Heart-Strings Talent Education
Heart-Strings Talent in the Community:
2020-2023 Despite COVID, we continued our online contributions to the community, including the Shine Through the Rain Paediatric Christmas Party! Community Service Hours and Letters of Reference are provided to high school students for their musical contributions to local non-profits!
2019-2020 began with performances at Fairy Lake, for the Literacy Council of York-Simcoe with Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC OOnt, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in attendance, and for senior in Auora and Bradford. We collaborated with Thornhill Suzuki School and fundraised $260 for the David Gerry Fund of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. Come join us! - Now online, our groups are meeting in a secure Zoom room, to maintain our sense of community.
We kicked off the 2018-2019 year with a performance September 15 at Fairy Lake, at the 11th Annual Butterfly Release of Bereaved Families of Ontario York Region. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony, and all the students participated in releasing butterflies at the conclusion of our performance of The Butterfly Waltz! Additional performances included at Pickering College and the Cardinal Golf Club for Shine Through the Rain, and more!
2017-2018 was an active year for Heart-Strings students in the community, both here in Newmarket and joining with the broader Suzuki community internationally!
Highlights include fundraising for non-profits (Newmarket Food Pantry, Guitars for Vets through VETS Canada, Grandmothers to Gandmothers through the Stephen Lewis Foundation) and performances at festivals and recitals, as well as for seniors. Please take a scroll down to see some photo highlights....
Practice-a-thon: "Heart-Strings for Houston!"
Kudos to the Heart-Strings Newmarket Violin students who raised funds for fellow Suzuki students who were impacted by the hurricanes in Houston, some of whom lost everything, including their instruments. Sincere thanks to all who participated and donated, from the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Please consider a charitable donation to one of the dozens of SAA Funds: https://suzukiassociation.org/giving/donate/ Scroll down the list, to choose from the Power of Community fund, Annual fund, Cherry Blossom find, Star Tribute, Scholarships, General fund, etc.
Newmarket Food Pantry
Heart-Strings Newmarket Violin Studio has an ongoing fundraiser for the Newmarket Food Pantry: net proceeds from monthly group lessons are donated to the Newmarket Food Pantry, along with non-perishable items collected from Heart-Strings students' families and their teacher, Susan Beth Barak.
Performances for Seniors - Recent Past Events:
Heart-Strings at the Barton, Sunday April 8 @ 2:30 pm
Students performed, with special guest singer-songwriter Dickson Reid premiering his latest composition "The Magic Fiddle"
https://newmarket.snapd.com/events/view/1135816
Heart-Strings students at the Alexander Muir:
https://newmarket.snapd.com/events/view/1110138
Heart-Strings at the Delmanor Aurora, January 15, 2023
Participation in Festivals and Recitals
Heart-Strings students have won awards and earned First Class Honours and First Class Honours with Distinction results at Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA) events as well as Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) practical exams.
Heart-Strings students have performed at the Canadian Music Festival, Newmarket ORMTA branch Fall and Spring Honours Award recitals, and taken Winter and Spring RCM exams.
In April, Heart-Strings Newmarket students performed at the South Simcoe Music Festival in Bradford and the Newmarket Lions Music Festival, and all were top medal winners, including a First Class Honours with Distinction! All had fun enjoying a day of sharing their gift of music.
Heart-Strings students were finalists at Provincials in 2022, and will be respresenting the Unionville Music Festival again in 2023!
Congratulations to these amazing students for their dedication, and thanks to the families who provide their time and support to develop their children's character, talent, and musical ability!