Get Involved

The Heart of the HCMP

Volunteers are truly the heart of our program. Without volunteers, the HCMP would not be possible. The more volunteers we have, the greater the number of students we can reach.

Why Volunteer?

Volunteers directly impact a child's life. They act as positive role models for the kids they teach. You can put your piano (or other instrument) skills to good use, gain valuable teaching experience, and share your love of music by volunteering with us.

Piano Program

Volunteers teach piano to up to four students, for a total of one to one and a half hours per week.

  • Most piano lessons are taught after school (between 2:30-3:30pm, depending on school hours), and some during the lunch hour (between 11:30am-1:00pm).
  • The total time commitment per week is 2-3 hours, including travel time and making lesson plans
  • Some schools provide piano books. Books are also available to borrow from our Music Resource Library in our office.
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Volunteers teach at elementary schools, the majority of which are located within the inner city.

  • All schools are accessible by public transportation.
  • Most are within 45 minutes of travel time from the U of A campus.

Volunteers choose their teaching time. Lessons typically start in September and end in April

New Guitar Program, OSYS, & NCFRC Partnerships

Guitar

Can't play piano? But, still want to be involved and love working with kids?

Modelled after our successful piano program, the Guitar Program began as a pilot project in January 2012. The Guitar Program has continued to grow in the past few years and has become a great part of the HCMP. For the 2016-17 school year, the Guitar Program will be operating at Norwood, Dovercourt and John A. McDougall Schools.

NCFRC

Since 1963, Norwood Child & Family Resource Centre (NCFRC) has been supporting children and families within the Norwood and surrounding communities. The Centre acts as a hub and provides a place where families can feel a sense of belonging and connectedness to other families. For more information about NCFRC, visit http://www.norwoodcentre.com/.

  • Located at 9516-114 Ave, Edmonton, AB T5G-0K7

Apply

Who We Are Looking For

  • Volunteers who have the patience to work with children
  • Creative teachers that can come up with teaching methods to keep their students interested and motivated
  • Dedicated individuals who are able to commit to the program for at least one semester, preferably the whole year (September to April)
  • Positive role models who are punctual to lessons and communicative in the event that problems arise or changes are made
  • Minimum of RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) Grade 6 Piano or equivalent for the Piano program
  • For guitar, there will be an informal interview to assess your guitar abilities.
  • Teaching experience is an asset, but not required.

How To Apply

Piano or Guitar Volunteer

  1.   FALL & WINTER 2019-2020 registration is now open! Fill out the online application form here. 
  2. If you are a new volunteer, ask a reference to fill out the Online Reference Form
  3. If accepted, you will receive an email regarding details of the Volunteer Orientation. New volunteers will need to bring 2 pieces of government-issued ID to complete a Police Information Check.

    4. The volunteer orientation is TBA. This is a mandatory meeting for all volunteers.

Performance Troupe

If you are interested in joining our performance troupe please contact our Community Outreach Director by emailing us at hcmp.edmonton@gmail.com