As the kids prepare for their year-end performances, we thought we’d share how students and teachers are feeling as the big day gets closer.

First off, we asked students how they feel about performing in front of an audience and if they feel any stress or pressure going into the recital.

Many of our superstars feel confident performing because they have previous experience — the kids get the opportunity to perform in front of an audience throughout the year (interested in scheduling a performance for your event? Contact us to let us know!) Many students feel excited to perform and show their friends and family what they have learnt over the semester.

Of course, with all performances comes a little jitters, and those who are feeling nervous say it’s because the date is fast approaching (nerves and excitement mixed together), and several students are doing multiple pieces or learning new instruments, which adds a little extra anxiety. Those performing duets or solos are understandably a little more nervous as well.

Play Skills

This experience is so valuable to the program — learning to perform under pressure, bonding with friends in stressful times and managing tense emotions are skills that carry beyond the music academy and into real life. As always the staff and teachers are here to help them all through it!

Overall the SJMA students are feeling ready thanks to a comprehensive understanding of the material and a lot of practice. Much thanks goes out to our dedicated and enthusiastic teachers!

Teachers want the children to feel confident, supported, comfortable and of course they want them to enjoy their performance.

They also want to get them excited before going on stage… excited students tend to play or sing better. For very nervous students, teachers will try to calm them down and get them focused on breathing and taking their time when performing.

Prep Tricks

We asked the kids how they prepare, and some of them let us in on a couple of tricks they have before going on stage:

1,) Playing the piece in their head for extra practice
2.) Spending time with their instrument to remain calm and focused

Both students and teachers are excited and confident for the Spring Recital as it is a chance to show friends and family their musical talents and achievements. It is also an exciting sign of summer coming up and the end of a great learning year.

Join Us!

Friends and family are invited to the Year-End Spring Recital

COST: FREE!

DATE: Friday May 6th, 2011

TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 with a reception

LOCATION: Saint James Anglican Church

303 East Cordova St, Vancouver, BC

(Intersection of Cordova St and Gore Ave)

The children of the Saint James Music Academy are pleased to be a part of a first-time ever release; famed Canadian group Bedouin Soundclash have released their newest single “Here I Am” featuring the children of SJMA.

The song was recorded last summer, 2010, after front-man Jay Malinowski was moved by a performance at the Academy. He recognized that music was a truly inspiring, and powerful force of change, and selected a song that he’d written for his sister to record with the kids.

You can see the behind the scenes here:

All proceeds from “Here I Am” will go towards the programs at Saint James Music Academy, focusing on providing children from low income families on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with a place to build musical talent, friendships and confidence.

To purchase the song, visit the Bedouin Soundclash Facebook Wall (and don’t forget to “Like” them while you’re there!).

To learn more about Jay’s story, and Bedouin Soundclash, please visit the band’s website.

More SJMA ~ Follow, Donate, Participate

Be sure to follow the Saint James Music Academy on Twitter @the_sjma for news, events and releases like this one. Coming up next is the spring recital, May 6th 2011, at Saint James Anglican Church.

Donation info:

By mail: 303 East Cordova, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1L4

Or, make a donation online.

It was a big weekend for the kids at Saint James Music Academy – the talented performers started of the 2011 performance season with back to back performances Saturday at two different events in Vancouver.

To start the day off, the choir sang at the 4^th International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder 2011 for an estimated crowd of 400 attendees at Vancouver’s Bayshore hotel. 25 of the senior choir performers from the Academy sang three songs, ending with “Inscription of Hope” for the closing ceremonies of the event.

If you haven’t heard them yet, the senior choir is perhaps the most established program at the Academy, and continues to establish itself year after year as an exceptional performance group. The choir program as a whole consists of two groups – the junior and the senior choir. The choir was recently divided so that the kids can develop their skills at the level most appropriate to them.

The senior choirs consist of the kids that have been in the program longer and can take on more advanced challenges, while the junior choir gives the kids who have not had choir experience to gain a solid introduction to choir singing from the ground up.

Following the Bayshore performance, the choir was joined by the Academy’s chamber group for a performance at the UBC Faculty Women’s Club where they were able to perform for a smaller audience at a private event. This event was dubbed a ‘Musical Soiree’ dessert evening at Cecil Green Park House.

The chance to perform is a key aspect of the Academy’s offering for all the kids that participate in the program. Not only does it give them the opportunity to showcase their talents and build confidence, the experience on stage playing and singing for an audience is a big part of their musical education. The readable level of excitement surrounding the events tells us that it’s an aspect that they truly love.

Additionally, it helps spread awareness for the blossoming program, highlighting the talent and exceptional level of musical performance and learning that we hope to achieve for all of the groups at the Academy – thank you to all of the volunteers who helped coordinate the day so that the kids could take part

Saint James Music Academy has been running since 2009, and was set up to provide exceptional musical education to children from low-income families in the downtown East-side.

To become a member of Saint James Music Academy, please contact info@sjma.ca. Membership is an opportunity to provide regular support and donations to the Academy. Depending on whether you’d like to join as an individual, a business or a family, we have several opportunities for you to get involved.

Donation info:

By mail: 303 East Cordova, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1L4

Or, make a donation online.

1. Our YouTube site

2. Our Facebook page or

3. Our Official Website

You are invited to our Year-End Recital which is being held on June 11th, 2010 from 6:30pm-8:30pm at 303 East Cordova St, Vancouver. Our year-end recital will showcase the hard-work of our young musicians as they proudly show you what they have learned this past academic year. The event will end with a reception where you can meet our staff, students and board members.

This event is open to the public and you are encouraged to invite friends and family!

The article by Pete McMartin can be found by clicking HERE.

We’ll try to regularly upload videos so you can get a good look at what happens at the Music Academy!

The band played several songs and answered some of the students’ questions about their history and about their music.

After the performance the band was shown a slideshow of the Music Academy that was set to their song “St. Andrews”. Following that, the kids swarmed the band for autographs – grabbing anything that could be written on… including paper plates, scrap paper, shoes and sweaters!

Below are photos from the special event:

The children getting an after-school meal before the band arrives

The band on stage

Children dancing

The band answering questions and talking about the importance of music in their lives

One of our students presenting their band with a thank-you gift!

One last big group-photo

Tonight the band be playing at Ontario House and then at the Richmond O Zone on Saturday. If you haven’t heard their great music, be sure to check out their website – www.bedouinsoundclash.com.

Thanks to the band – Jay (lead vocals, guitar), Eon (bass), and their new drummer Sekou for taking the time to inspire kids in their pursuit of music!

Craig had spoken with Marian Rowat, from Courtenay in Sept 2008 who was in the process of redrafting her will.  Over the course of several conversations she decided to leave a gift in her will to Vancouver Foundation, for “the education and exposure of music to children”.  During one of their conversations, this music lover started talking about her violin, how much she loved it, and how she hoped it could go to a music student who could perhaps not afford a quality instrument.  Craig mentioned that he might be able to connect her, if she was interested.  Not much more conversation on the matter after that.

In June 2009 we were notified that, sadly, Marian passed away.  In the copy of her will, along with the generous financial gift, it also states, “my violin, bow and case is to be donated to the Vancouver Foundation for their use in children’s music education or donated by them to a worthy child or children”. The Vancouver Foundation found the Saint James Music Academy as suitable recipients of her violin. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to read Marians full biography.

Below: Craig Hikida shows off the violin as Executive Director, Kathryn Walker, looks on.

Nathalie, one of our more senior violin students, takes a look

A group photo of our violin students, their teacher, and Craig with the violin

All of us at the Saint James Music Academy would like to thank Marian and her family as well as those at the Vancouver Foundation who made this donation possible! We are very grateful for your generosity! The violin will be used for special performances and exams at the Saint James Music Academy.

Marian Rowat
1938-2009

Marian grew up in a little village in the north of Scotland, where her famiy had a house and large garden by the sea. Her mother was a trained horticulturalist and her father was a tea merchant. For her secondary school education, she was a boarding school student at a Quaker school in England, where she excelled in music (the violin), and her leadership skills began to emerge. She spent holidays exploring the wilds of Scotland with her family and friends. Marian attended the University of Edinburgh and earned a degree in Botany with Honours.

Soon after university, she emigrated to Vancouver, met her husband, and raised a family of three children in a house with a large vegetable garden. She and her then husband John sourced local healthy food such as blueberries and strawberries from Richmond and herring from Ladner, as well as spending time sailing and camping with their family.

When her children had all left home, Marian, now divorced, moved to the Comox Valley, first to Merville, then into Courtenay proper. While in Merville, Marian bought her own sailboat, grew a huge garden and became a driving force behind the now well-known Seedy Saturday.

Marian loved to travel, and in the past 10 years she had been back to Great Britain several times as well as to South Africa with her daughter. Much of these trips were taken up exploring the local botany and countryside.

When she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2002, Marian became more skeptical than ever about conventional medicine, and decided to focus on her diet as a way to cure herself. She found the Gerson regime in 2006, and spent the past three years eating only organic fruits and vegetables, and drinking specially juiced drinks many times a day.