Saint James Music Academy
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Mission Statement
Saint James Music Academy believes in the power and the joy of music to change lives. Music is a language that everyone speaks. Music is a joy that everyone feels. Music is a doorway to a better world. SJMA teaches classical music at no cost to children living in Canada’s lowest income urban neighbourhood. And the music does its magic. The children find joy. They discover the deep riches of their own potential and find new self-esteem. They learn about the beauty and the necessity of collaboration with others. They improve their intellectual and other skills. They learn to overcome barriers they did not make. In a word, they become empowered. For the good. Saint James Music Academy brings social transformation to the community, one child, one song at a time.
About This Cause
“The moment a child in poverty learns to play an instrument they are no longer poor; they become a child in progress.” Maestro Jose Abreu, founder of the El Sistema music movement SJMA is the story of one person’s determination to give children a better chance in life. When cuts to public school funding during the last economic recession meant that Vancouver’s inner-city children had limited or no access to quality music education, long-time Downtown Eastside area resident Kathryn Walker decided to do something about it. She began a two-year process of building alliances and support in the community for a music academy that would not only teach music but use music as a means of reversing the negative social forces that neighbourhood children commonly face. SJMA opened its doors in September, 2007 with 45 enrollments and a budget of $37,000. Since then, the Academy has grown rapidly each year, touching the lives of many hundreds of children. Today there are 200 children in the core after-school programs and another 250 children in outreach programs. OUR MISSION STATEMENT Inspiring Vancouver’s inner city youth to bring social transformation through the power and joy of music. OUR PROGRAMS We support the emotional and intellectual needs of our students with positive social dynamics, as early in their life as possible. Music is the means. They learn a host of skills that will build the resiliency and strength needed to overcome socio-economic and other barriers. Through music they begin to see their way to a better future. Increased self-confidence Learn healthy social interactions, such as teamwork, gratitude and sharing, respect of the other, and mutual praise Improve their academic, cognitive, and fine motor skills Deepen culturally by enjoying classical music and choir, often out of reach of the disadvantaged child Become role models to their peers and families THE CORE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS SJMA’s Afterschool Programs include the Junior and Senior divisions, a distinction of age and not ability. Both programs have largely the same structure and curricula. These include: Transportation: to, and sometimes from, public school to the Academy Music Theory and Musicianship: Kodaly, Orff, Theory and Musicianship classes are used to teach all children to read and understand basic concepts in music Instrument Instruction: All children learn one of fourteen classical instruments in small groups. Vocal Instruction: All children are encouraged to participate in one of our 4 choirs Collaborative Music: All children participate in either orchestra, choir, or ensembles THE NUTRITION PROGRAM At SJMA we discovered early that children are better students when fed. We begin every day in our after school program with a healthy, fresh and lively light meal for all children, which in some cases will be their best meal of the day. Healthy food is integral to supporting children’s learning, and so we choose foods that provide vital nutrients for optimum physical and mental health. THE MUSIC THERAPY PROGRAM SJMA has made its program accessible to the often most marginalized of children, those suffering from trauma, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and behavioural or learning challenges. Specialized one-on-one music therapy is offered to these children by qualified Music Therapists. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM An absence of music education in DTES public schools was the reason for SJMA’s own founding. In 2010 we began to offer music classes to local schools once-weekly, at no cost to the school. Outreach Programs are now offered in four elementary schools and one preschool. SUMMER MUSIC CAMPS We want to keep our children’s minds and hearts in music, even during those great days of summer! Food, fun and music education is available for three weeks to sixty children every year. YOUTH MENTORSHIP Recognizing the social phenomenon that a child’s peers often have greater influence than any adult, SJMA has begun a program where advanced students may become mentors to younger children. Students selected for the program become personal guides and role models, assist new students, and provide classroom support, including at times actual music instruction. THE CONCERTS Children showcase their talents in public concerts that include instrumentalists, ensembles, orchestra, and rousing choral presentations. Concerts are consistently ‘standing room only’, as parents and family, friends and supporters, the media, and others in our community share in the thrill of what our children have achieved. WHY MUSIC? The El Sistema Philosophy SJMA is Canada’s first ever El Sistema inspired program. El Sistema is a music movement that first began as a modest program to introduce the wonders of music to children living in and around the poor districts of Caracas, Venezuela. Since then El Sistema has become a worldwide phenomenon, today teaching over half a million children. SJMA employs the five principles of El Sistema, some of which are a departure from traditional methods of music education. Music is a tool for social change. Music is passion first, refinement second. The joyful expression of music is the energy that fuels the process for positive social transformation in the individual and the wider community. Music learned and played together. Orchestra, choir and small groups effectively act as a model society, where competition between individuals is replaced with shared struggle. Maestro Abreu states that “the orchestra is the only group that comes together with the sole purpose of agreement.” Collaborative music-making refines social skills and teaches the value of a shared triumph. Music by immersion. The learning experience is strengthened with frequent instruction. Young people are brought into the music experience often, as early in life as possible, and for as long as possible. Neither background nor ability is a detriment to participation. Music for all. All barriers to music education are removed, including physical or cognitive ability, ethnicity, or belief, and most especially, lack of financial resources. Music unites. Music binds people together in a spirit of cooperation and peace. Although El Sistema programs run independent of one another and often customize their respective course, all are connected through regional, national and international associations which unify the vision, and also provide opportunities and mutual support.