Midtown Music School
516 Eglinton Avenue East M4P 1N6 Toronto, ON, Canada

It's here! The new website is up at www.torontomusicalliance.com, and our new Facebook page is also live. If you've been a supporter of Midtown Music School, we invite you to Like and Follow our new page. We already have some surprises posted, with more planned in the days leading up to the school year starting. We look forward to seeing you there! https://www.facebook.com/TorontoMusicAlliance

Some incredible news: David Stone was nominated again for Best Music Instructor for the Toronto Star Reader's Choice Awards 2020! (whomever put the name forth for nomination: thank you!) If you want to support and see if we can win two years in a row, just go to this link and click the Nominate button. Thank you again for your support!

Closure update: several of you have emailed us regarding when we can reopen. Unfortunately, according to Ontario Government health protocols and bylaws, music lessons are specifically called out as being a high-risk activity. Naturally health and safety are the most important part of life right now, and we cannot guarantee this (which is why we are legally unable to reopen). The reasons are legion: sanitizing instruments is nearly impossible without destroying them, many prog...rams (such as our vocal programs) are physically impossible to run due to PPE requirements by law - to say nothing of singing being found to be a large aerosol spreading vector. We also would be encountering too many different individuals from too many parts of the city, and who are in too many contact bubbles which we cannot control. This means that we must continue our online programs until something drastic changes. However, our online lessons have been a huge success! We have had many newcomers begin their journeys with us online, and our veteran students are acing exams, auditions and other performances. We know it's not ideal, but at least we are safe, and are able to keep the momentum going. Finally, just some food for thought: when the world stopped, we didn't. We were always there for you and your family, just like you were there for us. Our music together is unstoppable, and that's not changing or going away anytime soon.

Our June 2020 Online Recital page is live on the website now! We are updating it as we receive and process videos.For privacy purposes, the page isn’t immediately visible to the public. We sent a link to all current MTMS students and families via email. If you missed it, let us know so we can share the fun with you!

The biggest question we hear is, "When can we have a lesson in person?" Believe us, we'd like to make it happen. We miss the full interactions with our community (though online ain't too shabby!). But it's realistically going to be a long while before this is possible. First of all, we are a Stage 3 business under the government organization of businesses. The main reason is we are a high-contact, high-traffic business. We are enclosed together for a minimum of 30 minutes at ...a time - often longer - with multiple people who have multiple contacts. Current research shows that infection seems to be tied to the idea of "exposure x time." One asymptomatic person could mean dozens of illnesses. Second, unfortunately it is unrealistic for us to be able to adequately sanitize many surfaces that receive near-constant use. For example, when a teacher works with a piano student, many times student and teacher alternate on the instrument. If we were to sanitize the instruments every time there was a change, the instruments would become heavily damaged. Sanitizing string instruments, too, would be incredibly difficult to not damage strings, varnish, bridge and more. Another issue is PPE. We cannot play stringed instruments with rubber gloves (the strings would tear the latex, defeating the purpose), and playing piano would be compromised. Vocal lessons simply would not be possible with masks. We are as frustrated as you are. Fortunately, teaching remotely has been even more successful than we could have imagined. We have had some incredible successes (including a student achieving a perfect score on a recent theory exam!), and fantastic results from many performers. We look forward to hearing everything you've done in our virtual recital program coming soon. But in the meantime, we ask for everyone's patience. Because a music lesson in person is NOT worth risking a life for. We really are in this with you, and we'll stand by for as long as it takes to see the other side of this, whenever that is. Remember: When life stopped, we were there. When things felt hopeless and scary, we were there. When you needed inspiration, we were there. We aren't going anywhere. We will get back to normal as soon as it's safe to do so. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience, support and music!

Announcing the MTMS Summer Kids Virtual Choir Program! We have an amazing, comprehensive and - most importantly! - fun online program ready to go. Lots of information available on our website. Sign up soon - space is limited and our first session is already halfway sold out! https://www.midtownmusicschool.com/mtms-online-summer-choir

Today at 1:00, enjoy some fantastic, beautiful piano music played by MTMS faculty member Greg Millar along with his equally-talented performance partner and spouse, Lisa Riposa.

We hope you're coping with all that's been going on. We're doing our best here too, but it doesn't always happen...

Thank you for coming to the online Practice seminar! One student actually shared her practice space, where she made sure that the words of her vocal teacher Miriam Kemppainen are always nearby, even when Miriam isn't. Do you have a special space for your practice? How do you feel inspired?

Just a reminder that our first online lecture (Practicing and other things we haven't told you!) is happening on Sunday, May 24 at 2pm. If you'd like to attend, please reply to this post or send the school an email for access to the talk. See you all then!

Hello everyone, This is David writing. Today is a special day for Midtown Music School. Nine years ago, we taught our first lesson out of a classroom in Glebe Road United Church, having set up the school in less than a month. There were two teachers, me and Ida Neufeld. We had about 40 students between us. Since then, we have grown to a staff of 14, and more than six times the community! We witnessed the birth of several children from current and former faculty, including my ...younger son (who, incidentally, turns 8 next week). We celebrated many of your family milestones, including being the part of several weddings, birthdays and other celebrations. We have also shared the tough times too. Personally, when my mother passed away in 2015, I was overwhelmed by good wishes, love and support from everyone around at the time. I know we have supported many of you through your own difficult times - just as we all support each other now. Please know that it is a privilege to be able to share our music with you and your family. I am proud to watch kids grow up, adults fulfil lifelong dreams, and seeing everyone's love of music grow and change. To the faculty: Ida, Yosef, Karen, Meredith, Octavian, Luke, Lyssa, Megumi, Amahl, Greg, Miriam, Bill, Milen - you are the greatest team any organization could have. Your creativity, capabilities and artistry amaze me year in, year out. I love coming in only to find one of you already hard at work at your craft: practicing an orchestral excerpt, mixing a new track, hearing the strains of opera wafting through the air, or even just perfectly-performed scales and arpeggios, I love those private concerts and can't wait to hear them again. Thank you for everything you are and everything you do. To the entire student community: Without you, we have no Midtown Music School. Thank you for your trust, your support, your friendship, your joy and laughter. More now than ever, we are incredibly grateful to be with you, sharing our passion and commitment with students who are wanting to be there along with us for the ride. I wish you all the best of music and health, ~David

More music while we are physically separated! Violin faculty Lyssa Pelton performed in this pieced-together orchestra from members of the Kingston Symphony Orchestra. Though times are tough, the creativity is amazing from our arts community.

Want to know more behind the composition/arranging process? Digital Music Specialist (and composer, and arranger, and violinist, and pianist, and awesome person) Milen Petzelt-Sorace has written an informative and interesting article about his latest work with longtime collaborators Protest The Hero. Give it a read! (And if you have any questions, he would probably be happy to answer them.)

We may be isolation, but that doesn't mean the music stops! Check out cello faculty Amahl Arulanandam in VC2's newest EP, launching today.