The year 2020 started out in a normal fashion but it has become progressively more challenging as the months have passed. Life has changed for all of us and like many other organizations, our Branch activities for the Spring have been cancelled or postponed. Still in the midst of uncertainty, there is much for which to be grateful, both personally and professionally. A salute to those who are supporting their communities in whatever capacity they can during these tough times.
Between April 2019 and March 2020, the Vancouver/Burnaby Branch continued to present events and workshops for the benefit of members as well as their students.
Topics for the meetings included: Improvisation with Boris Favre where thirty teachers shared fifteen pianos/keyboards in a hands-on workshop; Self-Publishing 101 with Irene Voros and Barbara Siemens who presented publishing ideas for both hard copy and online projects; Music and Neuroscience Part II with Andrea Unrau; Detecting and Preventing Injuries during Musical Performances with registered massage therapist and pianist Rachel Shiu; and finally a special four hour Dalcroze Eurhythmics Workshop with Jared Balance, a certified instructor from Washington State.
The Branch sponsored four recitals over the year. First, in May 2019 we heard Annie Cao, the BCRMTA representative to the CFMTA Piano Competition in Winnipeg. Then, both May 2019 and December 2019 featured afternoons with three one-hour student recitals. Finally, in March 2020 we held the Celebration of Excellence recital where students who had achieved exceptional results in their examinations were recognized with scholarships, trophies and medallions. This year we opted for paperless events to limit waste as well as disruptive noise during the music. Programs were available online and were emailed to the teachers in advance. The experiment was a success and we will likely continue with this format in the future
The Branch has other on-going projects. For the Student Bursary program, which aids families in financial difficulties, there were three successful applicants. For the Professional Development Bursary program, which supports teachers in their own studies, there were six successful applicants. The Introduction to the Alexander Technique sessions with Marta Hunter continued in October and February, and we plan to do follow-ups for those members who are looking to expand their knowledge. Our Canada Music Week Festival was held in November and featured sixty-three students playing for Dr. Sandra Joy Friesen at the Canadian Music Centre in downtown Vancouver.
Regarding our Spring events . . . our meeting on Interpreting Tempo Indications with Dr. Irene Setiawan will hopefully be heard in the Fall but the Student Recital and Spring Luncheon were both cancelled along with our re-stylized Student Performers’ Guild Festival. Regarding the SPG, despite the obvious disappointment to teachers and students, it was still a great opportunity to continue testing the online registration system. It would seem most of the bugs have been worked through and we look forward to the using it next year and for many years to come.
Finally, we are in the process of creating surveys to collect information from our teachers on fees and missed lesson policies. The data will be submitted anonymously and will potentially be used to provide general guidelines to help teachers new to the Branch and to support current members in their studios. The results will be published on the Members Only page of our website.
In closing, the Branch would like to thank all local and provincial executive and committee members who have given so generously of their time and expertise over the year.