Category Archives: Learning

Summertime!

During the 9 weeks (yes there are 9 between July 1st and the first Tuesday after Labour Day) of the school summer break, we continue to teach music lessons. Being summer, we reduce to 3 days a week.
We are open for business Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from now until September 1st.

We you can register for summer music lessons are get your spot for the fall.

River Heights Music Lessons

While we are still answering our phone 2024-487-3664 during this time, email is still the best way to contact us.

info@riverheightsmusicschool.com

A great summer can include music lessons and since we keep them off the weekends, it can fit into your summer schedule.

Call or Write today. (or click on the link and sign up today

Mask Mandate Lifted

I was going to write a big diatribe about 2 years of pivoting on rules that couldn’t be justified with science or experience and contradicted each other but instead I’ll just state:

As of March 15 2022, masks will no longer be required in the building

We bid farewell to this most benign of measures.

Some staff, students and teachers may or may not still wear a mask. As it should have always been, it is their choice.

We still ask that you switch to a video lesson if you feel ill. If you are too sick to go to work or school, you are too ill to come here. We are still cleaning like we always have and our staff will stay home if THEY are feeling unwell.

Here is some related reading material

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.18.21257385v1

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2021/05/26/new-study-refutes-fauci-efficacy-of-mask-mandates-n2589990

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/47-studies-confirm-inefectiveness-of-masks-for-covid-and-32-more-confirm-their-negative-health-effects/

August Update

Masks are Now Optional

As the Mask Mandate came to an end this past Saturday August 7th, we are moving to a optional mask policy (like we did last year at this time).

Teaching in general, and music in particular, is very difficult for both the teacher and the student. Pronouncing the names of the musical alphabet is dicey. The letters BCDE and G all rhyme and the masks make seeing the lips and hearing the consonants next to impossible. It is hard to show emotion, encouragement or humour with just just words and eye brows.
Having said, staff is not discouraged from wearing a mask and neither are students. It is about making your own decisions and your comfort level. I’ll remind you, we have windows we can open (when it’s not smoking hot) in 2 rooms and plexiglass barriers. We also had a new HVAC system installed last year dedicated to our unit only. At no point in the pandemic did anyone associated with the River Heights School of Music contract a case of COVID-19.

Not Checking Your Vaccine Status

As well we have not and will not be asking anyone about their vaccine status. On top of having serious doubts about the security of the QR scanner app that ANYONE can download, We have serious doubts about the legality of asking medical questions of any sort.

If You Are Sick

If there is one aspect of ‘normal’ this pandemic has brought us that we’d like to retain it’s stay home if you are sick. We now have great familiarity with online teaching and, while not perfect, is a great fill in. So if the student, parent or whomever is sick, you can stay home and have your lessons online. Very few students have preferred it over in person, but to have one here and there is a great way to not miss a lesson and not have to deal with the inconvenience of the make up lesson.

In Person Lessons back On (Again)!

As of 12:01am Saturday June the 26th 2021 we will AGAIN be able to offer in person lessons.

To meet provincial guidelines on capacity we’ll need you to drop off and pick up only any students and for parent in the hall and to wait downstairs.

RB

Last Class Before Summer Registration Open To All

The last ‘regular’ lesson is June 30th

Summer lessons begin Tuesday July 6th

Speaking of Summer. If the province meets it’s vaccine targets (with line ups around the corner and vaccine shortages) we should be able to offer in person classes in the summer. That means those of you that put your lessons on hold (and didn’t take the video option) can make up your classes in July and August.
It also means those of you that signed up for summer classes can choose to have in-person lessons, remain online or a combination.

If you have not registered for September you can still do it but it is now open to anyone

Once More Unto the Breach My Friends

Manitoba government has, yet again, decided to forgo science and make restrictions against small businesses.

Out of one side of his lawyer doctor mouth Brent Roussin said that private indoor gatherings were driving the ‘3rd wave’ on the other side of his lawyer doctor mouth he closed off ALL activities for kids.

Anyone of us walking a dog can see which house in our neighbourhood is having or getting ready to have a party.

So instead of ramping up enforcement with by law officers to cruise neighbourhoods for those obvious signs, instead of ticketing 100% of the attendees to those rallies and protests, they have elected to cancel haircuts, soccer, music lessons, dance, theatre, backyards, etc.

Malls and big box stores?? Still open.

Ironically the by law bullies are still coming to our school to make sure our front desk person (who is wearing a mask behind plexiglass) is still wearing a mask.

They did that on the 2 Saturdays in a row that there were ‘freedom’ rallies at the forks.

Our business has produced zero cases of covid

Zero days lost to covid

Most teachers vaccinated or have an appointment.

Most of our students are kids still going to school.

Many of our students are adults who have been vaccinated (including doctors and nurses)

Despite that, we are forced to convert all to video lessons until ‘they’ say otherwise.