A space to create
With expansion of theatre’s community programs centre, music is for everyone — whether newborn, newcomer or senior
Who says you must be able to carry a tune to sing at Massey Hall?
For Vanessa Smith, manager of education and outreach at the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, it’s about everything that happens before you even open your mouth.
Smith works with Toronto residents as part of the historic concert venues’ community programming. Programs such as the Lullaby Project — in which new and expectant parents partner with songwriters to record original lullabies for their child, and Learning English Through Song, for women who are newcomers to Canada to learn English through pop music — will be able to grow faster than ever thanks to the venues’ multi-floor expansion into the new Allied Music Centre.
“It’s focusing on what (participants) are going to get out of it rather than the amazing studioquality recorded sound,” Smith said. “It’s more about the personal connection to the piece.”
The new seven-floor Allied Music Centre, opening next year, allows Smith’s programs to have the dedicated space they need to thrive. “Projects were happening in weird spots in both Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall, wherever we could find a room,” she said.
As these new spaces were being designed, Smith called for versatility. She nixed the idea of desks when she spotted them in early concept art, in favour of modular, open concept rooms. She also wanted windows. “There’s a tendency for education programs to be shoved into basements and corners,” she said. “We’re treating everyone like high-end patrons.”
Another new addition will be the seventh-floor Deane Cameron Recording Studio. Named for Massey Hall’s former president and CEO, who died in 2019, the space will be equal parts professional studio and education space when it opens next year. “Being able to record work in a beautiful and high-end studio is (something) people don’t always get a chance to experience,” Smith said.
Parents who’ve gone into the Lullaby Project sometimes balk at the idea of performing their work. Before the pandemic, the program would culminate with a live concert.
But Smith says there’s no need to get stage fright. “By recording your voice, what you’re doing is creating this special song for your baby,” she said.
“Your child is able to listen to it as they grow up and they can hear your voice. Which is all they care about. They don’t care if you’re a virtuoso. They don’t care if you’re Beyoncé. They want to hear you, which is really special.”
The facility will not only serve the Lullaby Project, but will be available for school groups, youth programming and the new Lyrics and Legacies Project, which pairs seniors with songwriters to set their memories to music. The expansion has also allowed Smith to dream up new programs, such as the Saturday youth drop-in jam club she hopes to start.
It’s a concept that will celebrate Smith’s vision of making music accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level. Before starting the restoration, Massey Hall asked community members what they were looking to get out of the non-profit’s programming.
“People talked about the power of music to connect and inspire, or the way in which music helped them learn something else,” she said. “There are so many places to take a music lesson. We tap into, ‘How does this make you feel when you listen to this song?’ ”