OverviewOrKidstra is a social development program for kids
OrKidstra is an Ottawa-based social development program that empowers kids, ages 5-18, from under-served communities by teaching life skills – such as teamwork, commitment, respect and pride in achievement – through the universal language of music. With the passionate belief in the transformative power of music, OrKidstra started with 27 children in 2007 and now includes 650 children and youth, both in-school* and after-school, from over 62 linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Click here to learn more about our COVID-19 safety response .
OrKidstra is a registered charity (# 83246 7153 RR0001).
*Funded by the school boards (OCDSB).
Mission
Our mission is to empower kids and build community through the universal language of music.
We do this by providing children from low-income families with free instruments and music lessons, which gives them the chance to learn important life skills through playing and singing together.
Vision
Our vision is a future where all children and youth have the opportunity to discover their voice and build their potential through music.
Mandate
Our mandate is to give children from under-served communities the opportunity to learn and make music together, and the chance to benefit from the individual skills and community values inherent in music making.
Philosophy & InspirationCitizenship through musicianship
Our Philosophy
OrKidstra brings the joys and challenges of making music together to children who might otherwise be left out.
OrKidstra is far more than a music program – it is first and foremost a social development program, giving children a sense of belonging and achievement while fostering important life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, responsibility, creativity, dedication and communication.
Our Sistema-inspired Philosophy:
- Create extensive and intensive community connections.
- Kid-powered performance; passion over precision.
- Playing together teaches kids how to build a harmonious community.
- Encourage peer-to-peer structure, which breaks down barriers and fosters friendship.
- Create a sense of belonging with joy and fun.
The skills I learned at OrKidstra were more than just playing instruments: music helped me develop teamwork skills, increase self-confidence and build life-long friendships.
Our Inspiration
OrKidstra was inspired by the idea that music can be an agent of social change.
Tina Fedeski, Margaret Tobolowska, and Gary McMillen founded OrKidstra in 2007. Originally known as The Leading Note Foundation as well as OrKidstra, the Ottawa-based organization was the first El Sistema-inspired program outside of South America. At the heart of OrKidstra is the beautiful combination of musicianship and citizenship, which encourages kids from under-served communities to find their voice through music.
Sistema Music for social change
The principles of El Sistema are simple: children from low-income and under-served areas are given an instrument as soon as they can hold it. Tuition, instruments, and music are all provided free of charge. In return, each child commits to playing in an ensemble. The program emphasizes community building, cooperation, friendship, discipline, trust, commitment, compassion, respect, and self-esteem.
The philosophy of El Sistema has inspired hundreds of similar programs, which serve an estimated over one million children in at least sixty countries around the world. Please visit the Sistema Global website, The World (WE) Ensemble website, or watch the documentary Teaching the Life of Music which follows El Sistema’s impact for more information.
Please click here for a statement from OrKidstra on El Sistema Venezuela.
Sistema-inspired programs now exist in at least 65 countries all around the world: here are a few examples of these.
Canadian Programs
American Programs
- Atlanta Music Project
- B Sharp Youth Music
- Boston String Academy
- BRAVO Youth Orchestras
- CityMusicKidz Youth Orchestra
- El Sistema Oklahoma
- Harmony Program
- Kalikolehua – El Sistema Hawai‘i
- Kids’ Orchestra
- North Limestone MusicWorks
- Play On, Philly!
- Sistema Ravinia
- Yakima Music en Acción (YAMA)
- Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA)
International Programs
Board of Directors
Staff
Celebrating OrKidstra’s AmbassadorsLeading by example
OrKidstra’s Ambassadors, Angela Hewitt, CC, OBE, Alexander Shelley, and Kellylee Evans, are inspiring leaders both in the community and the world of music. They perform in the greatest concert halls internationally and command critical acclaim. Their finely tuned talent and passion for their craft stand as a shining example to all musicians, but their commitment to OrKidstra is truly a gift.
Through master classes, special rehearsals and performances, OrKidstra’s students have the opportunity to play with and learn from, the very best. For OrKidstra’s young musicians, this is the benefit and joy of following the steps of OrKidstra’s exceptional Ambassadors.
Angela Hewitt, C.C., O.B.E.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Angela Hewitt became OrKidstra’s first Ambassador in 2014. In accepting this position, Ms. Hewitt said, “OrKidstra has shown how music can change the prospects of children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to learn an instrument. I am delighted to lend my name to their efforts.”
Ms. Hewitt plays to audiences all over the world and yet holds deep affection for her hometown Ottawa. In the fall of 2017, Ms. Hewitt generously performed at a hugely successful fundraising concert in celebration of OrKidstra’s 10th Anniversary.
Alexander Shelley
In 2015, Alexander Shelley became the celebrated Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. He is also Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Maestro Shelley joined Angela Hewitt in becoming an OrKidstra Ambassador.
He says “It’s an absolute badge of honour for me to be involved in this remarkable organization. I’ve only known OrKidstra for a few years, but even in that short time I have seen and heard tremendous growth. These children from Ottawa’s under-served areas are a shining example of how music can uplift the mind and spirit.”
Kellylee Evans
Kellylee Evans is a JUNO award-winning Canadian jazz and soul singer and songwriter based in Ottawa. Over the past 15 years, Ms. Evans has been winning over audiences with forays into jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and pop, including her new, five-song EP, GREENLIGHT.
Ms. Evans became an OrKidstra Ambassador in 2019. She commented, “I have been an ardent admirer of the OrKidstra program for a number of years, watching children grow and flourish under the loving care of its teachers and volunteers. What this organization gives to our community cannot be quantified. Being asked to be an Ambassador for the program brings me immense joy, as does the honour of joining the ranks of my fellow Ambassadors. It is my hope that I can be of service to OrKidstra and its talented students.”
When asked to describe OrKidstra, the words we often hear from students are family, love, community, music, fun, and belonging. Although each of us has experienced the pandemic differently, we have all missed the opportunity to experience that sense of belonging that being together brings us.
In fall 2021, OrKidstra worked with the community to create our hybrid “Safe & Sound” approach, helping us move towards a gradual and safe return to making music together. After a brief return to fully online programming at the beginning of 2022, OrKidstra was thrilled to return to in-person, Hub-based programming for our older instrumental students in March 2022. This return joyously culminated in our first in-person concert in almost two and a half years on June 1, 2022. Seeing the OrKidstra family making and enjoying music together once again was magical.
Thanks to your ongoing support, our nationally acclaimed OrKidstra @ Home online programming has kept the joy of music and community alive for our kids. As we rebuild our in-person programming, the lessons learned through OrKidstra @ Home will continue to guide us as we move forward. And for that, we are truly grateful.
As some of you may know, our values (inspired directly by the “10 Leading Notes”) are Love, Courage, and Excellence. In 2021-22, we also fully realized how vital togetherness was to the essence – and success – of OrKidstra. With this inspiring recognition, we added Belonging to our values of Love, Courage, and Excellence. We have witnessed over the years that when children feel a real sense of belonging – and the freedom to be themselves – it helps them build true confidence, resilience, and a healthy foundation for learning. And the experts agree: more scientific research is emerging that demonstrates that music education is one of the best ways to help kids improve their literacy and numeracy and build vital life skills. And these positive effects last a lifetime.
When we invest in our young people, it helps everyone to build a strong future. Music truly has the power to transform lives. From the entire OrKidstra family and both of us, thank you again for your support.
Mark Sutcliffe, Chair, 2021-22*
Tina Fedeski, MSM, Executive & Artistic Director
View the OrKidstra Annual Report 2021-22
Special thanks to Aerographics Creative Services for their support in the design and production of the Annual Report.
*Mark Sutcliffe began a leave of absence from the Board on June 28, 2022: thank you to Jeff Heynen for taking on the role of Interim Chair during Mark’s leave.
Annual Reports
Audited Financial Statements
Please note that OrKidstra’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
More info about OrKidstra can be found on OrKidstra’s Charity Directorate site (CRA) and on Blumberg’s Charity Data site.
ImpactMaking A Difference
Your support is changing kids’ lives through the power of music!
Despite the recognized value of music to the growing mind, almost 55,000 children attending elementary school in Ottawa have no specialist music teacher (Ottawa Insights), and private music lessons are largely out of reach due to financial constraints, cultural differences, settlement difficulties, and language barriers. Youth in high-risk areas are also more likely to drop out of school, which continues the cycle of poverty.
In the hands of a child, a clarinet or violin becomes a remarkable instrument of change, growth, and empowerment. OrKidstra gives kids from under-served Ottawa communities a sense of belonging and achievement while fostering important life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, responsibility, creativity, dedication and communication.
OrKidstra helps kids become virtuoso adults.
*In-school (funded by the school boards) and after-school.
**2021-22 OrKidstra Student, Parent and Teacher Survey. Participants indicated their perception of growth from September 2021 to June 2022.
***Centretown, Vanier, Overbrook, Heron Gate, and Lowertown (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
%
of OrKidstra graduates have completed high school and gone on to post-secondary education
%
of students participate for free
students and counting*
different cultural & linguistic backgrounds
%
of OrKidstra parents say their child is more aware of how important it is to be kind to others**
%
of OrKidstra parents say their child is doing better in school**
%
of OrKidstra parents say their child has improved their musical ability**
%
of students say they are better at accomplishing challenging tasks**
%
of students say they feel like they belong at OrKidstra**
under-served Ottawa neighbourhoods***
Stories
Strategic PlanCrescendo: Strategy 2032
View Crescendo: Strategy 2032
Our goal is and has always been social development: using music as the instrument of change to achieve many outcomes that help today’s children, the adults they will become, and the community in which they live.
OrKidstra has succeeded due to its leadership and philosophy, but also because it speaks to our times. In step with the country, Ottawa’s new Canadian population is growing quickly. Nurturing an environment of inclusivity and harmony is key to our approach. Our students learn how to build a community that transcends social, linguistic, and cultural differences, and celebrates the mosaic that is Canada.
Partly due to OrKidstra’s location—within sight of the Parliament buildings—the program has become widely recognized locally, nationally, and internationally as a beacon of social inclusion, leading to high-profile performances. OrKidstra’s vision for the future offers children and youth an opportunity to find their voice and build their potential through music. This vision guides all aspects of our strategic plan.
Crescendo: Strategy 2032 aims to explain our plans for the future and share our goals publicly. As such, the document provides only broad-brush strokes of what needs to be accomplished to reach our goals. We invite you to join in the journey as OrKidstra and its students create an exciting future.
