While after-school programs have continued to be impacted by public health restrictions, local musician Victoria Yeh has worked tirelessly alongside the Meaford Culture Foundation to secure funding, instruments, sheet music, and staff in order to launch the new fall term of the Meaford Singing Strings program.
As a part of the Meaford Culture Foundation’s community outreach initiative, the Singing Strings aims to provide an enriching experience to local youth age 7+, through after-school group violin lessons.
With costs exceeding $500 per instrument, and private instruction ranging from $25 – $100 per lesson, music instruction can be a daunting financial burden to families. But thanks to the support of the Meaford Culture Foundation, its sponsors, as well as support in-kind from the Kinsmen Club of Meaford, registration and instrument rental fees have been subsidized so that all interested children can participate for a nominal fee.
Students benefit from weekly in-person classes as well as supplementary private lessons, which take place Monday and Tuesday afternoons at the Kin Hall in Memorial Park.
Yeh hopes to make this program a permanent staple in the community in order to fill the gap created by decades of cuts to public funding for the arts.
“Music and the arts provide youth with a positive creative outlet to nurture their potential. Through music, our youth develop crucial life skills to reduce anxiety and develop empathy, all while building skills in creativity, perseverance, critical listening, fine motor control, and even math. These are skills that will help carry them throughout their lives, no matter what career path they choose,” said Yeh.
For more information, or to register your child, contact victoria@victoriayeh.com, or visit http://victoriayeh.com/meaford-singing-strings/
You can also make a tax-deductible donation to support the future of this program at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/meaford-hall-cultural-foundation/
