For most children, taking part in small ensembles means attending the youth divisions of Canada's conservatories. Happily, chamber music instruction is a central part of the pre-college curriculum at Mount Royal College Conservatory in Calgary, Alberta. The Vancouver Academy of Music in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario, and many of the smaller Canadian conservatories also offer pre-college training, including chamber music instruction. Among these schools, Mount Royal is unusual in two ways. Second, it is part of a com-munity college serving 40,000 students, from infants to elders.
Mount Royal is truly a community-based music school.
At all the conservatories the youth programs are comprehensive, and while not all students pursue careers in music, those who choose the professional route are appropriately prepared. At Mount Royal, as at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, chamber music is required. The program accommodates a range of piano, strings, winds, and brass. Traditional groups are complemented with lieder classes, two-piano work, and sonata classes at the younger level. Students receive an hour of coaching a week and are expected to rehearse as a group outside of the weekly coachings.