The Thunder Bay Community Band
As the fall marks a new school year, it also marks the start of many recreational activities. So with this sense of “new year” in the crisp autumn air, why not consider picking up something fun for you?
Being a band kid truly never leaves you after high school. But where can you go in town to reconnect with your inner band kid once you’re all grown-up? You go to the Thunder Bay Community Band!
“There’s no charge to join or audition. I say to people, if you’re going to play, minimum five years of playing experience,” says Jane Saunders, Music Director and Conductor of the Thunder Bay Community Band. “Some people who are 40, 50, or 60, say they remember how to play. So I say, just come and start, and then you’ll remember.”
First formed in 1891, the band has taken on many names from the Fort William Brass Band to Fort William Citizens Band and many other names until its current name adopted from 1990. A 50-person concert band with instruments such as the alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute, clarinet and bass clarinet, oboe, French horn, trombone, baritone horn, tuba, and all the percussion instruments from drum set, timpani, triangle, tambourine, and many other little surprises, the band plays roughly 4 or 5 times a year, which includes performing at the Remembrance Day Ceremony at Fort William Gardens, a Christmas Concert, a dance at the Slovak Legion (with a trivia component this year), and spring ventures which for this year have yet to be determined.
“We play all kinds of music. We do Christmas music that is fun, traditional and multicultural, pop, rock, jazz, Broadway, film, and a mix of stuff that is super modern to hundreds of years old.”
Rehearsing each Tuesday night at Hammarskjold High School, the band is assuredly a great place to have fun, meet and reconnect with people, and just feel the joy that is making music.
“Music just makes people happy. There’s also the element of appreciation with the band members being part of something. A lot of these people are very successful. They’re teachers, police officers, business owners, etc. A woman just joined the band last year that I taught at Westgate 24 years ago. When she came back, she couldn’t believe how much she remembered and how quickly it came back to her. When they read the music and play, it’s like taking that part of that high school experience that was fun for them and reliving it all over again.”
For more information about Thunder Bay Community Band, check out their Facebook Page
International Dance Academy
“Dance prepares a person for life,” says Laura McRury, Owner and Artistic Director at International Dance Academy. “Besides teamwork, you learn about dedication and multitasking.
When you dance, you’re not just working one part of the body. There’s a lot of different parts of the body that are working in unison with each other.”
Whether you danced as a kid, never, or done a few Tik Tok dances here and there, dancing is a perfect way to embody what it means to have fun. Frankly as adults, we need that more than anyone with our lives always consumed by work and family life.
Which is why I suggest taking the adult dance classes at International Dance Academy to reconnect with your inner dancer.
“Dance allows you the freedom to release, believe, and express yourself. We are so afraid to express who we are, personally, as an individual, that a lot of times we hide behind curtains, and that’s what we want them to take away from this: to come out from behind the curtain.”
Starting this September, International Dance Academy will begin another term of adult classes with the option to choose from Ballet Levels 1-4, Beginner Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and Hip-Hop. The school offers the opportunity for you to do a free trial class within the styles so you can see which one you like more than the other before committing yourself to the weekly (twice weekly Ballet Level 1 and 2 classes).
“Most of the adults say these classes are their mental health release. They really enjoy the atmosphere within the studio where everyone is positive and supportive of one another.”
For more information or to register for classes visit internationaldanceacademy.com
Carly Martin
When driving with family and friends, a young Carly Martin started singing along to the CD. To which her mom’s friend said, “Oh wow! You have an amazing voice! You should start singing lessons.” From there to High School Musical concerts in her driveway, 15 years of voice lessons and an Honours Bachelor Degree in Music Theatre Performance from Sheridan College, Martin is ready to take what she’s learned and help aspiring singers in Thunder Bay.
“I had an incredible voice teacher myself growing up, Stacey Cham-Klein. She taught me so much of what I know about singing, being a good person, and supporting theatre and musicians within this community,” says Martin. “I bring a lot of those things into my own practice. I prioritize uplifting my students, encouraging them and making sure they feel the love of singing.”
Each lesson will start with a check in where Martin asks you how you are doing and to tell her one good thing that happened to you today. From there, she leads you into a physical warm up, breathing exercises, posture support, a vocal warm-up, and then diving into a song of your choice.
“Every student has different goals. We look at what we’ve explored in our warm ups and then get specific with things like character, emotion, and storytelling through song. I describe the voice like a paintbrush. You want to paint the picture with your voice with all the colours.”
Colours include the mechanics such as dynamics, range, tone, mixing from head voice to chest voice, but also character, emotion, and story. A holistic approach that aims to have people feel safe and find a love for singing whether new found or all over again.
“Working with students and seeing them love what they do and have little breakthroughs like hitting the note they didn’t know they could hit, or finding the character or emotion in a song is my favourite part about being a voice teacher. I guide them and facilitate them based on what we can discover and not necessarily the final product. I want everything to be organic and authentic to the individual performer. They’re learning and discovering new things with their instrument in a supported environment.”
To learn more and book a session, visit carlymartin.ca or follow her on Instagram @ccarlymartin
