LISTEN UP!

ENGAGING ARTS FOR LIFE

Listen Up! An Arts Experience for Life

© Dominique Proulx

LISTEN UP! is a groundbreaking artistic outreach program for elementary schools. Based on the premise that all children have the potential for artistic expression but are rarely given the tools to flourish, LISTEN UP! engages entire communities in a hands-on, collaborative, multi-faceted arts creation process.

Combining over twenty years of experience interacting with communities throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe, Gryphon Trio—in partnership with Chamber Factory: Works for Small Ensembles—uses its extensive network of resources to support local educators, grow artistic ability, and foster confidence in young people. Listen Up! demonstrates just how vital the arts are for creating healthy communities across Canada.

How it Works

Listen Up! is for elementary schools. It is particularly effective with children in grades 4-7.

A Listen Up! project takes place over the course of eight months. It begins and ends with music performances that include the Gryphon Trio. Between October and May, the project engages elementary school students in artist-led workshops that are linked by a common theme and which focus on poetry writing, music composition, visual art, and performance.

Listen Up! creative workshops adapt to participating cohort skill levels and complement the school’s existing language, music, and art curricula. Artist mentors guide participants through the creation process by teaching them the fundamentals of expression. In so doing, they awaken inspiration, nurture children’s creativity and communication skills, and deeply enrich their understanding of the concepts at the root of poetry, music, and visual art.

Each Listen Up! project concludes with a three-day intensive workshop. Lead by Gryphon Trio, conductor/educator Rob Kapilow, and their artist mentors, participants prepare a final showcase performance that reveals all aspects of their creative work and reinforces confidence in their newly acquired skills.

Listen Up! Ottawa

Permanent Hubs

Listen Up! now has permanent hubs in Ottawa and Etobicoke, Ontario.

In Ottawa, Listen Up! operates in partnership with Ottawa Chamberfest and Chamber Factory (with support from BMO Financial Group), and with generous support from Marina Kun. Interested schools should contact Travis Croken for information.

In Etobicoke, Listen Up! operates in partnership with Arts Etobicoke and Chamber Factory (with support from BMO Financial Group), and with generous support from Ontario Arts Council, the Pluralism Fund, and Steinway Gallery Toronto. Interested schools should contact Patty Jarvis.

Listen Up! Alumni

  • 2018-19: Etobicoke, Ontario and Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2017-18: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2016-17: Ottawa-Barrhaven, Ontario
  • 2015-16: Kingston, Ontario
  • 2014-15: Yellowknife, Norman Wells, Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith and Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
  • 2013-14: Powell River, BC
  • 2012-13: Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2011-12: Hamilton and Midland, Ontario
  • 2010-11 Almonte, Ontario

Listen Up!

An Arts Experience for Life

Listen Up! is a groundbreaking artistic outreach program for elementary schools. Based on the premise that all children have the potential for artistic expression but are rarely given the tools to flourish, Listen Up! engages entire communities in a hands-on, collaborative, multi-faceted arts creation process.

Combining over twenty years of experience interacting with communities throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe, Gryphon Trio—in partnership with Chamber Factory: Works for Small Ensembles—uses its extensive network of resources to support local educators, grow artistic ability, and foster confidence in young people. Listen Up! demonstrates just how vital the arts are for creating healthy communities across Canada.

How it Works

Listen Up! is for elementary schools. It is particularly effective with children in grades 4-7.

A Listen Up! project takes place over the course of eight months. It begins and ends with music performances that include the Gryphon Trio. Between October and May, the project engages elementary school students in artist-led workshops that are linked by a common theme and which focus on poetry writing, music composition, visual art, and performance.

Listen Up! creative workshops adapt to participating cohort skill levels and complement the school’s existing language, music, and art curricula. Artist mentors guide participants through the creation process by teaching them the fundamentals of expression. In so doing, they awaken inspiration, nurture children’s creativity and communication skills, and deeply enrich their understanding of the concepts at the root of poetry, music, and visual art.

Each Listen Up! project concludes with a three-day intensive workshop. Lead by Gryphon Trio, conductor/educator Rob Kapilow, and their artist mentors, participants prepare a final showcase performance that reveals all aspects of their creative work and reinforces confidence in their newly acquired skills.

Listen Up! Ottawa
Permanent Hubs

Listen Up! now has permanent hubs in Ottawa and Etobicoke, Ontario.

In Ottawa, Listen Up! operates in partnership with Ottawa Chamberfest and Chamber Factory (with support from BMO Financial Group), and with generous support from Marina Kun. Interested schools should contact Travis Croken for information.

In Etobicoke, Listen Up! operates in partnership with Arts Etobicoke and Chamber Factory (with support from BMO Financial Group), and with generous support from Ontario Arts Council, the Pluralism Fund, and Steinway Gallery Toronto. Interested schools should contact Patty Jarvis.

Listen Up! Alumni
  • 2018-19: Etobicoke, Ontario and Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2017-18: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2016-17: Ottawa-Barrhaven, Ontario
  • 2015-16: Kingston, Ontario
  • 2014-15: Yellowknife, Norman Wells, Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith and Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
  • 2013-14: Powell River, BC
  • 2012-13: Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2011-12: Hamilton and Midland, Ontario
  • 2010-11 Almonte, Ontario