HELPING HANDS

Academy's success grows from community

As well as music skills, students gain valuable social skills

by KAIT HUZIAK

“We’ve created an orchestra here and it hasn’t been because we just put a bunch of people from another neighbourhood on a bus and brought them here.” — Stephen Rathjen

Standing on the corner of Gore and East Cordova, the Saint James Music Academy is worthy of recognition. Although the Downtown Eastside building, with its plain white exterior, may go unnoticed, what goes on inside is far more profound than its appearance.

As a non-profit music program for underprivileged kids, Saint James has blossomed from humble beginnings. With an inaugural enrolment of 45 students in 2007, Saint James now hosts various programs for over 430 kids. With in-house teachings divided into junior and senior programs, students can start as early as kindergarten and stay all the way to the end of high school if desired. The program is free for students, with the only requirement being that they come from a low income family in the area.

“I think one of our goals is to see that the neighbourhood can take pride in something that has grown out of their families, their kids, and their community,” says Stephen Rathjen, program director. “We’ve created an orchestra here and it hasn’t been because we just put a bunch of people from another neighbourhood on a bus and brought them here.”

Twice a week, the junior program hosts students from Kindergarten to Grade 3. There, they learn basic music theory, choir and an instrument of choice between piano, cello or violin. The senior program is offered three days a week for students in Grades 4 to 12. This is where the focus starts to shift toward collaborative groups for orchestra and choir. Comprising three different levels for both orchestra and choir, senior students can graduate through the levels as they stay in the program.

Saint James also participates in an outreach program where a teacher from the academy will partner with a school that doesn’t have primary music education. Through music lessons once a week for an hour, students in the outreach program get a taste of what music might be like for them, with the option to enrol in Saint James’ after-school programs.

Although the program is heavily staffed by volunteers, a large portion of the program’s expenses goes towards paying experienced teachers. In order to offer the best to the kids, Saint James pays competitive wages and has teachers from the Vancouver Symphony School.

“That’s a huge expense for us but we see it as a priority,” says Rathjen. “Just because we’re in this neighbourhood, we don’t want the kids to get crumbs.”

Aside from gaining music skills, some students gain critical social skills as well. Through positively reinforced groups and instructors taking on big brother- and big sister-esque roles, all those involved at Saint James try to take an active role to provide guidance to students.

“We’ll have kids that are coming in that have been in trauma or foster care and with a whole lot of social baggage,” says Rathjen. “But as they spend time here, they realize it’s a safe space.

“I can think of dozens of kids over the years who’ve come in the door, barely being able to say a word. Super shy, very self-conscious and going to a place where they’re singing solos on the stage and speaking to a crowd to introduce a piece and not being afraid.”

Saint James isn’t performance-based like other music programs. With the initiative of trying to build a community, Saint James doesn’t want to exclude anybody based on abilities. All that matters is that students have the right attitude and are willing to try.

“There’s a lot of people who think this place [the Downtown Eastside] is a ghetto and that there’s nothing good here but we’re trying to say there actually is,” says Rathjen. “There’s things you don’t see and there’s beauty that you don’t necessarily notice at first glance.”

For more information about the Saint James Music Academy or how to get involved, you can visit their website.