Last night marked the official opening of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. What a wonderful evening it was!
I started working with the Sarah McLachlan Foundation in January 2010 to help them uncover the many stories that make up the organization. I worked closely with Sarah and the staff at the Music Outreach program to help them transition from Arts Umbrella into an independently-run free school of music. It was quite a journey.
After 2 years, and many adventures along the way, the School of Music is now a permanent fixture in Vancouver, providing free music education to youth who would otherwise not have access. My role was to find the story threads that connect everyone together and create a new brand that captures the essence of the school. I used storytelling to develop marketing & website content, speeches & presentations, grant proposals and social media bites.
While Sarah’s story is the driving force behind the vision for the school, it is the other stories, those of the students who have been transformed by the power of music and the instructors who have shone a light on them, that captivate us. The school’s story continues to evolve, and you can see elements of it on the newly launched website www.sarahschoolofmusic.com. It was a wonderful journey to be a part of and I am looking forward to watching it all unfold. The arts nourish us in the most amazing ways; this project nourished me.