Students from the Oakville School of Music and Performing Arts (OSMPA) celebrated Mother’s Day this year with a performance at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital for long-term care patients.
The event featured students from age four to 18 sharing Mother’s Day poems and performing on piano, violin and ukulele as well as voice.
The school’s director and teacher, Melissa Stolarz, organized the event for students at the school.
“Our students learned the importance of giving back, of sharing their talents with others. It goes beyond what can be taught in the classroom. This is why it was so important for me to create the Mother’s Day performance,” says Stolarz. “Our students work hard throughout the year and the payoff sometimes isn’t about the grades, but the experiences that are created.”
Patients also had the opportunity to take part in the event, singing familiar tunes together as a group.
“We really created something special for all the patients that attended the performance. They took away a little more energy and inspiration than they had before, and that’s incredibly valuable,” says Stolarz.
The Mother’s Day performance was a highlight to the end of the term for students who are enrolled throughout the year in academic programming. The students performance showcased musical theatre pieces, classical piano songs, popular duets and pieces from movies.
Some summer piano camp members may have the opportunity to perform this summer.
Volunteers from the school put together more than 50 cards and gift bags for hospital patients. Students, teachers and friends of the school took time to write a special message on each card or poem and create colourful origami flowers.
The OSMPA encourages students at the school to participate in community events such as the Oakville Half Marathon, Glen Abbey golf tournaments and tree lighting ceremonies in Oakville and Bronte. Singers have also opened games for the Oakville Blades and other local sports teams.
Link to full article here: Inside Halton