Sistema students perform for the Government House audience.
Faculty prof among speakers at event honouring Sistema
Faculty of Education Professor Francine Morin was invited to speak recently at a Government House event honouring the transformative power of Sistema, an after-school music program.
Prof. Francine Morin
The program, an intensive, daily initiative of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, uses music as a tool to support children in need to increase their potential. Since it began in Winnipeg in 2011, the program has grown to reach more than 130 children from the Seven Oaks and Winnipeg school divisions, the students performing in events throughout the city.
Morin, a recognized leading authority in Canadian arts education, started studying the program’s impact in 2012. Among her findings include participants’ musical development surpasses their grade level, students score high on self-concept tests, and they express confidence in their musical abilities and report a sense of belonging in their peer groups and school.
Morin was joined by Trudy Schroeder, executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Chelsey Hiebert, Sistema and special events manager with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The evening culminated in a performance by Sistema musicians.
Sistema students pose with Lt-Gov. Janice Filmon at Government House.