and what you can do with them,” said Lee of the lessons.
Lee will be joined by violist Marcus Takizawa – whose resumé includes the Turning Point Ensemble, Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra – in running the two-week program.
“I love teaching strings,” said Lee. “This is a good way for me to teach something that I really, really love and hopefully get the kids excited about it.”
The lessons run Monday to Friday from July 7 to 18 at the Cliff Avenue United Church, located at 1600 Cliff Ave. Debut classes run from 9 a.m. to noon and beginner classes run from 1 to 4 p.m.
As well, the students will perform a small concert at the end for family and friends.
To register, email [email protected]. Tuition is $300.
