Our faculty members are experienced professionals that are dedicated to providing their students with a
well-rounded musical education. While high standards of achievement are encouraged, we also understand that
success means different things to different people. Students will never be pushed beyond what they are
capable of, ensuring that their musical experience is a positive one and hopefully, a lifelong journey.
Our teachers provide in-home lessons, teach out of their own studios in person and online. We come together as a community several times a year to share our music in recitals and festivals.
We provide bursaries to supplement the cost of music lessons to those from low-income households.
well-rounded musical education. While high standards of achievement are encouraged, we also understand that
success means different things to different people. Students will never be pushed beyond what they are
capable of, ensuring that their musical experience is a positive one and hopefully, a lifelong journey.
Our teachers provide in-home lessons, teach out of their own studios in person and online. We come together as a community several times a year to share our music in recitals and festivals.
We provide bursaries to supplement the cost of music lessons to those from low-income households.
Kathy Bjorseth
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Piano — Kathy Bjorseth has a B.Mus. from the U. of Manitoba, and is a member of the B.C. Registered Music Teachers’ Association and the Musicians’ Union, and is a voting member of the Canadian Music Centre. For over thirty years, she has been on the piano faculty of the Langley Community Music School, where she is a Life Member and Resident Accompanist. She has been active in promoting the performance of Canadian Music, and started the LCMS Contemporary Showcase festival in 2001. As an accompanist, she has played for the Banff Centre, Ballet B.C., Vancouver Academy of Music, the Vancouver Cello Club, the Handel Society Choir, and is in demand playing for advanced students of violin, cello & voice.
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Marie Calvert
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Piano — Marie Calvert has a B.Mus from U.B.C., a M.Mus. from W.W.U. (Bellingham), an A.T.C.L. and L.T.C.L. from Trinity College of London, and a Professional Teaching Certificate for B.C. schools. She also has training in Suzuki Piano, Kodaly, and Orff pre-school music methods. For over twenty years she has taught at her home studio, in the Public School System, and at various music schools in the Greater Vancouver Area such as the Vancouver Academy of Music, St. James Music Academy, and the Langley Community Music School. In addition to teaching, she coaches, accompanies and plays chamber music.
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Ruth Cornish |
Flute, Piano, Theory — Ruth Cornish holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia and is a longtime member of the British Columbia Registered Music Teacher’s Association. She has been welcoming flute, piano, and theory students of all ages and abilities for over 30 years. While her students consistently perform well in recitals, festivals, and exams, she is happy to help students reach their goals, whether they want to learn music for fun and enjoyment, improve their school band playing, or pursue more intensive studies in music.
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Alan Crane
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Piano — Alan Crane holds a Bachelor of Music (University of Western Ontario) and a Master of Music in Piano Performance (University of British Columbia). For over thirty years he has been teaching a full range of students from young beginners to pre-professionals, and adults. In addition to being on the faculty of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, Mr. Crane teaches part-time at the Langley Community Music School where he has served for many years as Coordinator of the Piano Program. As well as teaching, Alan Crane is a co-director of the popular series West Coast Chamber Music and is an active performer & accompanist.
Website: www.alancranemusic.com |
Ross Curran
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Woodwinds — Ross Curran has a B.Mus. from the University of Victoria, Orff Schulwerk Level I (U.B.C.) and Orff Schulwerk Level II (Hamline University). He has taught as a pre-school music specialist and taught flute, saxophone, clarinet and recorder lessons throughout the Lower Mainland for many years. As a performer, Ross has played in concerts, dance bands, chamber music ensembles, film music and on C.B.C. radio.
Website: www.rosscurran.com |
Bonnie Dodds
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Voice — Bonnie Dodds has a Bachelor of Musical Arts, Bachelor of Education and Artist’s Diploma in Voice Performance from the University of Western Ontario. She has taught voice for 30 years at various locations, including Vancouver Community College, Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, the Gwen Greenway School of Music and at her private studio. In addition, she performed for several years with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Vancouver Opera Chorus, as a freelance oratorio, recital and opera singer. Her experience has taken her across Canada, including the Banff School of Fine Arts, the USA, China, Russia and England.
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Rachel Iwaasa
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Piano & Theory - Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa is recognized among Canada’s foremost contemporary music pianists. An active concert pianist and recording artist, Rachel holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from UBC, a Master of Music from Indiana University Bloomington, a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria, pedagogy and performance diplomas from the Victoria Conservatory of Music and Mount Royal University, as well as graduate studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. Rachel has taught music since 1987 to students ranging from young beginners to professional composers. She tailors her approach to each individual’s learning style and musical interests, working collaboratively to unleash creative freedom and technical facility. Rachel co-founded the Queer Arts Festival, acclaimed as one of the top 3 festivals of its kind worldwide.
Website: www.iwaasa.com |
Michael Park
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Piano, Theory & Composition - Michael Park holds his DMA in composition from UBC, MMus from the University of Western Ontario, and is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre. He also has his BMus in piano performance from the University of Manitoba, ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and is a member of the B.C. Registered Music Teachers’ Association. For 15 years, Michael has taught piano, composition, and theory to students of all ages throughout Vancouver. He currently teaches in-person and online from his home studio in Kitsilano, and has previously taught at the Vancouver Academy of Music, West Point Grey School of Music, Mozart Academy, and SFU. Beyond teaching, Michael is active as a performer, music director, and composer for a variety of projects.
Website: www.michaelpark.ca |
Clara Shandler
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Cello & Piano - Clara Shandler holds a BMus in Music Scholarship from the University of British Columbia and has been an active teacher and music coach in Canada and Cambodia for over a decade. Clara adapts her teaching to accommodate physical injuries or limitations, allowing each student's love of music to flourish without pain or burn-out. As a performer, Clara transcends the boundaries of many different genres and encourages her students to do the same. Whether studying Bach or the Beatles, Clara's students cultivate a wide range of musical skills while having fun, connecting with their inner voice and nurturing their own sense of self expression.
Website: www.sidewalkcellist.com |
Caralyn Taylor
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Guitar & Voice - Caralyn Taylor holds a BA in Jazz Studies from Capilano University and Vancouver Community College. She is an experienced performer and dedicated teacher with a passion for any music that swings. Caralyn teaches contemporary voice, guitar, piano, applied theory, songwriting and arranging to students of all ages and levels and particularly enjoys teaching singers how to accompany themselves while they sing. Her education and performance experience have empowered her with a unique ability to understand the needs of her students and the facility to adapt learning materials to their unique creative goals.
Website: www.taylormadelessons.com |
Sarah Westwick |
Violin / Viola — Sarah Westwick began studying the violin at age three at the Vancouver Academy of Music. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in performance from U.B.C. She has also studied music in London England, at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Prague. She is a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, is a freelance violinist and enjoys playing chamber music. She has teacher training qualifications and experience in both the Suzuki violin and viola methods. She is passionate about sharing music by female and BIPOC composers from Canada and around the world.
Website: www.sarahwestwick.com |
Brian Wong
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Violin — Brian Wong was introduced to the violin at the age of nine through his elementary school’s strings program. He grew to love the instrument and the sound of the large ensemble, playing in various senior honor orchestras throughout high school. Brian continued his musical studies completing a Bachelor of Arts in Music at UBC. He cherished his time there, gaining a breadth of knowledge while enjoying a wide range of classes from composition to jazz theory to ethnomusicology. Since graduation, Brian has been teaching violin privately and has gained certification in the Suzuki violin method. As a teacher, Brian hopes to share his love of music and to share the philosophy that great potential exists in every child.
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Andrew Yang
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Piano & Theory - Andrew Yang is a RCM Certified Teacher in Piano and Theory, holding specialist designations in Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced levels. His students are prize winners in various international youth competitions, including appearances in New York’s Carnegie Hall. He was a Gold Medal Recipient of the Licentiate Diploma (LRCM) with the RCM in the North American Region. He has made solo concert appearances with the Chopin societies across Canada and performed as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of Chopin’s birth. Andrew is an active performer and collaborative artist, with annual appearances in concerts in the US.
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We acknowledge that the members of the East Vancouver Community Music School live, teach and learn on the traditional, ancestral,
and unceded traditional homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Every child matters.
and unceded traditional homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Every child matters.
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