I've been holding off on this newsletter until we got word of what will be happening with the lockdown. As you know, we will be in this until January 21 at least. That still gives us enough time to squeeze in a full winter session. The plan is to start classes the week of January 25. We are still doing private lessons though, so if you wanted to jump in on a couple of those, we can get you hooked up!

We haven't been idle though. This lockdown has seen a ton of live streamed concerts coming from The Asylum for Art. We have put together a crew to be reckoned with and established ourselves as a great video recording and streaming venue - both in house and remotely. So, if you have an event that you need recorded and/or streamed - this could be a concert, a wedding, a corporate event, anything that you don't have room to be physically distanced or need to broadcast to another city, check us out ASYLUMforART. We have a full service bar and restaurant, so is a great place to host your event (post COVID). Until then, it will be just me and you! And everyone else on the other side of the stream.

The Winter Solace project to bring live music into the hospitals and long term care facilities is going to be on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 only for this month at least and will carry on well into the spring. These are the shows:

January 17 Linh Nyuyen, piano

January 24 Morag Northey, cello

January 31 Lyrique, hip-hop artist
February 7 Sherryl Sewapegaham

We are also going to start up our free delivery special again on any size order from our sister Company and producer of most of what we sell at MOB Cafe, MOB Natural Foods. We offer the world's greatest Hot Sauce, Gluten Free Pierogi and Sauerkraut.

We were also recently featured in Culinaire Magazine for Amber's delicious Hearty Potato Soup. She rocked it at our Vine and Dine 6 course wine paired dinner in November and so we will also have that available as a frozen product. Don't miss it.

Thank you to everyone who has supported The Asylum through this financially. COVID is really kicking our butt, but we are going strong thanks to you and will be a force on the side of good when we get through this. Please go here: gf.me/u/y8r2yv if you want to kick in a little love!

Whew, Happy New Year everyone and will see you all soon,

scott

Group Classes

We offer group classes for all ages and levels from preschool to senior, from beginner to advanced. Our teachers are experienced, compasionate and intent on giving you the best experience following this path to becoming a better artist. It is great to have the camaraderie and social experience these fun classes can bring.

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Private Lessons

We offer private lessons for all ages and levels. This is a great way to customize your learning and put yourself on the fast track to getting to where you want to be.

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HomeSchool Groups

Programs for all school ages and PreSchool during the day

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Clinics

Touring pros and local heros come in to impart their wisdom in their specialized field or study. These workshops are focused and are a great way to get into the head of the pros.

Clinics...

Shows

We bring in world class musicians into the intimate atmosphere at Asylum HeadQuarters in Marda Loop and the slightly larger Academy in Bankview. There is no better place to see music.

Shows...

Radio

All our shows and recitals are streamed live on AsylumKRP.com. We put on occasional radio shows and podcasts for your listening and learning pleasure.

AsylumKRP.com

Literature

Our teachers have spent a lifetime preparing the courses they offer and the books they have written for these courses are available to the public.

Literature...

Video/Streaming Services

For on site or mobile video recording and live streaming services for your concert, event, wedding, university audition or just about anything you are doing with post mastering and editing. We are an RCM remote exam location to provide top quality video and sound for your exam.

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Homeschool Group

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1 on 1 Lessons

We offer 1 on 1 lessons in most instruments. This is the best way to focus on a specific topic and completely tailor your learning. Please contact the instructor directly to set up scheduling or fill out the placement form for us to suggest the best teacher for you.
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Beginner Guitar

How many strings does this thing have? You will learn this and so much more in this class.

This class is for the adult complete beginner who has never picked up the guitar or only knows a few chords and is having trouble making it sound like something anyone but your mother can love. We will learn:

Holding the guitar
Your first 10 chords
Time signatures and how to keep time
Bass Lines
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Campfire Pickin’ ‘n’ Grinnin’ Bootcamp 101 for Adults

Participants of the Campfire Pickin' 'n' Grinnin' Bootcamp 101 class rock out to a wide variety of songs. From CCR to Doc Watson to Louis Armstrong to Jimmy Rodgers to The Eurythmics to Jack Johnson, we do it all and have a great time doing it. The songs are written out in a way that there is something for everyone. Beginners can do simple things to participate, learn how chord changes work and follow along. There are also alternate voicings for the chords, scale patterns and some extras to keep the more advanced players experimenting with new stuff.
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Finding Your Voice Class for Kids

This class is a great introduction to vocals for new singers who wish to find their natural voice, learn vocal techniques and warmups that will strengthen their voice and discover the joys of singing! When we are just discovering our voice, oftentimes we can feel restricted or blocked from singing with our true, natural voices. This class was curated to help students begin to feel comfortable identifying their own voice, where it resonates in the body and how to manipulate it to create the sounds we want.
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FingerPickin’

The FingerPicking Guitar Class will explore just that - FingerPicking. It is split up into 4 parts:

Intro to FingerPickin'
Intro to Travis Pickin'
More Accompaniment Patterns and Chord Melodies
Advanced Travis Pickin'

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Fretboard Harmony

Students enrolled in Fretboard Harmony Guitar Class will be given training in the idiomatic way the guitar works in all genres – from classical to country. The primary goal of the course is to become familiar with the rudimentary harmonic and melodic patterns used by the musicians we love and to unlock the mystery surrounding the recurrence of these patterns on the fretboard. We begin with fundamental musicianship training and expand that to the guitar. We explore artistic ways to approach improvisation. There is consistency between the musical examples for this class and Campfire Bootcamp 101 so students have an opportunity to put the theory into practice.
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Garage Band for Kids

This program is a great introduction 'jam' class for little ones who aren't quite ready to dive into our Youth Garage Band Program. In this program students will learn how to work together to create, write, rehearse and perform original material and their favourite songs!
Every instrument plays an important role in a band. This program will introduce students to the staple 'garage band' instruments and hold space for the exploration of each role.
A healthy blend of sound exploration, creating a musical team and honing the foundations of playing music in a group is what this program is all about!
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Garage Band Revival

This isn't a class as much as it is a great place to get together in small groups to play and share music. It will complement the Campfire Guitar Bootcamp 101 well in that there will only be 1 meeting/month and rather than learning a pile of songs and riding the wave in a big group weekly. There will only be a handful of songs, small groups and proper arrangements. Experiment with songwriting and learn the ins and outs of making arrangements.
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Introduction to Jazz Guitar

This course offers students the first steps to playing jazz on the guitar. We will explore several jazz forms including altered blues, simple bossa nova and standards with descending fifth chord progressions.

By the end of the program students should have a small set of pieces that they will be reasonably comfortable playing in a ‘jam’ setting.
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Let’s Jam with Miss Kaitlyn

While making music and having fun hold centre stage during Let’s Jam!, there is so much more going on behind the curtains! When we rock along with our instruments, the kids will be learning different aspects of musical rhythm and simultaneously fine-tuning those motor skills that will help score that goal, hike that trail, or knit that scarf. Writing songs together allows for expression and exploration, leads to conversation with others, and provides a lasting project. On top of just being fun, moving to music provides exercise and releases dopamine, that ‘feel good’ hormone. Our classes will be structured around themes that inspire unfamiliar instruments to explore, different ways to move, new music to listen to, and original songs to write and sing.
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Rhythm and Pop for Kids

Students will learn to write basic structures of 4 bar Iambic rhyme format to introduce themselves, and say something about themselves. They will then learn to associate simple vowel/single syllable rhyme groups. as they familiarize them selves with the exercise, we will test speed of reciting to improve memory, then use the words to promote speech. when students are confident, they will be encouraged to share their stories through rhyme, and hopefully join the older students in order to present to a larger audience.
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The Campfire Guitar Kids

Campfire Guitar Bootcamp 101 for Youth Guitar Class for 9-15 year olds is a spinoff of the popular Campfire Bootcamp 101 for adults. Whether just beginning or experienced, students are given the opportunity to play and sing fun, varied songs appropriate to their age group. The songs are written out in an easy to understand format with basic instruction on how to approach accompaniment and soloing. Variations are included on how to expand those techniques to ensure all students reach their potential. Class size is kept small so students receive personalized instruction and the setlist is chosen primarily by the students.
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Together with Heather PreSchool Adventure

Together with Heather Music classes are designed to instill a lifelong love of music, starting at a young age. Based on the understanding that children learn best through play, the focus is on being involved and having fun. The kids don’t even realize how much they’re learning! Besides early music concepts involving tempo, pitch, and rhythm, other important pre-school concepts such as sharing, turn-taking, and being brave are approached, all in a comfortable group setting where children are encouraged to participate at their own comfort level. In any given class you can expect dancing or movement, introduction to a new instrument, puppets or other visual props, and more – plus LOTS of original music that parents enjoy as much as the kids. You may be singing the songs for years to come…
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Ukulele for Kids

Starting a musical adventure can be exciting for kids of any age and with our ukulele kid's program, the adventure is fun and accessible! Little ones often have a hard time learning proper guitar technique and placement due to the limitations of their hands but a ukulele is an excellent substitute. With only four soft strings, children are able to hold chord shapes properly and remember basic music concepts that help them rock out to some of their favourite songs!
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Voice Exploration for Adults

Whether you have been singing since you could talk or have become your local karaoke star, this class is for anyone who wants to dive deeper into their vocal mobility and level up their technique. This ten week program will help you master breath, understand basic harmony and offer tools for approaching more difficult vocal concepts to break down sound.
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Youth After School Program

Come on over right after school and unwind with some great classes:

Mondays, we have the Campfire Ukulele class
Tuesdays, we have the Campfire Guitar Bootcamp 101
Wednesdays, we have Garage Band Class
Thursdays are the Free Open Days
Fridays, we have Music Theater Through the Ages
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Youth Campfire Guitar Bootcamp 101

Rock out to a wide variety of songs. You get to choose the songs: From CCR to Doc Watson to Louis Armstrong to Jimmy Rodgers to The Eurythmics to Jack Johnson, we do it all and have a great time doing it. The songs are written out in a way that there is something for everyone. Beginners can do simple things to participate, learn how chord changes work and follow along. There are also alternate voicings for the chords, scale patterns and some extras to keep the more advanced players experimenting with new stuff.
Learn More

Youth Garage Band

Every instrument has a unique role in a band. Playing together and creating a unique “band” sound is part of a process. Students will learn how to work together to create, write, rehearse and perform their own original material.

Learn about songwriting, arranging and how to turn a “jam” into a song. Song forms, creating set lists and different performance techniques will be demonstrated to bring all the hard work together for a cohesive, entertaining and rehearsed show.

Students will have an interactive experience on how to take a bands’ music to the next level and what is involved with playing gigs and then ultimately heading into the recording studio and releasing material.

Exercising musical and social skills while being challenged creatively is what the Youth Garage Band classes are all about.
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Youth Open Mic

This is free and open to all. Please come on by with your instrument. We have a BYOM (Bring Your Own Mic) policy to be COVID friendly.

Starts Oct 20, 2020 and every Tuesday after… We will be switching to Thursday in the new year!
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Youth Up and Coming Songwriters

In this class we will dive into all aspects of songwriting, from finding a great hook to what goes into writing the perfect bridge. We’ll cover lyrics, melodies, song structure and everything in between. With writing activities and lots of opportunity to collaborate with fellow classmates this will be a great way to get out of your comfort zone in a creative and supportive environment.
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I ♥

ART

January 8, 2021

ABOUT the ASYLUM for ART

WHAT WE OFFER...