Strings & Keys
July 7 - 11, 2003

The School

Strings & Keys is celebrating its ninth summer of music-making. For one week each July the small communities of Bergen and Sundre, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, host this remarkable community of students, teachers and performers.

Strings & Keys attracts about 70 students every year, who attend to explore the joy of music-making under the direction of a distinguished and lively group of teacher/performers. Every day includes a schedule of master classes, chamber music coaching, supervised practising, and string orchestra rehearsals. Students have an opportunity to perform in one of three noon-hour recitals, and there are special evening events as well: two faculty/student concerts, and a popular coffee-house where students and teachers alike showoff their rather more surprising talents!

Activities at Strings & Keys are tailored according to the needs and proficiency of each year's students. Master classes are kept small so that students receive individual attention as well as the advantages of learning in a group setting from the performances of their peers. Chamber music is an important part of the curriculum. All students are assigned to an ensemble; repertoire is chosen and sent out in May and must be thoroughly learned by the time students arrive in July.

Admission to Strings & Keys is by audition. All students, whether or not they have attended before, are required to send a cassette tape or to play in person for Jamie and Laurie Syer. This is necessary in order to best plan the makeup of master classes and chamber music ensembles.

A student's schedule of activities will be organized according to his or her level of skill and experience.

Programs

Master classes, technique classes, supervised practice sessions, chamber music, orchestra.

Programs for elementary pianists and violinists. Private lessons for advanced pianists. Introductory Piano Jazz. Faculty and student recitals. Recreational activities.

NEW FOR 2003 : CONCERTOS AT STRINGS & KEYS!
Selected intermediate and senior students will have the opportunity to rehearse or perform one movement of a concerto with an orchestra of professional musicians. The chosen concerto must be approved at the time of registration, and the student's audition must demonstrate a high level of competence and musicality. This project is made possible by a legacy from MARILYN PERKINS, summer coordinator of Strings & Keys from 1999 to 2001.

Faculty

Dr. Jamie Syer, piano
Laurie Syer, violin
Dr. Janet Hammock, piano
Dr. Terence Dawson, piano
Ina Dykstra, piano
Paul Chou, violin
Tobi Jurchuk, violin
Theresa Plotnick, violin/viola
Kerry McGonigle, cello
Tom Mirhady, cello

Registration

Application deadline is April 4, 2003.

Strings & Keys Documents for downloading:
Registration Form. (PDF file, 13 kb)
Waiver/Release Form. (PDF file, 8 kb)
Audition Requirements and Information Forms (PDF file, 8 kb)
Scholarship Information (PDF file, 8 kb)
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open these pdf files. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on the icon and you can download it for free.

News & Announcements

Application: by April 4, 2003. See Registration and Fees.

News:

• Selected intermediate and senior students will have the opportunity to rehearse or perform one movement of a concerto with an orchestra of professional musicians.

Music / Learning Resource Centre

Summer Programs. See article by Margot Jewell: The Joys of Summer Music Making.
Competitions. Composers. Performers. Teachers. Choosing a Music School.

Links

Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association | Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra | Mount Royal College Conservatory | RCM Examinations | University of Calgary |

| American String Teachers Association | The Viola Website | Internet Cello Society | Kiwanis Music Festivals (Alberta) | Excel-ability Learning | The Canadian Music Centre |

Service Directory:
| | Maestronet | Shar Music Company | |

Locations

Musicians at Strings & Keys use the facilities of the Sundre Arts Centre, the Bergen Hall and Bergen Missionary Church -- and the farm of Jamie and Laurie Syer -- for rehearsals, concerts, master classes, and other special events. Practice huts are available for string players and chamber ensembles, and fine Yamaha pianos, both grands and uprights, are supplied by St. John's Music.

Many students attend Strings & Keys from other areas of Alberta and from across Canada. Family accommodation is available at local motels, campgrounds, and bed & breakfasts. For students here on their own, we will help arrange billeting with local families who also are involved in the program.

Sundre is approximately 100 km northwest of Calgary.

Contact Information

Strings & Keys
c/o Jamie and Laurie Syer
RR 2
Sundre, Alberta Canada T0M 1X0

Tel: (403) 638-4776
Fax: (403) 638-2038
eMail: jksyer@telusplanet.net

Site updated January 9, 2003
Comments and Suggestions to webmaster@excel-ability.com