Capital Music Awards — Dossier de candidature
MASC - Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities / Multiculturalisme artistique scolaire et communautaire
Éducateur·trice musical·e de l’année
Aperçu du (de la) candidat·e (biographie, présentation, etc.)
MASC is an Ottawa-based community arts organization that brings the arts and culture alive for over 200,000 children, youth, and seniors each year. MASC offers schools and communities arts experiences led by professional artists that awaken the creative process, deepen cultural awareness, encourage engagement, and give vivid demonstration of Canada’s diversity.
MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities) represents a roster of 55+ professional artists and artist groups of diverse backgrounds, who annually offer more than 1500 workshops, 500 performances and 100 in-depth artist-in-residence programs to 200,000 participants. Our artists identify with a wide range of diverse communities and offer programming in all artistic disciplines, including music, dance, drama, circus arts, literary arts, media and visual arts. Programming in music includes performances, workshops and residencies.
Over 40,000 participants partake in music programs every year. Residencies result in original songs and music videos screened for the community. MASC also offers five annual multi-disciplinary arts festivals that bring in additional professional artists from across the country. MASC is an official-languages bilingual organization, with 40% of our programming offered in French.
MASC is committed to providing equal access to arts and cultural experiences to those living in equity deserving neighbourhoods, including rural communities. MASC offers a combination of financial assistance, scholarships and free programming for equity-deserving communities. Additionally, by bringing artists into communities, institutional barriers are removed by providing community members access to professional arts programming within their own communities. MASC brings the arts to the people.
Présentation du programme ou de l’approche pédagogique
MASC’s programming is grounded in an arts education approach that combines professional artistic practice with participatory learning. Delivered by a diverse roster of professional artists, programs in both English and French. Artists bring a wide range of cultural backgrounds and lived experiences, ensuring that programming reflects the communities served and offers participants meaningful points of connection. Programming is offered in multiple formats, including performances, workshops, and artist residencies. Performances are designed as arts education experiences, integrating artistic presentation with contextual learning.
Artists share the history, cultural significance, and creative processes behind their work, situating each art form within a broader social and cultural framework. Our performances are highly interactive and incorporate opportunities for dialogue and questions. Workshops provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that emphasize creative exploration and skill development. Sessions range from one-hour introductory workshops to multi-day residencies, allowing for deeper engagement and relationship-building. Techniques taught vary by artist and include music-making, songwriting and cultural knowledge sharing.
Artists encourage experimentation and collaboration, supporting participants in developing their own creative voice. A key component of MASC’s educational approach is the integration of creation and presentation. Participants are given opportunities to share their work through informal presentations, showcases, or performances. These experiences are essential in building confidence, fostering self-expression, and validating participants’ creative contributions.
MASC’s approach also emphasizes accessibility and inclusion. Programming is delivered directly in schools and community settings, reducing institutional and logistical barriers to participation. Subsidies and free programming ensure that financial constraints do not prevent access. Overall, MASC’s model blends artistic excellence with inclusive pedagogy, ensuring that participants not only experience the arts, but actively engage in the creative process in ways that are relevant, empowering, and culturally responsive.
Lien vers site web (vidéo, plateforme, etc.) (optionnel)
Extraits de matériel (guides, pamphlets, aides pédagogiques, etc.)
Résumé de l’impact des activités pédagogiques
During the eligibility period, MASC delivered a high volume of arts education programming, reaching more than 200,000 participants annually through over 1,500 workshops and 500 performances across all artistic disciplines. This sustained level of activity demonstrates both the scale and consistency of MASC’s impact within schools and communities. Within music programming alone, MASC reached more than 40,000 participants annually through over 140 performances and 190 workshops. These activities were delivered in partnership with more than 300 schools and 90 community organizations, ensuring broad geographic reach across the region, as well as increasing activity across Ontario.
Workshops ranged from short introductory sessions to extended residencies lasting multiple days, allowing for varying levels of depth and engagement. Short workshops provided accessible entry points for participants, introducing new artistic concepts and techniques. Longer residencies enabled participants to develop skills over time, engage in collaborative creation, and build relationships with professional artists. Teaching activities were designed to be interactive and participatory.
Students actively engaged in creating music, writing, movement, and other artistic forms, rather than passively observing. This approach supports experiential learning and allows participants to apply new skills in real time. The inclusion of performance and sharing opportunities further enhances learning outcomes by encouraging reflection, confidence-building, and peer engagement. MASC’s teaching activities also play a critical role in increasing access to arts education.
Many participants come from communities where opportunities for arts training are limited due to financial or geographic barriers. Through more than $300,000 in annual subsidies, MASC reduces costs for equity-deserving schools and communities, ensuring broader participation, $40,000 is allocated specifically to music programming. In addition, free programming through initiatives such as Awesome Arts en folie extends access to underserved neighbourhoods with previous programming in Sandy Hill, Lowertown, Vanier, and Rideau-Rockliffe.
The diversity of artists involved in programming contributes significantly to impact. Participants are exposed to a wide range of artistic practices and cultural perspectives, supporting cultural understanding and representation. This exposure is particularly important for young participants, who benefit from seeing their identities reflected in artistic leadership. Overall, MASC’s teaching activities have resulted in high levels of participation, increased access to arts education, and meaningful engagement across diverse communities, contributing to both individual development and community well-being.