B.C. gives half a million dollars to Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach project
VANCOUVER (CP) – A beaming Sarah McLachlan said Monday she’ll gladly accept half a million dollars from the B.C. government for a music education project in her name.
Premier Gordon Campbell made the announcement before taking a tour of the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach facility with the songstress in tow. More than 200 school children from six Vancouver schools study at the facility, learning everything from guitar to percussion to voice.
“They’re exploring their creative potential,” Campbell said.
“And I’m sure in their hearts they are thinking to themselves maybe someday I can be like Sarah McLachlan, maybe someday I can touch the lives of millions of people all around the world.”
The duo sat in on a djembe drum class, a piano lesson and a guitar seminar, where both the premier and McLachlan joined in for some strumming.
The premier said he’d always wanted to learn the banjo and the guitar, having been inspired by the legendary folk singer Pete Seeger.
The children at the school seemed nonplussed by the celebrities in their midst, though the 2010 Olympic pins being handed out by the premier were a hit.
Open six days a week, the Music Outreach projects has been working with students at Vancouver’s inner city schools for the last five years.
McLachlan says music has made a huge difference in her life and knowing its positive impact is what made her want to share the gift with others.
“To see students enthusiastically learning musical instruments, some for the very first time – it is an ultimate reward,” she said.
“It’s also gratifying to see others embracing this program along with me.”
The funding for the project comes from the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts as well as the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
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