Sistema Winnipeg uses the power of music to change children’s lives!
- News
As a vice-principal in the Winnipeg School Division and an individual whose life has been significantly impacted by music, my heart is very close to Sistema Winnipeg. I vividly remember myself as a child, daydreaming about one day being accompanied by a full orchestra. I could not have imagined that this dream would someday come to fruition. For over ten years now, what started as a dream turned into a reality as I became a guest performer for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) and eventually worked with the WSO to create full concerts to raise awareness and support for important causes in our community.
It brings me immense joy to know that through Sistema Winnipeg, children with the fewest resources and greatest need get the opportunity to experience the life-changing impacts of musical education and exposure to working with the wonderful Symphony Orchestra we have here in Winnipeg.
Sistema Winnipeg is a partnership between WSO, Seven Oaks School Division and the Winnipeg School Division that serves up to 150 children from grades 1 to 12 at two main school communities: Elwick Community School and King Edward Community School. It is an intensive music education program that focuses on children in socio-economically challenged communities that provides them with musical training after school for over two hours a day, five days a week, as well as a nutritious snack and a safe space to go to, all at no cost to their families.
Unfortunately, poverty, crime, and violence are prevalent in neighbourhoods with low socio-economic status, like the ones where the children who participate in Sistema reside. These children have a significant disadvantage compared to other children in Manitoba in terms of fewer opportunities, less support, high food insecurity and lost academic time as they grow up. Sistema Winnipeg works to proactively address all these challenges and barriers by providing students with a safe space for them to belong, to help build self-confidence, learn and grow while making lasting relationships and music together in community.
Working in education, I have witnessed the life-changing effect that having a sense of belonging, purpose and camaraderie can have on a young person. Sistema Winnipeg uses the power of ensemble music to dramatically change the trajectory of children’s lives through philosophies of inclusion, teamwork, artistic excellence, mentorship, and community focus. It is a music program that changes lives. And the impacts of this program go beyond the students as their families also become more connected and engaged in their school community, creating greater stability within the neighbourhood. Sistema encourages children to reach their full potential and inspires greater social change within the community, which is something that I also aspire to do both through my work as an educator and as a musician.
Since I started my Annual Concert for a Cause series in 2015, we have raised almost $150,000 for local Manitoba charities; we are gearing up for our 10th Concert for a Cause, once again with the WSO, on November 16, 2024. Through the collective community and the support of the WSO, we have raised over $70,000 for Sistema Winnipeg, and my family has since established an endowment fund for Sistema Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Foundation to support this crucial program for the foreseeable future.
I am now asking for you to do your part and join me in supporting this incredible program.
You can help Sistema Winnipeg change the lives of children in some of Winnipeg’s most at-risk communities by making a financial gift to this vital program. Each year, the WSO relies entirely on donations from individuals, companies and partners to make operating Sistema Winnipeg possible. The philosophy of Sistema is that by working and playing together, we can change the world; your financial support is one of the ways in which you can play your part.
Did you know that a one-time gift of $3,000 will support a Sistema student for an entire school year? Or that a gift of $500 can buy a flute for a Sistema student to use? You can also support this program by becoming a monthly donor, which is an easy and affordable way to provide reliable support to Sistema Winnipeg. However you decide to support Sistema, know that every dollar counts to help provide a brighter future for those Winnipeg children who need it most. Please join me in supporting Sistema Winnipeg by making a gift online.
I would also like to invite you to witness Sistema Winnipeg in action by attending our 2024 Michael Nozick Spring Concert at 6:30 PM on June 18 at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre, 711 Jefferson Avenue. The cost to attend is free, but donations are graciously accepted.
With sincere gratitude,
