Dear Friends,
If I know one thing, it’s this: music can carry us through our darkest times. For the past 20 years, this has been a cornerstone of our beliefs. Music is the sound that quiets the noise and restores us when the road gets bumpy. When it comes to kids, there’s no limit to music’s capacity to uplift and enrich. Connecting children and youth to the transformative power of music is our purpose and life’s work.
It’s been a rough two years for everybody. A particular challenge for us was the need to sustain a connection when circumstances kept us apart. I am so proud of the staff and teachers of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. Through their dedication, hard work and imagination, our students remained engaged with online instruction and safe in person class time.
Having weathered the storm, this gives us an overwhelming sense of awe and profound gratitude. We could not have done it without you.
As we enter into our 20th year, we are stronger and more determined than ever to deliver the healing power of music to our communities. With your help and continued support, the sky’s the limit.
With love and gratitude
Sarah
NOW MORE THAN EVER, KIDS NEED MUSIC.
SoM’s Purpose
Strengthening the well-being of children, youth and adults 55+ by providing barrier free access to the transformative power of musical learning, expression and community.
SoM’s Values
Curiosity • Flexibility • Innovation • Social Responsibility • Acceptance • Care • Collaboration • Commitment
“Dating back to the 1940s, hundreds of studies have confirmed music’s therapeutic power to improve motivation, communication and social skills.”
- The Atlantic
“Music acts as a medium for processing emotions, trauma and grief. Music can also act as a regulating or calming agent for anxiety or dysregulation.”
- Molly Warren, National Alliance on Mental Illness
“64% of Canadians aged 15-24 reported that the pandemic has impaired their mental health.”
- Awesome Music Project + CAMH
SoM’s Impact
The Sarah McLachlan School of Music offers immersive, inclusive group music-making experiences for toddlers, children, youth and adults 55+. No musical experience is required. All students attend for free due to financial and social emotional need. The Sarah McLachlan School of Music relies on our community partners to help find those most in need.
We inspire development in voice, percussion, drum kit, marimba, ukulele, guitar, bass, piano, turntables, synthesizer, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, songwriting, recording + production, live sound + performance
How it Started vs How it’s Going
2002 > 2021
8 instructors > 43 instructors
75 students served > 532 students served
6 community partnerships > 35+ community partnerships in 3 cities
Success by the Numbers
14,842 sessions offered this year
81% of recently polled Alumni have or are enrolled in post secondary
From left to right:
Kim (attended 10yrs) Social worker, clinical outreach team in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Chris (attended 8yrs) McGill neuroscience grad, recipient of the Iris Unger Award for the creation of School of Music Montreal Dan (attended 8yrs) SFU Composition graduate & Sarah McLachlan School of Music staff member Sam (attended 3yrs) Diploma in Jazz drums, completing Psychology degree
How Music Heals & Enriches
∙Language development
∙Spacial temporal skills
∙Increased creativity
∙Increased prosocial behaviour
∙Increased IQ
∙Improved test scores
∙Increased sympathy
- The Benefits of Music Education, PBS
“My daughter is having a hard time socially and her confidence is at an all time low. She feels nothing in her life is working at the moment... nothing but her experience at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.”
- Sarah McLachlan School of Music Parent
“I am convinced that when it comes to kids, emotion should be at the heart of our thinking and music should be the instrument we turn to in our attempts to make a difference.”
- Dr Gordon Neufeld, Author of Hold on to Your Kids
The Sarah McLachlan School of Music unites with Canucks Autism Network to ensure no child is left behind. It’s how our friend Kai found his musical wings.
“I am so thankful he has a place to be himself and do what he loves most in this world.”
- Kai’s mom
“The Sarah McLachlan School of Music’s halls are filled with beautiful stories of resilience and achievement.”
- Lisa Wolverton, President, Wolverton Foundation
“I’ve lived on board a spaceship, you are so far away from humanity, you’re the furthest away any human being has ever been. I lived off the planet for 6 months. We couldn’t exist a day without music.”
– Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut, singer and former fighter pilot
The Sarah McLachlan School of Music has impacted me in so many different ways. Everyone is so supportive of everyone’s talent. I love that the most. Everyone is good at different things and they always support your vision.
- Ahsia, Alumni
Click here to view Ahsia’s performance
MUSIC MATTERS
Strength in Numbers
For the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, 2021 was all about productive partnering. It was the year we successfully bridged connections with programs sharing our dedication to mental health enrichment through music. Reaching across Canada into the US, our new affiliates include Foundry in Vancouver, RYSE in California, SpyHop in Salt Lake City, and A Place Called Home in LA along with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Awesome Music Project in Toronto.
The fruit of our outreach was I’ll Be Gentle If You Break, an online event that showcased how music makes the Sarah McLachlan School of Music’s students stronger and more resilient.
Music is really used as a way of therapy for me and for calming myself down and expressing myself. And it’s always really nice to be able to just come into the Sarah McLachlan School of Music and put everything you have out there, whether it’s good energy or disruptive energy and just channel it into making music and making something you’re proud of.
- Salma, Student
Click here to view Salma’s full performance
STRONGER YOUTH, STRONGER COMMUNITIES
Our Goals
Broaden our range of program options to enhance and enrich student experience.
Build out our organizational capacity + effectiveness to help more students in even more profound ways.
Strengthen connections and partnerships to expand beyond our horizons.
Clarify messaging of the impact of our programs on the communities we serve in order to secure long-term success.
“I don’t know of any other outreach program that comes close to capturing the magic that is composed at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.” – Deb Routledge, VSB Vice Principal and Social Emotional Learning Consultant
2021-2022 Budget Breakdown
| Student Care + Mentorship | $1,843,574 - 79% |
| Student Nourishment, Program Supplies + Transportation | $179,066 - 8% |
| Operations + Admin | $318,333 - 13% |
| Total | $2,300,000 |
Sarah McLachlan Foundation Board of Directors
Sarah McLachlan, Chair
Dan Cleland, Vice-Chair
Kenna Danyliw, Treasurer
Jane Muckle, Secretary
Douglas Goss
Joyce Ip
Jeffrey Latimer
Ashif Mawji
Sarah McLachlan School of Music Board of Directors
Sarah McLachlan, Chair
Dan Cleland, Vice-Chair
Donna Molby, Tresurer
Jane Muckle, Secretary
David Martin
Thank you for making our work possible.
Concert Grand
Sarah McLachlan Foundation
Sun Life Financial
Friends of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music
Canucks For Kids Fund
Ministry of Community, Sport & Cultural Development
Baby Grand
The Hudson Family
SiriusXM Canada Inc.
HSBC
103.5 QMFM
Jim & Sandi Treliving
Slaight Family Foundation
Xylophone
Ian Telfer
Brian and Andrea Hill
Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines
Parc Retirement Living
Ms. Patricia Cowan
Teekay Shipping (Canada) Ltd.
City of Surrey
Lagniappe Foundation
The Vancouver Board of Trade
Carolyn & Robert Cross
TELUS
Richard Balan
Aquilini Investment Group LP
Aquilini Village Holdings Ltd.
Cameron Blair
David Sharpe
Deloitte Management Services LP
Iris Consulting Limited
Sean McCoshen
Taylor Pond
The Schneider Family Foundation
Wendy Taylor
Marimba
Donna Molby
Gordon Smith
The Giustra Foundation
Mohammed and Susan Moussa
Richard Warke
Ashif & Zainul Mawji and Family
Ryan & Cindy Beedie
J D Dale Whiteside
RBC Foundation
Robert Lee
CKNW Orphans' Fund
Douglas Coupland
Jeff Wall
Lucia Lundin and Family
BlueSky Charitable Foundation
Peter & Joanne Brown Foundation
Aalto-Lee Foundation
City of Vancouver
Dilawri Group of Companies
Loyalty Foundation
Michael Audain + Yoshiko Karasawa
Sally & Jussi Westergren
Telus Corporation
The Jim Pattison Foundation
THE GIFT OF MUSIC
Your support is so much more than music alone. A gift to SoM allows students to explore their creativity in a safe and supportive environment, providing long term connections that nurture trust and personal development where they can build the confidence they need to pursue goals and overcome challenges.
To discuss partnership opportunities, contact:
Dan Cleland at 604-709-4415 or dan@sarahschoolofmusic.com
To learn more about our programs visit www.sarahschoolofmusic.com