Music | Community | Belonging
The Westshore Children’s Choir is a new choir assembled by Jacky Siu. We’re dedicated to and focused on providing space for children to learn music and giving them the opportunity to perform in an ensemble. We deeply value arts education and we aim to strengthen community support for the arts and build leadership in our choristers through music making.
Why Choir?
Music making has a long history in human civilization. It‘s a phenomenon that connects people to the very core of their being. Music can be used in any occasion to help us feel; it can be used to celebrate, to mourn, to motivate, and to relax, just to name a few. Performing music in a choir helps us collectively feel and empathize as we move through different emotions. It is proven to reduce stress hormones and releases the “feel-good” hormones such as endorphins and oxytocin. Singing in a choir also promotes
social bonding in a cooperative and non-competitive way. It teaches us that to achieve success in a team we must learn to take care of the people learning and working beside us. Choir boosts cognitive function as singers have to juggle many challenges in real-time, forcing the brain to work multiple problems simultaneously. It’s like taking your brain to the gym!
Above all, choir is engaging and fun for children! The Westshore Children’s Choir is committed to deliver a program where students focus on performance while learning fundamental musicianship skills such as listening and music literacy. We look forward to seeing you in rehearsal!
About:
Meet our Director
Jacky Siu is a music specialist, teacher and a passionate advocate of music education. He studied Music Education at the University of Toronto and completed his teacher training at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Jacky taught K-8 music for over 10 years at the Toronto District School Board, where he led performing ensembles and achieved high standards in regional, provincial, and national festivals and competitions. He was a recipient of the Musicounts grant and a nominee of the Music Teacher of the Year award as well as the TDSB Teaching Excellence award.
Jacky is an instrumental band/lower brass specialist and has taught masterclasses and clinics to bands in Grades 5-12 throughout his career. He is a passionate music educator who had given workshops at the Ontario Music Educators Association on “Band - The First 2 Years” and “Building a Culture of Excellence”.
Jacky recently moved to BC and teaches music at Ruth King Elementary and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School in SD62.
Join Us!
We are thrilled to offer this program again during the 2024-2025 school year. We have a slightly different format this year, rehearsals will begin in October until the end of April (no rehearsal on Dec11th, 18th, Winter Break and Spring Break). It will be a total of 25 sessions, a longer span of time allows for deeper learning and more opportunities to perform.
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Fee*: $500 per student for the 25 hour 2024-2025 school year. (Payment can be split in between the first half and the second half of the school year.)
Who: We are accepting students who are in currently in Grades 2-5
When: 6:00-7:00 PM every Wednesday from October 2nd until April 30th (no rehearsal on Dec11th, 18th, Winter Break and Spring Break)
Where: Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School (Music Room)
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REGISTRATION DEADLINE: October 1st 2024. However, we may grant entries throughout the year on a case by case basis.
There will be short performances throughout the year at the end of the entire session.
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*We understand financial challenges can arise, and we are committed to supporting our community members in their pursuit of music education. Financial aid is available to those who demonstrate a genuine need. Our goal is to ensure that everyone interested has the opportunity to join the Westshore Children’s Choir and we encourage those who may need it to reach out for financial assistance.