East End Music Project

September 16, 2015

Activities galore!

Fall is that magical time of year when the leaves change, the days darken, and we all have to think about what kinds of activities we are going to undertake for the year. (If you are like me, you were frantically trying to sign up your kids for swimming lessons this morning at 7am!) Here are a few options in the neighbourhood…

East End Music Project
(non-profit music program for kids on Tuesdays)

Miranda from the East End Music Project sent this note along:

I run the East End Music Project (I do this out of LOVE as a volunteer), which is a very cool social purpose music school in the East End.

The project is taught by professional musicians and educators with instruction at a very high level. The social purpose part of it is that all the class fees are geared to income. Our focus is on collaboration and working together in the classes. It is a fabulous opportunity. I have a couple of spots available because I’ve hired more teachers to increase our capacity. We would love to have your families join us.

If you’ve ever thought about music lessons, this is a great way to get involved in a social purpose enterprise, support local musicians, and participate in something really special. Your kids will also get a stellar music experience. All classes are subsidized. No restrictions on who can apply! Check out www.eemp.ca to see what classes still have availability. Thanks!

Are you ready to sing?

Some locals, Sarah and Damaris, are starting a new choir and would like YOU to join! Registration form is here and some additional details are below.

Pegasus Studios

SO many classes, so little time. What can we say about Pegasus? It’s music, dance, art, choir, yoga – stuff for kids, adults, kids and adults together – if you don’t know about this neighbourhood institution, you should. www.pegasusstudios.com

Fitness

We have been so lucky to have so many new fitness-related businesses open up in this neighbourhood (coinciding nicely with the bakeries, ice cream shop and restaurants!). Here are some of them:

Fly Girl Fitness

Bomb Fitness

Ankh Yoga

Legacy Indoor Cycling

Counterbalance Studio Pilates

Career Fit Mom

Dragonz Martial Arts (adult and kid classes available)

Bell’s Martial Arts (adult and kid classes available)

Monarch Park Stadium (adult and kid classes/activities, running track)

One more thing….

Our next DECA Board meeting will be next Monday, September 21 starting at 7:30pm. If you’d like to join us, drop us a line here and we can let you know where we’re meeting. Last time we enjoyed an hour at the beginning to meet & greet, but this time we will get right to it a 7:30pm because we have a lot to cover. All are welcome!

December 9, 2014

Festival of Lights: Pictures & Thank You!

A HUGE thank you to Angela Matich and her crew of volunteers for putting together Nov. 29th’s wonderful Festival of Lights. Thanks too to the approximately 1000 (!) of you who came out to East Lynn Park to help celebrate the season and light up the park Danforth East-style! The amazing turnout blew our estimates out of the water, so the hundreds of loots bags (courtesty of Art Cave, Kids Fun Town, Oaks & Acorns, Pegasus Studio & Silly Goose Kids–be sure to check out Silly Goose’s author event with Helaine Becker this Sunday at 10:30. Free cider!) went mighty quickly. So did the 300 cups of delicious hot chocolate donated by Melanie’s Bistro and the yummy treats provided by Celena’s Bakery. Next year we’ll have more supplies on hand so no one goes empty-handed.

Thank you to the Pegasus Studio Dancers, the East End Music Project Choir for entertaining us, and to Show Pro for the sound equipment. The Zero Gravity Circus Fire Artist and LED Hula Hooper lit up the night spectacularly.

A big special thanks to our key sponsors who made this event happen: Sugarmoon (Catch their open house tomorrow, Dec. 10, 11-8pm!) and Corinne McCabe – Bosley Real Estate Broker.

Here are some beautiful shots of the festivities courtesy of local shutterbug Bruce Reeve and DECA’s Sheri Hebdon so you can relive the fun or see what you missed (and mark your calendars for next year!).

Zero Gravity Circus Fire Artist wowing the crowds.

Pegasus Dancers kick the party off. — Pegasus Dancers kick things off.

Crowds gather to sing along with the East End Music Project.

Organizer Angela Matich handing out free treats.

Zero Gravity Circus' LED Hula Hooper lit up the night. — Zero Gravity Circus’ LED Hula Hooper lit up the night.

October 15, 2013

Music lessons, casting call, and a special request

As you may or may not know, this blog is run entirely by volunteers. We are DECA Board members, and like many people, we have jobs, families and busy lives. We write this blog because we love this neighbourhood, and we love the opportunity to share information from and to our neighbours. We have loose criteria for what we do and do not post, but generally, we focus on news and events that impact our direct neighbourhood.

With that said, I want to share with you a message from a neighbour, Sharon Oliver. Please considering helping her raise money to help treat her daughter’s rare autoimmune disorder, and to start a charity. You can easily vote by using the link below – round one concludes soon, but you can vote every day. Sharon’s Facebook page provides more information (‘like’ it for daily voting reminders and updates).

I need community to vote for my idea — which is to start a charity for children and get some help for my own daughter…the video and link tell all. It is super easy and only takes seconds. The voting has already begun.

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16828

Thank you again.. Sharon Oliver — mother of Gwyneth.

*****

And now, the news.

This new endeavour will launch in January, and will offer a variety of music lessons out of the Church at 1100 Woodbine Avenue (@ Milverton) on Tuesdays to start. Read on for more info about them, and about their fundraising event coming up on November 30, 2013.

A message from Miranda Snyder:

Dear friends,

It’s happening! I’m so excited to announce that, after months of planning, plotting and dreaming, Mathew Peters and I are launching the East End Music Project in January in our neighbourhood. Lots of you have heard rumblings about this, so read on for more info.

The EEMP is a non-profit music school launching lessons in guitar, choir, and piano (and more to come) in January. It’s open to kids grades K-12 and subsidies and scholarships are available for neighbourhood families who otherwise would not have access to lessons due to the systemic issues of poverty. And I would LOVE for your families to be involved. You can make a transformative difference in our community and in the life of a child by simply accessing our programming, spreading the word, and participating. This music school operates as a not-for-profit. We’ve got an amazing team of teachers and co-conspirators working on this, and your child will not receive a better music education in the city. The EEMP is launching as a collaboration and there are lots of opportunities to get involved, support the project, and, of course, sign your kids up for lessons. Lesson registration opens Nov 1. Send us an email to find out more, get on the list, or visit eemp.ca.

To get things rolling, we’re hosting a fundraiser November 30 in the hood. SAVE THE DATE, people. Call your babysitters. Come on out to party with the East End Music Project at the Circus Academy (1300 Gerrard Street East), as we host The Dirty Dishes, The Uplifters, Trainwreck, and the EEMP House Band for an incredible night of live music, dancing and inevitable over-consumption. Email me today to reserve your tickets. This event will sell out, and every penny from this fundraiser goes towards supporting music education and music-making opportunities for local families who need it. So you can feel good and DO good. Tickets are $25 in advance.

Casting Call this Saturday, October 19

Any thespians out there looking for a local acting opportunity? See below, and for more information, email Cameron here.