I applied for the CBT NSG to give out 8 free music lessons in my community, giving priority to students who were queer and/or unable to afford lessons on their own. This project aimed to reduce financial barriers for students who wanted to experience a holistic, inclusive, fun music lesson, while being able to provide an honorarium for my donated time in scheduling and teaching. This project shifted a lot during the course of the covid 19 pandemic, as working with folks who wanted to take singing lessons needed to account for the safety measures that were in place at the time. The pandemic ended up shifting my project back to the spring of 2022, with a few lessons finishing up in the summer once restrictions had ended. I taught both voice and piano lessons to students, many of whom had never taken a lesson before. Each student saw a lot of progress during the initial lesson & we all warmed up to one another quite quickly. Making music in front of someone for the first time ever is a really vulnerable position, and I was grateful to each student for being so open and sharing with me in the space we co-created during the lessons. Some challenges to think about for next time were transportation and logistical barriers that folks in Ucluelet, a town about 45 minutes from mine, faced in trying to access these lessons. The studio space I have access to is located in Tofino, so unfortunately there was no way this round for students who could not physically make it to Tofino to attend. Conflicts between the studios availability and individuals schedules were also challenging to navigate, however by the end of the project I think everyone who ended up taking a lesson really enjoyed their time and I was so grateful to be able to facilitate this experience for my community!
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