Catherine Campolin

I am thrilled to be launching my second set of Singing Lessons for Children starting September 15, 2009. I had a terrific time with my two groups over the summer.

When my daughter entered the public education system, I knew that music was not a priority but did not know how virtually non existent music training for children was.

This is crazy, to my way of thinking. Everyone's first instrument is the human voice. Young children respond to music, some hear nursery rhymes at daycare or preschool and in kindergarten. How does a child learn their ABCs? The ABC song of course.

Music is a powerful tool. And when we sing, it is a total body experience because our voice, housed in our bodies, is the instrument. Not only does singing increase oxygen and get the blood pumping, it uses the right brain, encouraging the creative side. It promotes confidence and encourages good posture and deep breathing.

However when a child reaches the age to go to school full day, the music stops. Children in the public school system receive almost no exposure to music. What happens to the child whose parents do not have the resources to take up an instrument? They might be the next Diana Krall or Sarah McLachlan (who, by the way, has The Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach program operating in Vancouver: www.artsumbrella.com/programs/music). But they fall through the cracks because government has deemed music and art frivolous, a fringe benefit for the rich. Where would pop music be if the African Americans in the United States hadn't had their song? Despite their poverty, they sang, putting heart and soul into their music, releasing all that pent up emotion. We have Jazz and Blues as a result of this.

To try to help, I have decided to start teaching and share my love of singing with elementary school-aged children. In the summer of 2009, I kicked off my first set of children's group singing lessons. "For the Love of Song" is now in its Fall Sessions. Please check out my PDF.