Music Education for Children and Youth
The Community Music School (CMS) provides accessible music education to children and youth in the GTA. Founded in 1980 and operating out of Humber’s Lakeshore Campus, the School offers weekly private lessons and small-group classes to children and youth of all musical experience levels.
Over the past 40-plus years, CMS has established an international reputation as a leader in jazz and children’s music education, helping thousands of students develop their talent and pursue their aspirations in music.
CMS fosters a supportive and inclusive community by prioritizing the joy of making music and creating opportunities for students to celebrate their collective musical growth through performance. Our world-class coaches are committed to working with students step-by-step to help them reach the next level in their musical development and build the confidence they need to achieve their individual performance goals.
Course Offerings
Vocal Studies
Learn how to use the natural instrument: the voice. Ages 9-18.
Private Lessons
Children's Musicianship
Orff Ensembles
Develop and refine musicianship with Orff-based curriculum. Ages 9-11.
Jazz Ensembles
Explore and develop small-group ensemble skills. Ages 12-18.
Advanced Jazz
Advanced improvisation, jazz vocabulary and ensemble playing.
Register Now
Winter Program Information
- The 2024 winter term will run January 20 - June22
- The last date to register for the fall term is Wednesday, January 17
- There will be no classes held on statutory holiday weekend (Feb 17, March 30, May 18)
- All classes will be conducted at Humber College Lakeshore Campus on Saturday, between 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact communitymusic@humber.ca for more information.
Winter 2024 Term
| CATEGORY | COURSE | FEE |
|---|---|---|
| Private Lesson (All Instruments) | 30min Private Lesson | $836 |
| 60min Private Lesson | $1,520 | |
| Children | Children's Musicianship | $575 |
| Children's Music: Orff Ensemble (Ages 8-11) | $1,100 | |
| Youth | Youth Jazz Ensemble (Ages 12-18) | $1,320 |
| Advanced Youth Jazz Ensemble (Ages 14-18) | $1,520 |
Testimonials
"Love Community Music! I’m happy to have learnt a new skill set that I can now share with others."
"Great experience. Excellent class and music coach!"
"I have been in the Community Jazz program for 5 years. It’s always an enjoyable and educational program."
How Music Education Helps
Studies show that music education improves children's cognitive and social development. Music helps improve attention span, language and literacy, memory, sound processing, spatial reasoning, and speech perception. It also builds confidence and self-esteem while teaching skills in communication, leadership, problem solving and teamwork.
How Music Education Helps:
Improved Cognitive Development: Attention span, Language and literacy, Memory, Sound processing, Spatial reasoning, Speech perception.
Improved Social Development: Communication, Confidence, Leadership, Problem solving, Self-Esteem, Teamwork.
“Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel. If we are to hope for a society of culturally literate people, music must be a vital part of our children's education.”
- Yo-Yo Ma
“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them – a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.”
- Gerald Ford
“Adolescents with music training have better cognitive skills and school grades and are more conscientious, open and ambitious. These effects do not differ by socio-economic status… Music improves cognitive and non-cognitive skills {more than twice as much as sports, theatre or dance}."
- 2013 German Social Economic Panel (study)