Music Courses available to all UM students

At the Desautels Faculty of Music, we have a selection of courses that are available to all students at the UM, regardless of your major. From history, production, and business, you do not need to be musically inclined to be captivated by the many areas that make up the study of music.

Some courses require an override to enter the course. Where it says “Instructor Approval Required” please email the instructor of record. 

Want to get a brief introduction to your instructors? Be sure to check out the Desautels Faculty of Music Instagram, for a collection of reels straight from our faculty members about our new courses!

MUSC 1010 – Music Matters: Excursions in Western Musical Culture

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 61208)

Tuesday/Thursday 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Instructor: TBA

This course introduces and explores selected western musical phenomena from aesthetic, social, and historical perspectives. Topics will include art and vernacular musics; style and genre; social function and context; the nature and varieties of musical experience. May not be held with MUSC 1050. This course may not be used for credit towards the Bachelor of Music or the Bachelor of Jazz Studies degree.

Open to all UM students.

MUSC 1020 – Introduction to Popular Music

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 61961) 

Tuesday/Thursday 11:30 a.m. -12:45 p.m.

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Deruchie

This course begins with a brief examination of the origins of the popular music industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the development of rock’ n ‘roll in the 1950s and then surveys the subsequent proliferation of different types of popular music into the 21st century. The course will address representative genres, artists, and record labels in their cultural, political, historical, and technological contexts.

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC 1030 – History of Musical Theatre

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 21561)

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:30-11:20 p.m.

Instructor: Donna Fletcher

A broad survey of the development and history of musical theatre from the early days of Vaudeville and Burlesque through its evolution to the grand scale Broadway productions of today. This course is designed to reveal the origins and development of modern musical theatre through the study of influential artists, societal influences, shifting music & compositional trends, political movements, and major historical figures. This course may include a field trip component.

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC 1040 – Discovering Jazz

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 25005)

Tuesday/Thursday 1-2:15 p.m.

Instructor: Jonathan Challoner

This course is a comprehensive guide for listening to and understanding the genre of jazz. Students will examine how the musical elements of jazz such as improvisation and swing rhythm have evolved and developed from the 1800s to today. This course will also profile some of the genre’s most impactful artists and examine various approaches to jazz journalism and criticism.

 Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC 1930 – Rudiments of Music

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 20084)

Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Instructor: TBA

An introduction to fundamental aspects of music such as sound generation, notation, melodic and harmonic construction, with emphasis on an aural approach.  This course may be used for credit as a Music elective by B. Mus or B. Jazz Studies students if taken before MUSC 1110 – Theory 1. Not available for credit for B. Mus or B. Jazz Studies students taking MUSC 1930 concurrently with MUSC 1110 or already holding a grade of “C” or better in MUSC 1110.

Open to all UM students.

MUSC 3040 – Perspectives on Indigenous Music

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 25007)

Tuesday/Thursday 10-11:15 a.m.

Instructor: Melody McKiver

The goal of this course is to provide a functional understanding of how Indigenous communities create music while being impacted by settler colonialism. Students will learn to situate themselves within the land they reside upon and will discuss Indigenous histories of what is presently called the Winnipeg region. Students will survey the major Indigenous groups in Canada and will be introduced to Anishinaabeg worldviews and philosophies. Students will learn about different genres of music practiced by Indigenous artists and interrogate notions of appropriation and collaboration. May not be held with MUSC 3820 when titled Perspectives on Indigenous Music. 

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC x190 (T25) – Wednesday Night Jazz Big Band

2 credits

Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 terms spanned 

Wednesday 5:30-7 p.m.

Instructor: Jonathon Challoner and Richard Gillis

The Wednesday Night Jazz Big Band, led by Richard Gillis and Jonathan Challoner, is a jazz big band open to all UofM students. This group will cover a variety of composers and musical styles and focus on the fundamentals of playing in a large jazz ensemble. The Wednesday Night Jazz Big Band will rehearse once per week and will be featured in at least one public performance per semester. 

To provide the best experience possible in this ensemble, we are asking that students send a brief statement of intent (150 words or less) to Jon Challoner or Richard Gillis (Jonathan.Challoner@umanitoba.ca OR Richard.Gillis@umanitoba.ca) before registering. Applicants should have at least two years of experience on their instrument and be able to read music notation.

Please provide a bit of information about what instrument you play and your background learning/performing music. Do you have experience improvising and/or learning music by ear? Please include your full name, student number, and home faculty with your statement of intent.

MUSC 3820 (T39) History of Gospel Music

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 65865)

Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Instructor: Dr. Anna Nekola

Gospel music is the music of community, an embodied expression of hope and resilience in the face of injustice and oppression. Although gospel music continues to be tied to faith practices, the sounds of Black gospel are also deeply embedded in the sounds of secular popular music, from Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson, to Beyonce, Stormzy, and Canadian artist William Prince. The course investigates how musicians make and think about gospel music, and how critics and audiences listen to and think about it, investigating the historical, religious, political, cultural, and social contexts of this music around the world. 

Open to Music students or with instructor approval for students in other faculties.

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 65880)

Tuesday/Thursday 1-2:15 p.m.

Instructor: Melody McKiver

This lecture course is an introduction to the academic area of Hip Hop studies as an African diasporic and global phenomenon, with an emphasis on MCing and DJing as the musical elements of HipHop culture. Themes will range from history and origins of Hip Hop culture, uses of sampling, Black feminist scholarship and Hip Hop feminists, and the widespread global adoption of Hip Hop as a cultural movement with a special resonance to dispossessed and disenfranchised peoples from occupied Turtle Island to Palestine.

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 62804)

Tuesday/Thursday 10-11:15 a.m.

Instructor: Melody McKiver

Students will study form and compositional approaches to a variety of musical styles, which may include pop, rock, Hip Hop, and EDM. The course will provide an introduction to the creative use of music technology, including DAW usage and home recording. Assignments will include the development of a musical portfolio, and written reflections and analysis. Students of diverse musical experiences are encouraged to enroll.  

 Instructor approval required.

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 65881)

Tuesday/Thursday 10-11:15 a.m.

Instructor: Fabio Ragnelli and Victoria Sparks

This introductory course explores the rich diversity of global drumming traditions through hands-on experience. Designed to be taught without using traditional western music notation, the course focuses on fundamental rhythm concepts, basic drumming techniques, and group performance practices using percussion instruments from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. Students will develop listening skills and rhythmic coordination. The course will help students to develop an understanding of the social and cultural roles of drumming in various world traditions. No previous music experience is necessary.

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC 3830 (T41) –  Composition for Film and Media

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 26355)

Tuesday/Thursday 1-2:15 p.m.

Instructor: Melody McKiver

Students will learn the use of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) and sample libraries suitable for composition for digital media. Software includes Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and Spitfire LABS. Compositional tools will include MIDI orchestration, sound design, and audio recording. Students will study film history and the use of music as a compliment to storytelling within film, television, and video games. Other topics will include delivery standards and professional practices.

Instructor approval required.

MUSC 3830 (T42) – Business of Music

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 26476) 

Thursday 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Instructors: TBA

Discover the business side of music. This course will provide a survey of music business topics including artist management, music marketing, rights and royalties, concert promotion, contracts, grants and funding, and financial planning. Students in all genres, including classical, jazz, pop, folk, and more, will learn from experienced industry professionals, gain insight into industry roles, and acquire skills required to succeed in the music business. Prepare for a professional future in music with tools to navigate the sector as a songwriter/composer, performer, arts worker, or industry professional. 

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

MUSC 3830 (T50) – Intro to Game Audio

3 credits

Fall 2025 (CRN 26536)

Thursday 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Instructor: TBA

This course introduces students to the foundational principles and practical techniques of game audio design and programming. Emphasis is placed on interactive audio systems using FMOD Studio, a leading middleware audio engine, integrated with Unity or Unreal Engine. Students will explore sound design, audio programming, music systems, and the technical and creative aspects of game audio integration. 

Open to all UM students – no restrictions. 

MUSC 3830 (T50) – Intro to Game Audio

3 credits

Winter 2026 (CRN 66030)

Thursday 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Instructor: TBA

This course introduces students to the foundational principles and practical techniques of game audio design and programming. Emphasis is placed on interactive audio systems using FMOD Studio, a leading middleware audio engine, integrated with Unity or Unreal Engine. Students will explore sound design, audio programming, music systems, and the technical and creative aspects of game audio integration.

Open to all UM students – no restrictions.

Simpson-Litke’s current research explores rhythmic interactions between music and dance, focusing on the Latin social dances she has taught and performed for over 20 years. Her salsa research is published in Music Theory Spectrum, the Journal of Music Theory (for which she was awarded the 2020-21 David Kraehenbuehl Prize) and the forthcoming edited collection Making Music Together (Oxford University Press). She has also published on tango in The Cambridge Companion to Tango.

Simpson-Litke’s RITMO lecture is titled “Shifting Temporal Spaces: Exploring (Hyper)Metric Interactions Between Music and Dance in Salsa.” While salsa takes many forms within individual dancing communities, two fundamental styles have developed and spread worldwide—“On-1” and “On-2”—so-named after the metric location of changes in direction in the basic dance step. Practitioners note the differing movement qualities and debate the artistic merits of each style. Dr. Simpson-Litke’s lecture will address the question of why these styles produce such contrasting effects—a question that has not yet been sufficiently addressed.

The lecture will be streamed live, starting at 7:15am on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. See the following for more information: https://www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/ritmo-seminar-series/2025/simpson-litke/

Singing Back the Buffalo is part of Tasha Hubbard’s academic work to support Indigenous narrative sovereignty in North America and Indigenous efforts to return buffalo to the lands. She is a founding director of the International Buffalo Relations Institute and has worked to support the Buffalo Treaty for the past ten years. Making the film was a long journey across the plains for Hubbard. She speaks of following the path of the buffalo with other Indigenous women and an especially moving experience visiting a herd in Banff National Park when the herd matriarchs responded to the women’s songs and stayed with them on their journey. The return of the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains, as Hubbard explains, signals a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and our collective survival in a time of global uncertainty and environmental degradation.

Melody McKiver’s compelling music brings the story of Singing Back the Buffalo to life. McKiver is a well-known violist and composer whose musical work integrates electronics with classical music. A proud member of Obishikokaang Lac Seul First Nation, McKiver is also a member of the Mizi’iwe Aana Kwat (LGBTQ2S+ Council) within the Anishinaabe Nation of Treaty #3. In 2020 they received the Canada Council’s Robert Fleming Prize for a promising emergent Canadian composer. Two of their pieces for solo viola were featured on Marina Thibeault’s 2022 Juno-winning album Viola Borealis featuring l’Orchestra de l’Agora. These two pieces, Ningodwaaswi and Niizh, are part of a larger work entitled Reckoning, dedicated to the memory of McKiver’s grandmother, a residential school survivor. At the Faculty of Music, McKiver teaches Perspectives on Indigenous Music and courses in songwriting, production, digital composition, and contemporary performance practice.

Event details: Wednesday, February 12, 2025

• 11:30am to 12:30pm in 307 Tier Building: Tasha Hubbard in Conversation with Melody McKiver
• 6:15pm at the Winnipeg Art Gallery: food catered by Feast Bistro, followed by free screening of Singing Back the Buffalo at 7:00pm (part of the Decolonizing Lens film series)

Every Freeze Is Different will provide an opportunity to experience music in new ways, incorporating multimedia, narration, visual art, and singing, outside the norms of traditional classical performance. This music will not only bring people together, but will stimulate the senses and the imagination. It is a highly collaborative event, with participation of the Winnipeg Chamber Winds Collective, directed by Jacquie Dawson, including local musicians, students, and faculty from both the Desautels Faculty of Music and the School Art.

The title of the inaugural concert, Every Freeze Is Different (2017) is from a composition on the program by Yellowknife-based composer, Carmen Braden. Braden was inspired to write the work as she watched snow falling and noticed ice forming on lakes, while some leaves fell from trees and others remained clinging, still green, to their branches. She realized how the repeating cycles and seasons of all parts of life have infinite variations to be explored and celebrated. Also on the program is Stone’s Throw (2018), by Manitoba-born Jocelyn Morlock, who was one of Canada’s leading composers. This piece was inspired by Ann Southam’s music, much of which refers to the repetitive nature of so-called women’s work—such as weaving and washing dishes—with a joyful, sunny nature. The Great Flood (2024) references the Cree Creation story and is part of a body of oral literary stories of the Northern Cree, shared with Metis writer and Indigenous Culture Carrier Joyce Clouston by Elder Stanley McKay. Clouston’s text was set to music by Manitoba-born composer Karen Sunabacka. This work was commissioned for the opening of the Desautels Concert Hall and is the most recent of a series of works created by the mother-daughter team of Clouston and Sunabacka. The concert will open with American composer Paul Lansky’s Threads (2005), featuring DFOM students in the UofM Percussion Ensemble, directed by Victoria Sparks, along with the UofM eXperimental Improv Ensemble (XIE), directed by Gordon Fitzell.

The Desautels Faculty of Music is deeply committed to community engagement and sharing stories and musical experiences. The Sharing Our Voices series will welcome the local community into DFOM’s state-of-the-art facilities at the UofM campus and will also bring music to more remote communities. Upcoming programs in the Sharing Our Voices series include Tales from the North, student outreach concerts that explore stories from Korea to Canada and Turtle Island. These performances will take place on campus on January 29, in St. Laurent on February 3, and in Selkirk on February 10, 2025.

Every Freeze Is Different, created as part of the ReSound Community Concerts in partnership with Winnipeg’s New Music Festival, starts at 7:30pm and will be held at Desautels Concert Hall at 150 Dafoe Road. A reception will follow. The event is free of charge but your seat must be reserved. For more information, see: https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/music/event/re-sound–every-freeze-is-different/.

From enhancing cultural awareness in mental health for Indigenous populations, to applying lessons from Greek antiquity to modern democracies, to preserving the music and language of underrepresented groups, the winners of this year’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Impact Awards are shaping Canadian society in lasting ways.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the recipients of SSHRC’s 2024 Impact Awards. These awards are SSHRC’s highest honours, recognizing outstanding Canadian researchers and their achievements, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or entirely by SSHRC. The awards also highlight SSHRC’s commitment to funding research that drives change and fosters a deeper understanding of our shared human experience. The five winning scholars will receive a combined total of $300,000 to continue their groundbreaking work.

Marcia Ostashewski, from Cape Breton University, is recognized with the Connection Award for her interdisciplinary and collaborative work advancing decolonization within the music industry, and providing a framework for recording the music and cultures of underrepresented groups. The Connection Award recognizes an outstanding initiative that facilitates the exchange of research knowledge within or beyond the social sciences and humanities community to generate intellectual, cultural, social or economic impacts. Her team is made up of Afua Cooper, Laurianne Sylvester, Graham Marshall, Shauna MacDonald, and Jody Stark from the Desautels Faculty of Music.

Read the full press release here.

Meet the Ensemble

This talented group is made up of ten dynamic students from diverse backgrounds, including first through fourth-year students from the Faculty of Music, as well as two exceptional performers from outside the faculty. Here’s a closer look at some of the remarkable individuals who will be representing the University:

• Jackson Bartel (Second Year, Music): A strong team player, Jackson’s individual contributions inspire those around him. 
• Andy Chiu (Third Year, Psychology): After performing in percussion ensembles in Hong Kong, Andy bring experience and positive energy to the ensemble.
• Karen Georgy (First Year, Music): With fresh energy, Karen’s enthusiasm is infectious and brings vitality to the group.
• Nathan Gibbens (Third Year, Music): With a passion for performance, Nate brings commitment and consistency to the ensemble. 
• Maggie Koreen (Fourth Year, Music): Combining her love for music and theatre, Maggie’s performance skills endear her to audiences of all types.
• Melody Pearson-Monroe (Second Year, Music): Balancing her passion for percussion with her love for singing, her “melodious” touch adds finesse to her performances.
• Travis Singbeil (Second Year, Science): Joining the ensemble this year from the faculty of science, Travis’ creativity and detail-oriented approach makes him a fantastic new member of the ensemble. 
• Will Spencler (First Year, Music): Bringing enthusiasm for every task he pursues, Will’s zest for learning motivates everyone around him!
• Eric Tarant (First Year, Music): Joining the ensemble this year, Eric brings perseverance and a love for collaboration to every rehearsal.
• Emma Wynne (Fourth Year, Music): Committed to music education, Emma’s musical and leadership skills share confidence and support to everyone who performs with her. 

The Heart of the Performance

At the heart of the ensemble’s presentation is Paul Lansky’s percussion quartet “Threads,” a ten-movement piece that serves as a framework for exploring community-based rehearsal skills. Each movement will feature different quartets of students, allowing for an array of group interactions and dynamic leadership roles. This innovative approach aims to create a rich tapestry of musical expression and collaboration, drawing on the wide-ranging sonic qualities of percussion instruments.

Described by Lansky as a “cantata” for percussion, “Threads” intricately weaves together arias, choruses, and recitatives, showcasing the diverse sounds of percussion—from the lyrical to the forceful. This exploration will not only enhance the students’ musicianship but also foster a deeper connection within the ensemble and their audience.

Looking Ahead

The University of Manitoba Percussion Ensemble will be traveling to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia from October 17-20, ready to engage with percussionists and researchers from across Canada. The ensemble is not only looking forward to performing but also to learning from the wealth of knowledge shared at the conference, hosted by the Canadian Percussion Network. 

As they prepare to take the stage, these talented students exemplify the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and community that defines the University of Manitoba’s music program. Keep an eye out for their inspiring journey, as they connect threads of rhythm, melody, and friendship across the country!

-Prairie Town by R. Bachman

Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, and Neil Young famously grew up in Winnipeg, a mid-sized Canadian city in Treaty 1 territory with a burgeoning arts scene. Contemporary Winnipeg is home to a multitude of musicians of all genres, and the city is not only culturally diverse, but also boasts the highest per capita urban Indigenous population of any Canadian city.

In spite of the tremendous musical and cultural diversity in this place, music education in Winnipeg schools tends to be relatively uniform. School music offerings are performance-oriented and consist mainly of concert band, choir, instrumental jazz, and guitar programs in senior high contexts, and general music, instrumental, or choral programs for younger grades. While students in Winnipeg schools reflect the musical and cultural diversity of the city, music teachers generally do not. The majority of music educators are of European descent and have completed a Bachelor of Music degree during which they engaged in private classical or jazz instrumental or voice study and participated in similar ensembles to the ones they now teach in schools. Music teachers’ remarkably uniform experiences as music learners and music teacher candidates result in the reproduction of a Euro-derived pedagogy focused on the performance of specific musical work rather than allowing students to create their own music or to engage with the musical practices of local musicians.

Desautels Faculty of Music associate professor Dr. Jody Stark wants to do something about this situation. Stark has received over $60 000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to develop and pilot a local music pedagogy that responds to and incorporates various ways people make and enjoy music in Winnipeg, Canada. Stark plans to engage in a collaborative research project with a group of music educators and community collaborators including local Indigenous and settler musicians and representatives of various local cultural institutions and organizations. Together, the group will create and test out a decolonizing pedagogical framework for local music education on the land, and with the popular, contemporary, and traditional musics, of Treaty 1 territory..

Stark notes, “Through the process of doing this research, out team will have the chance to think about how to ethically bring diverse musical practices and musicians into the Winnipeg music classroom, but also to notice and explore the barriers to decolonizing and Indigenizing music education. Schools are colonial social structures with often invisible assumptions about teaching, learning, people, and the world, and this makes change challenging. By developing and piloting a framework for a local music pedagogy, our team will not only explore how best to undertake school-community musical partnerships, but we will also have the chance to notice and wrestle with some of these challenges.”

The results of this innovative project will allow the research team to contribute to the knowledge base of music teachers, university-level music teachers and teacher educators, policy makers in schools and community arts organizations, and artists seeking to engage youth and children. Plans are underway to offer in-person and online workshops, articles for music educators, community musicians and music education researchers, and for the team to create a podcast for other music educators interested in exploring a local approach to their teaching.

Music Courses available to all U of M students

At the Desautels Faculty of Music, we have a selection of courses that are available to all students at the U of M, regardless of your major. From history, production, and business, you do not need to be musically inclined to be captivated by the many areas that make up the study of music.

Some courses require an override to enter the course. Where it says “Instructor Approval Required” please email the instructor of record. Otherwise, please email DFoM.Advising@umanitoba.ca with your request to enter the course.

Winter 2025

MUSC 3830 (T32) – Popular Songwriting and Production

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 62804)

Tuesday/Thursday 10:00-11:15am

Students will study form and compositional approaches to a variety of musical styles, which may include pop, rock, hip-hop, and EDM. The course will provide an introduction to the creative use of music technology, including DAW usage and home recording. Assignments will include the development of a musical portfolio, and written reflections and analysis. Students of diverse musical experiences are encouraged to enroll. Open to non-majors with permission of instructor.  

College override required

MUSC 1010 –  Music Matters: Excursions in Western Musical Culture

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 61208) 

Tuesday/Thursday 2:30-3:45pm

This course introduces and explores selected western musical phenomena from aesthetic, social, and historical perspectives. Topics will include art and vernacular musics; style and genre; social function and context; the nature and varieties of musical experience. May not be held with MUSC 1050. This course may not be used for credit towards the Bachelor of Music or the Bachelor of Jazz Studies degree.

 No overrides needed

MUSC 1020 – Introduction to Popular Music

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 61961) 

Tuesday/Thursday 11:30am-12:45pm

This course begins with a brief examination of the origins of the popular music industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the development of rock’ n ‘roll in the 1950s and then surveys the subsequent proliferation of different types of popular music into the 21st century. The course will address representative genres, artists, and record labels in their cultural, political, historical, and technological contexts.

No overrides needed

MUSC 3830 (T41) –  Composition for Film and Media

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 64885)

Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-2:15pm

Students will learn the use of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) and sample libraries suitable for composition for digital media. Software includes Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and Spitfire LABS. Compositional tools will include MIDI orchestration, sound design, and audio recording. Students will study film history and the use of music as a compliment to storytelling within film, television, and video games. Other topics will include delivery standards and professional practices. Prerequisites: third-year standing as a Music major or permission of the instructor.

Instructor approval required.

MUSC 3830 (T42) – Business of Music

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 64888) 

Monday 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Discover the business side of music. This course will provide a survey of music business topics including artist management, music marketing, rights and royalties, concert promotion, contracts, grants and funding, and financial planning. Students in all genres, including classical, jazz, pop, folk, and more, will learn from experienced industry professionals, gain insight into industry roles, and acquire skills required to succeed in the music business. Prepare for a professional future in music with tools to navigate the sector as a songwriter/composer, performer, arts worker, or industry professional.

No overrides required

MUSC 3830 (T43) – Monday Night Song Circle

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 64889)

Monday 5:30-8:30pm

Join us for the Monday Night Song Circle. We’ll explore vocal technique along with a variety of vocal styles including Classical, Musical Theatre, Jazz, and Singer-Songwriter. You’ll learn about singing, while participating in a group setting that offers lots of solo and ensemble opportunities, taught by Winnipeg’s leading voice teachers.

Students should have some background in singing, including the ability to read music. 

Instructor approval required:

To provide the best experience possible in the Monday Night Song Circle, we are asking that students send a brief statement of intent (150 words or less) to course co-ordinator Mel Braun (mel.braun@umanitoba.ca) before registering.

Students should have some background in singing, including the ability to read music. Briefly describe what genre of music you perform, and a bit of information about your background learning and/or performing music. Please include your full name, student number, and home faculty with your statement of intent.

MUSC 3830 (T44) – Monday Night Brass Band

3 credits

Winter 2025 (CRN 64890)

Monday 5:30-8:30pm

This ensemble will explore the music and culture of brass bands from around the world covering styles such as jazz, pop, funk, samba, klezmer and more. Brass, wind, and percussion players are all welcome. Ability to read music is not necessary, but at least two years of experience on your instrument is recommended.

Instructor approval required:

To provide the best experience possible in the Monday Night Brass Band, we are asking that students send a brief statement of intent (150 words or less) to course instructor Jon Challoner (Jonathan.Challoner@umanitoba.ca) before registering.

Ability to read music is not necessary, but at least two years of experience on your instrument is recommended. Please provide a bit of information about what instrument you play and your background learning/performing music. Do you have experience improvising and/or learning music by ear? Please include your full name, student number, and home faculty with your statement of intent.

MUSC 3620 – Métis Fiddling lessons (Independent Study)

Winter 2025 (CRN 65049)

The Desautels Faculty of Music is thrilled to announce that we are offering Métis Fiddling lessons with North American Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame member Patti Kusturok.  Patti is an inspiring and gifted teacher who works with students at all levels and is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation. 

These lessons are available to all U of M students.  No previous experience reading music or playing fiddle is required. 

There are 10 spots available for private lessons – students will register for a 3-credit Independent Study for the opportunity to study with Patti during the 2024-25 academic year. Instruments will be provided on loan, free of charge. 

Contact DFoM.Advising@umanitoba.ca for access to this course.

Advisor Approval required

Métis Fiddling Ensembles 

2 credits

(Chamber Music Ensemble MUSC X190 T04) Fall and Winter spanned

North American Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame member Patti Kusturok will be leading Métis Fiddling ensembles.  You can register for these 2-credit, spanned ensembles or participate as a community member. 

These ensembles are designed for students who play stringed instruments or who are taking Métis Fiddling lessons with Patti during the 2024-25 year.

For more information about Metis Fiddling lessons or ensembles, please contact DFOM.advising@umanitoba.ca

College override required

For more than a decade, Art Song Lab has been making an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary classical song in North

(art) Song Lab Faculty, Alison d’amato (left) and Lynne McMurtry (right)
photo credit: Jessica Rudman

America. After ten summers focusing on composers and writers in Vancouver, BC, this year’s programming brings performer participants into the mix between June 24-29th in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Activities include intensive rehearsals, workshops with esteemed guest artists, and performances including interactive SongSparks evenings, and the SongLAUNCH concert of world premieres.

This year, 19 participants from Canada and the United States were selected to undertake the 6-month collaborative opportunity. Teams of one composer, one writer, and one singer were formed earlier in 2024 to collaboratively create a song for voice and piano from scratch. In the month leading up to the program, participant and faculty performers have been learning the songs so everyone arrives ready to bring them to life and beyond.

Once everybody is together in Winnipeg, the program focuses on those new songs through rehearsals and performances. Informal evenings called SongSPARKS allow the audience into the process. Having the creators, performers, and audience in the same room engaging in dialogue is a luxury that (art) Song Lab prioritizes.

Participants also have the opportunity to attend workshops and mentoring with two Winnipeg legends of national acclaim. Both poet Di Brandt and composer Andrew Balfour have been given the unique challenge of creating a workshop that is specific to their craft, but also equally appealing to both composers and writers. The program culminates with a concert of contemporary art songs, including the nine songs written for (art) Song Lab 2024, featuring both faculty and participant performers.

This summer marks something of a homecoming for co-founder, Michael Park, who grew up in Winnipeg and graduated from University of Manitoba’s Bachelor of Music program in 2007.

“There’s something truly special about the singing that happens in Winnipeg. I had no idea how lucky I was while I lived there. After moving away from Manitoba, I realized how privileged I was to have sung in the Winnipeg Boys Choir, at the New Music Festival, and to have studied at the University of Manitoba. Laura Loewen and Mel Braun taught me so much about how to connect piano playing to the text of sung music. It’s an honour to bring (art) Song Lab back to where I started, and to be working with them as peers.”

Park and pianist Alison d’Amato co-founded the program along with poet Ray Hsu in 2011 and have co-directed the program together since 2015. Since its conception in 2011, (art) Song Lab has connected 70 writers with 108 composers, presenting world premieres of 126 new art songs. 

See below for a full listing of events: 

PUBLIC EVENTS

June 29th, 7pm – SongLAUNCH: World Premieres from (art) Song Lab 2024

The culmination of all our collaborations, and the beginning of nine new songs in the art scene! Come support the launch of new works with the poets, composers, and performers in the hall.  The concert is held at the Desautels Faculty of Music, 150 Dafoe Rd.

June 26, 2pm – Workshop with Andrew Balfour

June 27, 2pm – Workshop with Di Brandt

Unique insight from our guest artists, we present workshops specially developed for both composers and writers. Limited space available. Entry by donation. Workshops are held at the Desautels Faculty of Music, 150 Dafoe Rd.). 

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FREE PUBLIC EVENTS

June 24, 7pm – Poetry Reading featuring Participants and Alumni

June 25, 7pm – Baritone SongSparks with Mel Braun and Laura Loewen.

June 26, 7pm- Contralto SongSparks with Lynne McMurtry and Rachel Iwaasa

June 27, 7pm – Soprano SongSparks with Zorana Sadiq and Alison d’Amato

SongSparks are interactive song workshops centered around the dialogue among composers, writers, performers and audience about the interpretation and performance of art song. Constructive audience feedback is at the core of this experience. SongSparks are held at the Desautels Faculty of Music, 150 Dafoe Rd.

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Three ensembles from the Desautels Faculty of Music performed in the St John’s College Chapel, and sixteen artists displayed their work in the Daily Bread Cafe for the UM and SJC communities to vote on the People’s Choice Award winners.

The musical ensembles consisted of Four/Four featuring Emma Lewis, Nathan Clark, Peter Olaleye, and Marcus Michienzi, Dafoe Piano Quartet featuring Josiah Wurch, Sasha Turgeon, Déverson Correia, and Henry Kelsey, and The Matriarchy featuring Hannah Orr, Isla Shea, Sandra Goetz, and Nathan Clark. Each performance featured different musical styles, including a singer with ensemble, instrumental, and vocal performances.

Following the performances, the event moved into the Daily Bread Cafe, where our three award recipients and People’s Choice Award winners were determined. Out of the sixteen art pieces displayed and three musical performances, St John’s College was proud to recognize the following recipients: 

1st Place – Valentine Okoye Chukwukamike for “Matrix”

2nd Place – Guiliana DaCunha Moura for “Saudade”

People’s Choice Winner – Emily Ramsay for “It ain’t me bebe”

Dafeo Piano Quartet featuring Josiah Wurch, Sasha Turgeon, Déverson Correia, Henry Kelsey

Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

St John’s College looks forward to hosting the 3rd annual event next year with the Desautels Faculty of Music in 2025.