The Toronto Star
March 17, 2005
Little drummer girl, big musical dreams
by Martin Knelman
“I’m really excited about this performance, but I’m also really scared,” says 10-year-old Sandra Amoah, one of the youngest members of the York Square Drum Squad.
The music group – developed through the initiative of education pioneer Lola Rasminsky and her Arts for Children of Toronto organization – has been invited to perform African drumming at 6:15 tonight at the opening of Toronto Art Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Under the direction of internationally recognized drumming master Muhtadi (who has been based in Toronto for 31 years), the 14 aspiring percussionists in the squad, ranging in age from seven to 19, will play traditional djembe drums and dance to the rhythms they have been working on for several months.
Sandra’s parents both sell shoes, and she wants to be a dentist when she grows up, but for the moment drumming is one of her favourite activities. A Grade 5 student at Keelesdale Junior Public School, Sandra has been attending weekly drum classes for two years.
“It starts at 5 on Wednesday and finishes at 6:30,” she says, “so I still have time to do my homework.”
The drum squad is partly financed by ProAction – Cops and Kids. And one adult member of the squad is a Toronto police constable with a passion for music.
“I’ve been working for a long time with youth at risk,” Muhtadi says.
“You need patience and understanding. I use the musical instruments to win the kids over and teach them the value of discipline and helping each other. They learn when to play and when not to play.”
Arts for Children began as the charitable wing of Rasminsky’s highly successful Avenue Road School for the Arts.
Rasminsky wanted to find a way to spread the benefits of her marvellous school to people who can’t afford to pay for enrichment courses.
At first the program – with the help of several partners and sponsors – concentrated on providing scholarships for kids whose parents otherwise would not be able to send them to the arts school.
But three years ago, Arts for Children began undertaking outreach programs: sending artists and teachers into schools in parts of the city where the arts were considered a frill people could not afford.
Among its supporters is the Ontario Arts Council.
Last year the drum squad made appearances at the Royal York Hotel, the Air Canada Centre and Muhtadi’s annual outdoor drumming festival at Queen’s Park, which draws 20,000 people every summer. (This year’s festival runs from June 3 to 5.)
“This is very much a collaborative effort,” explains Toronto police Const. John Mizzoni, who attends sessions at York Square every Wednesday and will be showing off his drumming skills along with the kids at tonight’s performance.
“I’ve fallen in love with musical instruments,” says Mizzoni, who works in 12 Division.
“We like to work closely with communities and schools.
“A program like this helps kids see police in a different light.”
The drum squad is just one of many community outreach programs developed by Arts for Toronto Children.
Others include:
* Two large-scale murals being painted in a lounge of the Hospital for Sick Children on the theme of paradise and the environment. The concepts are provided by patients who for medical reasons cannot execute the work themselves. Instead, two classes of Grade 9 students at Parkdale Collegiate have been selected to paint eight large panels.
* A four-week summer arts camp in the York Square area with minimal fees for participants.
* A visual arts program for deaf children that is offered in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
“All children should have the right to use their imagination,” Rasminsky says.
“Getting involved in the arts empowers kids to learn skills and make choices. When that happens, it engages their whole being. The arts can really make a difference in the lives of these kids.”
