CMC Notes Newsletter – October 2025 - Classical Music Conservatory

CMC Notes Newsletter - October 2025

In this issue

1. Important Upcoming Dates

2. Polish Festival Photos!

3. Winter Recitals: Info

4. Winter Recitals: Schedule

5. RCM Exams: Important Dates

6. Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases

7. Featured Students

8. Featured Teacher

Important Upcoming Dates

Saturday October 11th: Private lessons are still ON, but no Musical Preludes classes!

Monday, October 13th: No lessons scheduled today – CMC is closed for Thanksgiving!

Friday, October 31st: Happy Hallowe’en! All lessons are still on as scheduled – come to your lesson dressed up in your best costume!

Tuesday, November 4th: RCM Exam registration deadline for the December 2025/January 2026 session!

Click HERE for our private lessons 2025-2026 CMC School Year Calendar!

Click HERE for our Musical Preludes 2025-2026 Calendar!

Polish Festival Photos!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Polish Festival this year!!! Here are some photos we took outside CMC during the event:

Winter Recitals: Info!

CMC hosts 2 days of winter recitals for our private lesson students. We encourage all our students to perform, but participation is optional! We want this to be a positive experience for our students with a supportive, low-pressure atmosphere.

Our recital sign up form will be emailed out on Friday, November 1st.

WHY PARTICIPATE:

It’s an opportunity to perform for an audience in a supportive environment 🙂
Develop a musical goal to work toward and achieve!
Show your friends and family what you have learned so far!

PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT

For our ONLINE recital strings, voice and wind students, if piano accompaniment is required, you will need to use a track.

For our IN-PERSON recital strings, voice and wind students, CMC pays for a piano accompanist to be at our recitals, but if you would like rehearsal time beforehand (which we highly recommend), you are responsible to pay for a minimum increment of 15 minutes of rehearsal time.

Unsure if you or your child will need piano accompaniment? Speak with their teacher who will be happy to discuss with you!

Winter Recitals: Schedule!

More information will come later on our winter recitals, but below are the dates to mark in your calendars.

Our recitals are optional but highly recommended; it’s an opportunity to perform for an audience in a supportive environment, and to develop a musical goal to work towards and achieve.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7

ONLINE via Zoom

10am: all instruments & voice for any teacher

IN-PERSON at Roncesvalles United Church:

Piano recital time slots will be assigned to students of specific teachers in October.

1pm: piano recital
2pm: piano recital
3pm: piano recital
4pm: piano recital
5pm: piano recital
6pm: piano recital

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14

IN-PERSON at Roncesvalles United Church:
12:30pm: cello recital (students of all cello teachers)
2pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers)
3pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers)
4pm: voice/winds recital (students of all voice & wind teachers)
5pm: adult recital (all instruments & voice for students 18+)
6pm: guitar/ukulele/bass/drum recital (students of all guitar/ukulele/bass/teachers)
7pm: guitar/ukulele/bass recital (students of all guitar/ukulele/bass teachers)

NOTE:

Students taking more than one lesson, or siblings, can sign up for the same time slot. All non-piano instruments must be on Dec. 14 (for example, if one sibling takes piano and one takes guitar, please sign them both up for a guitar recital, since there will only be a piano set up on Dec. 7, with no mics or amps…etc, and no guitar teacher to tune your instrument!

RCM Exams: Important Dates

Here are the important dates for the upcoming December 2025/January 2026 RCM Exams Session:

November 4, 2025: Registration Deadline
December 12 & 13, 2025: Theory Examinations
January 19-31, 2026: Practical Examinations

Want to learn more about RCM Exams? See our RCM Exams page and/or email us at cmc@cmccanada.com for more info!

Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases!

Alex

Alex has 4 upcoming events:

Album Release: Fortunato Durutti Marinetti & Ira Dot @ The Cameron House – Oct. 10, 9-11:30pm

Dan Pitt Trio @ the Jazz Bistro – Oct. 14, 8:30-11pm

Money House @ Sellers and Newell – Oct. 22, 8-10pm

Garden of Forking Paths III: Triio & Mifune Moods play a “Movie Night” @ Annette Studios – Oct. 25, 8-11pm

Emmett

From Emmett:

“October 11th the Emmett Hodgins Trio has their album release show at Sellers and Newell at 8pm. This is the Emmett Hodgins Trios first full length album titled “Bibliosmia” referring to the amazing smell of old books. This album is completely original jazz trio material mainly blending modern jazz, folk and fusion sounds into the music. This is a huge moment for the Emmett Hodgins trio being their first full length album and this show will be an absolute blast! “

Chris

Chris will be playing two concerts on Oct 10 and 11 with a saxophonist from Chicago named Isaiah Collier.

Tickets link: https://tickets.contxtbytrane.com/events/contxtbytrane/1811781

Enjoy!!!

Featured Students!

Livia (Piano) & Camden (Cello)

1. How old were you when you first started music?

Livia: Seven years old.

Camden: I was six years old.

2. Why did you choose the instrument you currently play?

Livia: I have a piano at home and I wanted to learn how to play it.

Camden: It looked cool and I like the way it sounds.

3. What do you like most about your music teacher?

Livia: He is teaching me a lot and he is funny!

Camden: She plays the cello well and she’s nice.

4. Do you have a favourite piece to play?

Livia: Comptine D’un Autre Été

Camden: French Folk Song

5. If you could play any other instrument, what would it be?

Livia: Probably violin. I will play this in school if I have the chance!

Camden: Guitar

6. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Livia: I like to figure skate, bake, read, and do sewing projects.

Camden: I play hockey and tennis.

7. Who are some of your musical inspirations?

Livia: My mom.

Camden: 2Cellos

8. What do you like most about CMC?

Livia: It’s a great place to learn an instrument! Everyone is very nice and helpful.

Camden: The rooms are nice and my teacher is good.

If you are interested in being featured in our CMC Notes, please email us at cmc@cmccanada.com!

Featured Teacher!

Alex Fournier

(Guitar, Electric Bass, Double Bass, Ukulele, Mandolin, Piano)

1. How old were you when you first started music?

Four for piano, thirteen for electric bass & guitar, fifteen for double bass. There was a brief stint with clarinet in there too…

2. Why did you want to make music your career?

I accidentally discovered that I might be good at music at the start of high school and was thinking it would just be an avid hobby for me until my band teacher asked me if I had considered going to university for this. I didn’t know you could do that before he told me so that got me really excited at the prospect. It was always something that kept me busy in a very positive way. After you finish learning one thing, you have the option of going in several directions for there, and all of them held some weight and intrigue whether you got to them tomorrow or years down the line. There’s something really enjoyable about a question you can keep refining your answer for.

3. Which groups are you currently playing with, if any?

I manage three groups myself – Triio, Money House and Unbleak Trio; and I’m a sideman for several projects – Tak Arikushi Trio/Quintet, Dan Pitt Trio/Quintet, Picastro, Fortunato Durutti Marinetti, Inner Scrips, Action Forever and one that I can’t talk about until the new lineup is officially announced.

4. What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Seeing someone light up when they get finally get something is pretty exciting. It’s not always an easy task getting a piece together or finding what areas you shine in so the eureka moment is something I look for(ward to). It’s also a great opportunity for mutual growth. Sometimes a student can really challenge what you’ve built up in your head just by asking a simple question about something you think you have a consistent understanding of, or something that you’ve never thought to create an answer for. It forces you to refine and develop your ideas quite a bit.

5. Some students have challenges with consistent practicing. What advice would you give them?

Depends on the student to a degree. Sometimes I have them work on material while telling them why learning this leads to the music they want to play the most. Sometimes I just play something interesting in front of them and answer questions about it when they ask. Sometimes I mention that music has the ability to heighten brain activity for about an hour after listening/playing, so practice works as a great study break that makes your homework easier. Sometimes competitiveness works – play a game of musical HORSE with them, etc. If you talk to your students enough, eventually they’ll tell you how they want to learn.

6. What do you like to do in your spare time?

A lot of exercising and reading these days. Cooking. I see a lot of friends regularly. I’d like to play a video game again someday too.

7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Quite a few spots! A priority right now would be checking out Kerala, India.

8. Anything else you want to add?

Happy to be part of such a great school!

If you are interested in being featured in our CMC Notes, please email us at cmc@cmccanada.com!

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