Showcasing their musical talent, 28 students performed at the Chatham-Kent ORMTA Annual Awards Recital last week in Studio One at the Chatham Cultural Centre.
The Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ORMTA) is a not-for-profit provincial organization managed by a volunteer council and comprised of more than 1,300 registered music teachers and related members across Ontario. The aim of the ORMTA is to encourage and provide the highest calibre of music education possible and to promote exceptional standards of music in each community.
Organized by ORMTA treasurer Holly Ball, the recital highlighted the skill and dedication of 28 students, with many achieving a new level of skill from Level 1 to Level 10 in piano and voice. Locally, Ball said ORMTA has been a part of the community for many years.
Award winners included Ebella Paintsil, Dalia Boyko, Abby Sloan, Aiden Yee, Elizabeth Anderson, Jack Grochmal, Kobby Paintsil, Abby Brown, Grady Vellinga, Eunice Tullao, Kyra Vellinga, Emma Beute, Halle Brown, Madeleine Tran, Riley Bates, Rihana Kukkadi (voice and piano), Samantha DeGroot, David Tran, Abby Pepper and Sophia Tran.
According to the ORMTA website, in 1942, with Canada involved in the Second World War and the Canadian people living under the ration system, a small group of interested music teachers from Chatham formed a group aimed at developing culture and strengthening each other by encouraging an interest in all forms of good music.
This group of teachers applied to the Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ORMTA) and was granted a charter to belong to the organization. They became known as the ORMTA Chatham branch. Most of the teachers were trained musicians, having been schooled in various conservatories or reputable music institutions of the time.
For years, members of this group included both men and women who dedicated their lives to teaching music to students of all ages. They also enriched many lives by serving in their communities as church musicians, organizing community concerts, student recitals, music festivals, ORMTA conventions, music teachers’ meetings and social gatherings within the Chatham branch. This type of dedication contributed greatly to the growth and development of many young people.
In 1998, the ORMTA Chatham branch became the ORMTA Chatham-Kent branch so rural teachers throughout the county could be recognized under the banner of ORMTA Chatham-Kent.
The organization is planning a Christmas Recital to take place Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. in Studio One at the Chatham Cultural Centre.
Anyone looking for a music teacher in this area can go to the Chatham-Kent ORMTA site for more information at https://ormta.org/chatham-kent/.
