Give the gift of
music education
Within the scope of VKMF’s current funding, not all competing instruments and classes receive the same scholarship funding.
And our Large Ensemble Festivals currently offer no scholarships at all — leaving even the highest-performing school and ensemble groups to self-fund their participation.
This year, we want your help to offer an additional $5,000 of scholarship funding.
Access to Scholarships
It takes a village to foster the talent of a young musician.
It takes access to opportunities, too.
Across the Lower Mainland, there have been extensive cuts to in-school music education, and schools are left with the tough choice:
Should I offer my students performance and adjudication opportunities, or should I keep it to the classroom?
Meanwhile, many parents are stretched thin. Music education is expensive, and scholarships can offer crucial financial support and academic encouragement to keep going.
We want to help families continue to choose music education for their children.
our scholarships
solo and small ensembles
We aim to expand the scholarships we offer for our Solo and Small Ensemble Festival, with the long-term goal of offering substantial scholarships to participants in all instruments.
We know how hard it is for families to continue to choose music education, but we also know how music contributes to longterm success and happiness.
Schools and Ensemble Groups
With the extensive funding cuts facing school districts, school music programs are facing additional barriers to encourage their student choirs, concert bands, orchestras, and jazz bands.
We want to remove barriers by helping to fund crucial expenses for schools like the cost of buses (typically $600+/day) and entrance fees.
We want to make it easy to choose music education.
What people say about our festivals
“I am delighted to congratulate the Kiwanis Festival on its continuing success. My own children have benefited enormously from the encouraging atmosphere and the constructive and helpful criticisms of the professional musicians who have listened so carefully to their performances. It is a wonderful opportunity for young instrumentalists to simply perform, or if they prefer, to compete in a constructive community environment. As an audience member I have heard many wonderful performances at Kiwanis and always look forward to attending”.
Bramwell Tovey - Former Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
“I competed in the Kiwanis Music Festival every year from 1966 to approximately 1978. I entered at least five classes each year, so it is no exaggeration that I gave over 50 public appearances under the auspices of the Kiwanis Music Festival, by far the most performances I gave as a young player through a single organization. I can hardly begin to express what those experiences meant to me. At the age of six, I began to understand the focus required to prepare for a public performance. I felt motivated to be my best on every occasion. I had valuable input from your distinguished adjudicators over a 12-year period. The structure of the Kiwanis Music Festival encouraged me to explore a wide variety of repertoire. I felt greatly encouraged at winning a prize, and my parents eventually showcased a fairly large collection of trophies and certificates to validate my progress, with scholarships providing real and important assistance in the years to come. When I entered university, first at the University of British Columbia, and then at The Juilliard School in New York, I had a wealth of performing experience unequalled by my peers, and a great deal of that stemmed directly from the Kiwanis Music Festival and the opportunities it created for me.
I am writing to simply encourage you to continue to find a way forward with this very meaningful festival. The Kiwanis Music Festival represents a truly meaningful way for young musicians to develop confidence and experience, and it had an enormous impact on my personal development.”
John Kimura Parker - Pianist
“The Vancouver Kiwanis Festival is an incredibly valuable experience for our MRSS Chamber Choir. It gives students a meaningful goal to work toward and the chance to perform for and alongside other high school musicians who share their passion for choral music. The ensemble was thrilled to work with renowned clinicians Carrie Tennant, Morna Edmundson, and Scott Leithead, whose feedback was both inspiring and educational. We were honoured to receive a Gold standing and a nomination for the Performing Arts BC Festival—a recognition that truly validated the students' hard work and commitment to their musical growth and ensemble excellence. The experience fostered artistic development, community, and lifelong memories for everyone involved.”
Claire Oliviero - Choral Director of Maple Ridge Secondary School