Vanier to launch Vanier College Music School

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Vanier College is thrilled to announce that next fall it will launch the Vanier College Music School to offer after-school and weekend music classes. With the gradual disappearance of school bands and music classes in Montreal elementary and secondary schools, students wanting to study music at the Cegep level are not able to get any training in preparation for advanced learning.

The new Music School is the brainchild of Alena Perout, Dean of Faculty of Social Science, Commerce, Arts, Letters and Music at Vanier College. “With music programming reduced due to limited funds at public schools, there is a big gap as many potentially talented young musicians are being lost in the community,” Perout says. “So, Vanier College has decided to respond to this need by opening an after-hours Music School for students to learn about music while still young. The school will initially offer guitar, piano and voice lessons, and the plan is to eventually expand its offerings.”

“We want to make the cost as reasonable as possible to ensure access to anyone who is interested. Music lessons should not just be for the elite,” says Perout. To that end and to facilitate and support students, Alena Perout also spearheaded the creation of the Sheldon Sazant Memorial Fund, to honour the former manager of Steve’s Music Store who was a Vanier graduate, a friend and a man committed to music and to supporting young musicians where he could.

Hence, students registered in Vanier’s Music School will have access to scholarships provided by the Sazant Memorial Fund. The scholarships will be used to subsidize the cost of lessons as well as the rental or purchase of instruments. Above all, the Memorial Fund and Music School aims to offer students faced with slashed music programs an opportunity to attend after-school and weekend classes at Vanier.

For information on the Music School, how to contribute to the Sazant Memorial Fund or to donate instruments to the school, contact: musicschool@vaniercollege.qc.ca