two areas of the brain are activated si- multaneously so the connecting nerve fibres thicken and the two cortices actu- ally grow bigger. Because these struc- tures are located mid-brain, connectivity between both hemispheres increases, and your senses and their connections to your movements are strengthened. Memory: The hippocampus, located in the temporal lobe, is responsible for memory. There are two hippocampi, one in each hemisphere. Making music has a relaxing effect on the brain, thereby facilitating neurogenesis in the hippocampus - that’s the process of gen- erating neurons which keep the brain connected and allow information to be processed, analyzed and sent back out. When you make music, you make more neurons in the hippocampus, and you make memories! Emotions: Emotional reactions are con- trolled by the amygdala, right in front of the hippocampus, one per hemisphere. The reason you feel happy when you In this Issue . . . Music & the Brain It Takes A Village KCM Children’s Music Festival Musical Theatre Reprise Auditions! Faculty News (continued on p. 2) Many people think that music has more to do with the right hemisphere - the side of the brain that deals with creativ- ity. Recent studies of music and the brain have proven this theory to be not so true. Scientists have discovered that playing music activates both the right and left hemispheres, revealing that mu- sic has a much bigger impact on our brains, and our lives, than we realized! Music impacts the brain by altering its shape and function. A human brain has about 100 billion neurons that process, analyze and transmit information. When you play music, more and more neurons become activated, connectivity improves between various parts of your brain, and your brain becomes better at doing its job. There are there main ways that music benefits your brain: movement, mem- ory and emotions. Movement: Your primary motor cortex helps you move, and your primary somatosensory cortex processes audio and visual stimuli. Since playing a mu- sical instrument requires you to move while responding to other stimuli, these Thank You to these generous donors of Raffle Prizes for our 2018 Children’s Music Festival Art Works Art School Blue Rodeo Elixir Baroque Ensemble Long & McQuade Mastermind Toys Rezonance Baroque Ensemble Tafelmusik Young People’s Theatre Off to Arts Schools . . . known at press time Grace Pollock Etobicoke School of the Arts Celeste Moriana Gabriella Pizzonia Father John Redmond Congratulations!
Transcript
two areas of the brain are activated si-
multaneously so the connecting nerve
fibres thicken and the two cortices actu-
ally grow bigger. Because these struc-
tures are located mid-brain, connectivity
between both hemispheres increases,
and your senses and their connections to
your movements are strengthened.
Memory: The hippocampus, located in
the temporal lobe, is responsible for
memory. There are two hippocampi,
one in each hemisphere. Making music
has a relaxing effect on the brain,
thereby facilitating neurogenesis in the
hippocampus - that’s the process of gen-
erating neurons which keep the brain
connected and allow information to be
processed, analyzed and sent back out.
When you make music, you make more
neurons in the hippocampus, and you
make memories!
Emotions: Emotional reactions are con-
trolled by the amygdala, right in front of
the hippocampus, one per hemisphere.
The reason you feel happy when you
In this Issue . . .
Music & the Brain
It Takes A Village
KCM Children’s Music Festival
Musical Theatre Reprise
Auditions!
Faculty News
(continued on p. 2)
Many people think that music has more
to do with the right hemisphere - the
side of the brain that deals with creativ-
ity. Recent studies of music and the
brain have proven this theory to be not
so true. Scientists have discovered that
playing music activates both the right
and left hemispheres, revealing that mu-
sic has a much bigger impact on our
brains, and our lives, than we realized!
Music impacts the brain by altering its
shape and function. A human brain has
about 100 billion neurons that process,
analyze and transmit information.
When you play music, more and more
neurons become activated, connectivity
improves between various parts of your
brain, and your brain becomes better at
doing its job.
There are there main ways that music
benefits your brain: movement, mem-
ory and emotions.
Movement: Your primary motor cortex
helps you move, and your primary
somatosensory cortex processes audio
and visual stimuli. Since playing a mu-
sical instrument requires you to move
while responding to other stimuli, these
Thank You
to these generous donors of
Raffle Prizes for our 2018
Children’s Music Festival
Art Works Art School
Blue Rodeo
Elixir Baroque Ensemble
Long & McQuade
Mastermind Toys
Rezonance Baroque Ensemble
Tafelmusik
Young People’s Theatre
Off to Arts Schools . . .
known at press time
Grace Pollock
Etobicoke School of the Arts
Celeste Moriana
Gabriella Pizzonia
Father John Redmond
Congratulations!
(cont’d from p. 1) … music & the brain It Takes A Village This season, we were privileged
to partner with these worthwhile
organizations/causes with auction
certificates, donations, sponsorships
and KCM student performers.
Assembly Hall: ’Tis the Season
Copernicus Lodge Foundation
Covenant House
Daily Bread Food Bank
Ecole Saint-Frère-André
Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra
Etobicoke School of the Arts
Etobicoke Youth Band
Friends of Rosethorn Park
Father John Redmond Catholic SS
Holy Angels Catholic School
Humberside Montessori School
Humbervale Montessori School
Humbervale Place Seniors’ Residence
Jack Ride: Canada’s Ride for Youth Mental Health
Lambton Kingsway Junior Middle School
Markland Wood Homeowners Association
Norseman Junior Middle School
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School
Richview Collegiate Institute
Rosethorn Junior School
Scarlett Heights Retirement Residence
Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance
St. George’s Junior School
St. Leo Catholic Elementary School
St. Pius X Catholic School
Sunnylea Junior School
Toronto Concert Band
Toronto Latin American Flute Festival
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Fdn
Village of Humber Heights
WE Charity
We cannot easily deny that actively mak-
ing music can have a big influence on our
lives in a positive way. Improved mem-
ory, emotional maturity and reduced cog-
nitive decline as we age - what wonderful
by-products of learning to play an instru-
ment which is already enough of a reward
in itself!
Excerpted from “Music and the Mind”, a pod-
cast by Daniel Coutts ~ age 17, accomplished
violinist, guitarist and banjo player, KCM stu-
dent and son of KCM Artistic Director Sharon
Burlacoff. Full podcast will be accessible on
YouTube via www.kingswayconservatory.ca.
hear this … or sad when you hear that …
is because of your amygdala. As with the
cortices and hippocampus, when playing
music, there is increased activation in this
structure. A “well oiled” amygdala im-
proves emotional intelligence - a meas-
urement of the ability to identify, under-
stand and control emotions and to under-
stand how others are feeling. Neurosci-
entist Dana Strait recorded the brain’s
reactions in musicians and non-musicians
to certain human vocal sounds and found
that, in general, musicians are better at
perceiving how a person is feeling based
on the tone of their voice.
On May 27th, over 100 young KCM stu-
dents took to the stage of Humber Col-
lege Auditorium to present music of
many cultures, genres and eras. Our an-
nual Children’s Music Festival was
launched 15 years ago to provide very
young ensembles a voice on the perform-
ance stage. It’s an exciting and enriching
learning experience for children as young
as age 4 joining forces to prepare and
ultimately present their music on a pro-
fessional stage. This year’s program fi-
nale showcased all our ensembles en
masse with a rousing rendition of
“Children of the World”, bringing down
the full house of enthusiastic family,
friends and fans! Congratulations to all!
MUSICAL THEATRE at KCM
Kingsway Chamber Orchestras
~ Junior, Intermediate & Senior
Build ensemble skills and experience
the musical and social satisfaction of
playing with others. Diverse reper-
toire and unique performance opportu-
nities are part of the programming.
Kingsway Children’s Choirs
Choirs at KCM provide a unique, liberat-
ing choral experience. The introductory
Children’s Choir includes a 30-minute
weekly drum circle. Chamber Singers
for more experienced choristers explores
challenging multi-part repertoire.
Advanced Flute Ensemble
Flute Instructor Alheli Pimienta invites
intermediate to advanced flute players to
audition for this ensemble opportunity
encompassing bi-weekly rehearsals, pub-
lic performances and flute competitions.
For more information, call KCM office
Seasoned Speech Arts Instructor Julia Pal inspires laughter,
thoughtful reflection, observation and cooperative learning to incite confidence
and help young people learn to move, influence and persuade.
LEVEL 1: Gr 1-3 Monday 4:00-4:55 pm
LEVEL 2: Gr 4-6 Wednesday 4:00-4:55 pm
LEVEL 3: Gr 7-8 Wednesday 5:00-5:55 pm
Programs start in September. Registration now open.
This spring, KCM raised the curtain on
two spectacular stage productions, each
the culmination of nine months of prepa-
ration by our Musical Theatre students
under the inspired leadership of Norma
Churchill and Brooke Banning.
Our 2017/18 shows, “Beauty and the
Beast Jr” and “Thoroughly Modern Mil-
lie Jr”, offered young performers great
music, inventive choreography and a de-
lightful mix of dramatic and comedic
scenes wrapped up within classic stories.
The learning curve in these programs is
nearly infinite. In addition to building
performance prowess, participants’ crea-
tivity is stirred for set, costume and prop
creation, not to mention the many life
skills that are honed.
Thunderous applause to all of our per-
formers and huge thanks to the parents
who helped in countless ways to mount
these shows! See you in the summer!
FACULTY NEWS: Composing, recording, touring & other artistic pursuits
Erika Crino is performing with the Cana-
dian Sinfonietta on June 2nd at Toronto’s
Glenn Gould Studio. Erika’s CD recording
of Canadian music for piano and violin
(Joyce Lai) is soon to be released. In Au-gust, Erika will host a performance and
culture tour for Canadian amateur musi-
cians in Sicily - triestemusicalholi-
days.blogspot.com.
Valerie Gordon performed in January with
the Holland Baroque Society and with Bos-
ton’s Handel Haydn Society, and she was
part of a recording session of Mozart and
Haydn repertoire. In May, she was guest
leader for Per Sonatori in Saskatchewan teaching Baroque performance practice.
This summer, she will be in residence at
the Banff Centre for the Evolution of the
String Quartet program.
Jeremy Ledbetter has a new album coming
out in June, “Got A Light?”, featuring the
Jeremy Ledbetter Trio. Original composi-
tions and some covers offer stylistic variety
and compelling musical storytelling. CD
Release June 13, Lula Lounge. For details, visit jeremyledbetter.com
Jessica Lee and her duo partner won 3rd
prize in a U.S. International Duo Piano
Competition in Colorado Springs with a
performance of Rachmaninoff’s Russian
Rhapsody. The duo is preparing more rep-
ertoire for future recitals and competitions.
Eugenie Leung has been hired by the
TDSB as an Itinerant Music Instructor, enriching teachers and students across the
GTA with Orff, Recorder and Vocal pro-
grams. She will complete her Orff special-
ist at the RCM during the summer.
Chris Malone’s guitar and flute ensemble
Duo Boheme performs June 10th at KCM.
Chris will perform in Luminato’s “100
Guitars” event at Brookfield Place on June
16th paying tribute to George Harrison.
Liza McLellan recently recorded for the
soundtrack for a new feature film “On the
Basis of Sex" by Academy Award winning
Canadian composer Michael Danna. She
will perform with her Devah Quartet on
July 1st at Yonge/Dundas Square at 7 pm.
Michelle Odorico joined Tafelmusik for a concert tour in Australia in May. This
summer, she will participate in the Evolu-
tion of the String Quartet program at the
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Rezan Onen-Lapointe’s Rezonance Ba-
roque Ensemble announces its 2018/19
concert season of innovative programming
at St. Barnabas Anglican Church: Nov 4,
Feb 3, Apr 27. rezonanceensemble.com
Julia Pal performs jazz and blues hits from
the Great American Songbook as part of
the Artist Garden Cooperative Plein Air
concert series - Aug 22, 345 Balliol Street.
Alheli Pimienta directed the third annual
Toronto Latin American Flute Festival,
with several events at KCM. Esteemed
guest artists from Latin America worked
with 50 students from Canada and abroad,
and these KCM students were distin-guished with top awards! (Age 6-12) 1-
Sofia Peichl, 2-August Platt-Smith, 3-Luca
Meredith-Jones. (Age 13-17) 1-Olivia Gar-
rido, 2-Ariana Kia.
David Potvin presented his research at an
international conference in Scotland com-
memorating the birth of composer Claude
Debussy. This spring, David performed
recitals in Nova Scotia, and he won 3rd
place in The Shean Piano & Strings Com-petition in Edmonton.
Allan Pulker, founder of The WholeNote,
and co-founder David Perlman were re-
cently honoured by the Toronto Arts Foun-
dation with the Roy Thomson Hall Award
of Recognition. This award extols the ex-
ceptional contribution of The WholeNote
to the local music community.
Pegah Yazdani will attend the RCM’s Summer Summit, Canada’s premier pro-
fessional development event for music
teachers.
FACULTY 2017/18
Alheli Pimienta Allan Pulker
James Freeman Daniel Petras
Kelly Sanchuck
WINDS & BRASS
VOICE Mike Angell Norma Churchill
Maureen Ferguson Pamela MacDonald
GUITAR - ACOUSTIC & ELECTRIC Andrew Frost Chris Malone
THEORY & HISTORY Mike Angell Sharon Burlacoff
MUSIC FOR YOU & YOUR BABY EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSICIANSHIP
