SHOWING THEY CARE Local non-profit Windermere Valley Musicians Who Care (represented here by Kurt Reichel, Ben Cameron, Fraser Smith, Bill Cropper and Mike Smith) delivered a new set of percussion instruments as well as a new MP3 system to the Mountain Ridge Early Learning Program, paid for by proceeds from the sales of the groups two CDs. Photo by Dan Walton
By Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
The Windermere Valley Musicians Who Care made a very special visit to the Mountain Ridge Early Learning Program last week to beef up the youngsters musical assemblage. Through sales from their two albums Songwriters in the Valley and Christmas in the Valley Musicians Who Care were at Mountain Ridge on Tuesday, October 21st to donate a new set of percussion-based instruments, as well as a new MP3 system. The early learning program bases a large portion of its curriculum around music.
Music is healthy for anyone to take part in, said Ben Cameron, a member of Musicians Who Care and the owner of Wood Shop Productions, the studio that produced the CDs. An early age is the perfect time to learn they absorb things easily at that age I learned piano at age five, and Ive continued using it through my whole life.
The nature of their latest donation aligns with their goal of assisting all valley musicians.
Its perfect with young kids, theyre going to carry this forward, he said. If you start young and have good rhythm, it just gets better and tighter more engrained in your soul as you get older.
Mountain Ridge instructor Merisa Butler said instruments are used almost daily in the program, and that the generous addition from Musicians Who Care came as an unexpected bonus.
We were very lucky to benefit from the new set of instruments, Merisa said.
Parents and friends will be able to see the new instruments in action during the Mountain Ridge Halloween concert on Friday, October 31st.
Thank you very much to Windermere Valley Musicians Who Care, she said.
Support for similar community initiatives is ongoing, and supporting the cause is as easy as purchasing one of the two discs, which are easy to find at retailers throughout the valley.
The communitys excitement and support on projects such as these has become the key to our communitys successes with cultural and artistic infrastructures, reads the group website.
Tickets for the Songwriters in the Valley CD release party on Saturday, November 1st at Pynelogs are going fast. Proceeds for the party will go toward a new sound system for the proposed multi-use community centre in Invermere. See the ad on page 12 for details and where to purchase your tickets.
