2019 MusiCounts TD Community Music Program Recipients Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, ON – On September 17, MusiCounts, Canada’s leading music education charity, hosted a celebration to announce the 2019 MusiCounts TD Community Music Program recipients at Strings Across the Sky in Parry Sound, ON. A total of 37 community music programs nationwide will be receiving $500,000 worth of musical instruments and equipment, benefitting 7,000 youth participants in the first year alone.
“Thank you to TD for supporting MusiCounts and helping us give instruments and equipment to in-need programs like Strings Across The Sky,” said Kristy Fletcher, Executive Director, MusiCounts. “We believe music has the power to unite youth and transform communities. Congratulations to all the 2019 recipients from all across Canada!”
"An important part of building a more inclusive tomorrow is making the arts more accessible," says Andrea Barrack, Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, TD. "As part of our corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, we're working to remove barriers to development in the arts, amplifying diverse voices in the sector. That's why we're excited to support the MusiCounts TD Community Music Program."
This year, the community music group Strings Across the Sky received $17,000 in new guitars and string instruments from the 2019 MusiCounts TD Community Music Program. Strings Across the Sky strives to rekindle and sustain the cultural traditions of fiddle music, which once thrived in Indigenous communities across Canada. The event also featured a student performance with the new instruments.
The MusiCounts TD Community Music Program provides musical instruments and equipment to community centres, after-school programs and other community non-profit organizations. To-date the program has benefitted 177 programs across Canada with over $2.64 million in instruments and equipment.
**To download hi-res images from the celebration, click here. (Photo credit: Barry Roden)
2019 MusiCounts TD Community Music Program recipients:
Alberta
Camp Shagabec (Lethbridge)
Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (Edmonton)
Heart of the City Piano Program - Calgary Chapter (Calgary)
Rocky Native Friendship Centre Society (Rocky Mountain House)
British Columbia
Association of Neighbourhood House's of BC (Vancouver)
Open Air Orchestra Society (Vancouver)
Ptarmigan Arts Society (Pender Island)
Manitoba
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg (Winnipeg)
Broadway Neighbourhood Centre Inc. (Winnipeg)
Golden Prairie Arts Council (Carman)
Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc (Winnipeg)
The Pas Friendship Centre Inc. (The Pas)
Newfoundland and Labrador
Encore Community Arts Association (Labrador City)
Labrador Friendship Centre (Happy Valley-Goose Bay)
St. John's Native Friendship Centre (St. John's)
Nova Scotia
The Center for Music on Summit (New Glasgow)
Lunenburg Library (Lunenburg)
reachAbility Association (Halifax)
Shelburne County Youth Health & Support Association (Shelburne)
Undercurrent Youth Centers (Sydney)
Northwest Territories
Acho Dene Koe First Nation (Fort Liard)
Fort McPherson Justice Committee (Fort McPherson)
Ontario
Boys and Girls Club of Pembroke (Pembroke)
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (Toronto)
Immigrant Francophone D'afrique Pour L’intégration Et Développement (Windsor)
London Food Bank - Arts For All Kids (London)
Strings Across the Sky Foundation (Parry Sound)
London Girls Rock Camp (London)
Quebec
Développement du langage et dysphasie Estrie (Sherbrooke)
Jeunes musiciens du monde (Québec)
Little Red Playhouse (La Fondation Place Coco) (Montreal West)
Maison Des Jeunes Cote Des Neiges (Montreal)
Saskatchewan
Battlefords Boys and Girls Club (North Battleford)
Buffalo river dene nation school (Dillon)
SaskAbilities - Yorkton Branch (Yorkton)
Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange (Regina)
Saskatoon Open Door Society (Saskatoon)
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About TD Global Corporate Citizenship
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. In March 2018, TD launched The Ready Commitment, a new multi-year program to help individuals and communities prosper. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for an inclusive tomorrow – Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The Ready Commitment, TD's aspiration is to link business, products, services, and community giving to help people feel more confident - not just about their finances, but about their future and their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/thereadycommitment
About MusiCounts
MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS and the JUNO Awards is keeping music alive in schools and communities across Canada by putting musical instruments into the hands of children that need them most. MusiCounts' mission is to ensure that youth in Canada have access to music programs through their schools and communities. MusiCounts celebrates musical excellence and achieves its mission through its Band Aid Program, the MusiCounts TD Community Music Program, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award, Scholarships and other music education initiatives.
MusiCounts is funded by many of Canada's most dedicated individuals and corporate citizens including and especially The Leadership Circle, TD Bank Group, Bell Media, SiriusXM Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation, Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, and The London JUNO Host Committee. MusiCounts has been supported since inception by Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada, Warner Music Canada Ltd., JUNO Songwriters' Circle and JUNO Cup. MusiCounts was established in 1997, and has awarded over $13,000,000 in support of music education in Canada. These funds have benefitted over 1,200 schools and communities, supported over 400 post-secondary music program graduates, and honoured 14 extraordinary music teachers and three MusiCounts ambassadors.
