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OUR MANDATE AND GOALS

1. Social & Emotional Support

Provide an avenue through which members can connect with like-minded people and can provide and receive emotional support in a safe and confidential space. 

  • This is something that only other adult music learners can totally understand.  To facilitate this, our bi-weekly group meeting discussion portion will be for our group members only - no friends or family are allowed to attend this portion of the meeting

  • For the performance portion, we will open the group up to the larger community when we feel ready to have a more public recital i.e. perform for our family and friends.  Or we may invite family or friends to join us for certain festive performances.

  • With regard to emotional support, we have decided to include the following policy on our website so that all current members and future members are aware of this policy going forward:

  • The president and the founder of the ALMSG believe that psychological safety is of the utmost importance for our group and its members.  We endeavor to create a psychologically safe space for all group members to discuss difficulties and challenges.  And when each group member performs, they are placing themselves in a vulnerable position as they share their music learning with us.  We know that this policy will instinctively be adhered to, for most people, but we feel it is important to define what is allowed and not allowed so members have a good sense of our group culture and know what the repercussions of not following our policy will be.

  • After a member’s performance, group members are allowed to give positive and supportive feedback ie  a group member can comment on what they liked about a member’s performance only.  And when group members are in an in-person meeting, only comments that are heard by all group members are allowed.  Private feedback from one group member to another is prohibited.  This is to ensure that only positive feedback is given and that no psychological harm can be inflicted from one group member to another. 

  • If we include friends or family in any in-person or Zoom meetings, then this policy will apply to them as well.  In other words, non-group members are to follow these rules of giving feedback and group members must follow the rules of feedback when commenting on non-group members’ performances.   If a group member contravenes this policy then the executive leadership team which currently is defined as the president and founder will be discussing the infraction with the group member.  And depending on the outcome of that discussion, the executive leadership team  will make a decision as to the next course of action.  There can only be three courses of action: 1)  If the infraction is minor, the group member is allowed to stay in the group but upon a repeat infraction, will no longer be welcome in the group. 2) If the infraction is severe,  the group member will be immediately banned from the group.  In both of these cases, there will be no refund of the group member's fees.  3) If it is a non-group member who commits the offence then that person will no longer be welcome to any future meetings. 

2. Learning Support 

Provide and promote peer to peer mentoring and learning. 

  • This support group is meant to be only a supplement to what you are learning through your teacher and must not be used as a substitute.  We can give peer-to-peer advice based on our experiences but most of us are not music teachers.  

  • If you do happen to have experience as a music teachers, then as a participant in this group, we are all considered peers and thus considered equals.  No group member can consider themselves above another group member.  After all, at one time or another, we all started as beginners.

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3. Performance Support

Ensure that all members have a psychologically safe space and a well equipped venue to perform.  

  • For in-person meetings, we will be meeting in a venue with a piano for pianists and if you need a microphone, please bring your own microphone (this is especially important in this current Covid world) but a stand and an amp will be available for vocalists.  All other music learners will have to bring their own instruments.  If you need an accompanist, please collaborate with another group member or bring a recording along to which you can play or sing with.  If you do not own a blue-tooth speaker, please ensure that someone on the executive council will bring one for you to use for your performance.

  • For Zoom meetings, you will just have to have your instruments ready at your own house to perform. Usually singers will not need to have microphones but they will need to have a bluetooth speaker at home to play your recording so that group members will be able to hear the accompaniment over Zoom.

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4. Community Service

Encourage group members to contribute to the community at large by volunteering at music events or sharing their music skills

  • Many music events need volunteers to run their events - please consider committing to this valuable service for the music community

  • Or you could consider sharing your musical skills:

    • Rehab hospitals, nursing homes and seniors' homes are places where the residents really appreciate visitors, especially those who are presenting them with the gift of music.

    • We encourage every member to participate, either by organizing a recital or agreeing to perform at a fellow member's recital.  It is easier for the organizer if there are at least three to four other additional performers.  A recital should be about 45 - 60 minutes long so you need enough music pieces to fill in that time.

    • If you have a place that has a special interest for you for which you want to organize a recital, please let us know so we can post it so that group members can join you.

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5. Advocacy for Learning and Educational Opportunities

Create immediate learning opportunities for our group members and advocate for long term educational goals for all music learning adults:

  • Our group will create group music learning opportunities such as masterclasses so group members can enjoy learning as a group.  We have created 5 masterclasses in the past and our goal is to create at least one music learning opportunity each year for our members.

  • This group will advocate for masterclasses and educational workshops for adult music learners (this will be especially important when the founder incorporates this non-profit and applies for charitable status.  This is a goal for the founder which she will undertake when she retires from her regular paid work in July 2022.)

  • Partner with educational institutions to create classes, workshops and masterclasses for all adult music learners (The founder has this on her radar for 2022 as the creators of the Lethbridge Piano Intensive, in which the founder participated in 2021, have let all that year’s adult participants know that they are open to input for development of the types of learning that participants want to see.  And if we can recruit at least one more violinist in our group, the founder would like to work on creating a summer camp for violinists.​

 

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Bi-weekly Group Meetings​

Update:

**Until further notice all meetings will be held via Zoom.**
Our next meeting is:

Saturday, February 26, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. 

 

All of our meetings will be held primarily at our venue of choice, Steinway Piano Gallery.  If we need to find an alternate venue due to scheduling conflicts, they will be noted below:

Now that our post Covid19 world has somewhat been effectively managed with vaccines, we will be resuming our in-person meetings at Steinway and we will continue with 2 meetings per month with the second one on the Zoom platform.  If you would like to join our meetings,  please contact us via the contact page. Please note: Proof of double vaccination via QR codes will need to be shown to gain entry to the Steinway Recital Hall.

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If you want to check us out before joining, your 1st meeting is free.  If you decide that you like us, then you can officially join our group by remitting the yearly membership fee of $40 and by completing our membership application. (We will be pro-rating the fee for the first year if you join after May 31st but the minimum fee will be $5.) This fee gives you access to our bi-weekly meetings/performances.  Other perks include first access to additional learning opportunities such as masterclasses or workshops that are organized by ALMSG.  Any workshops or masterclasses organized by ALMSG will have subsidized rates for members.  You can find out more about the format of these meetings on the 'About this Group' tab. Until the group members decide otherwise, the sessions are open to group members only.  Please note that there are possibilities of last minute schedule changes so please always contact us via email or the contact page (if it is your first time).  Zoom links are sent to members and trial members the day before the meeting. 

Masterclasses and Workshops

There is a lack of group educational opportunities for adult learners so our group will be remedying that by advocating for and creating masterclasses for our group members. 

 

We have had five masterclasses since our inception in February 2018.  Our previous four teachers were : Carlo Santos, Joseph Fridman, Eric Nyland and Kay Alexander.  Our fifth and most recent piano masterclass had been organized to take place last year in 2020 but was postponed due to Covid19 lockdown measures. 

 

Our fifth masterclass was taught by Kathleen van Mourik and took place on November 20th, 2021, 1-5 pm.  Steinway hosted our masterclasses at the Steinway Recital Hall with Kathleen teaching two masterclasses - one with 4 pianist members (beginner to intermediate levels) and one violinist member doing a performance piece with Kathleen (1:00-2:40pm)  The second masterclass (2:50 - 5:00 pm) had two senior level members and two participants at the ARTC level - the latter two participants were not group members but they are both members of a great community of pianists that Edel, Tony, Daphne and I are members of (Calgary Classical Piano Meetups on FB).

Support Group fundraiser – TBD​

Help ensure that our group can continue and grow to be a great advocate for adult music learning and contribute to society. All group members will be expected to help organize our annual concert event with guest musicians to raise funds for our group. 

Members' festival classes, recitals & performances:
Cheer on and support your group members!
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Koi Live Music Restaurant and Bar (#100, 1011 1st Street SW)

Eri will be  performing ukulele on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the Classical Guitar Society Night, held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. 

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APTA (Alberta Piano Teachers' Association Festival

(Renfrew Baptist Church, Calgary):

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Kaylene's class (duet violin/piano),

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 @ 7:30 p.m.

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Kathleen's adult piano class:

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 @ 8:30 p.m.

Community Service Events

 

 

Due to Covid, we have cancelled these events and did not have an opportunity to create any in 2020 or 2021. We will see if we can resume at least one event per year going forward in 2022.  Stay tuned!

 

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Past Events

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Revera Scenic Acres

150 Scotia Landing NW

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Organizer - Sandra Low

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 2:30-3:30 pm

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Group members will be playing with professional musicians:

1)Silverwood Trio - Judy Dofoo -cello, Diana Piggot - violin, Bart Hicks - piano;

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and semi-professional musicians

2) Eri McAuley - classical guitar;

3) Kathy Bayley - piano

Group members - Sandra Low and Edel Larkin performed piano pieces and Sandra sang 1 song with Kathy Bayley accompanying

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Carewest Royal Park

4222 Sarcee Road S.W.

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Organizer - Sandra Low

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May 11, 2019 3:30-4:30 pm

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Group members Edel, James and Sandra were joined by semi-pro musicians: Eri McAuley on classical guitar and Kathy Bayley on piano

 

All group members played piano pieces and Edel sang 2 Irish songs a cappella.

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