Canadian Winds Feature
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Canadian Winds has changed its mechanism for sharing about band in Canada to a quarterly e-newsletter. While we are no longer publishing a professional journal, this e-news features highlights from our provincial chapter members.
Read the full newsletter here: Fall 2026 E-News
Interested in receiving our e-news? Contact your provincial band association!
Fall 2026 - Summer Band Camps
Yorkton Flutes
SBA summer band camps continue to grow and develop, and we can certainly count our program rebound from COVID to be more than complete! Our 2026 Band Camp participation numbers are almost 20% higher than our 2019, pre-COVID numbers. In fact the numbers would even be higher, but now some of our camps are starting to run into space limitations. Our Saskatoon Band Camp had a healthy waiting list this year for the first time. Meanwhile, our Prairieland Jazz Camp continued to expand, enough to require the addition of another band into the mix. Overall, our band camp participants came from 35 unique communities around the province.
In Yorkton, where some community scheduling caused challenges, we were pleased to launch a new Junior Leader Program. Yorkton Band Camp Coordinator and High School Band teacher, Katia Georgeson had so many high school band students asking about volunteering at the camp, that the SBA decided to jump in and meet the need - the Junior Leader Program was born. The program provided older band students with a great mix - supporting younger participants, organizing recreation activities, while also learning their own more challenging music and playing for the community. With Katia's support, the Junior Leader Program was developed and delivered by SBA summer students Shannon Andreas and Ralph Reyes, both in their 4th year of Music Education at the University of Regina. For a smaller community, this was an outstanding addition supported by the Yorkton Band Booster (YBB) Association.
Participants evaluations also continue to tell a very positive story with 88% of participants strongly agreeing that Camp will make them better in their home bands and over 90% responding that they had a great time at Camp.
The Saskatchewan Band Association appreciates the support of many individual donors as well as sponsors and funders such as Creative Kids, Sask Lotteries, Long & McQuade and Yorkton Band Boosters as we strive to ensure band is accessible to all.
Summer is a very musical time for Manitoba youth and adults alike. While many Manitobans head out to the cottage to tune out the cacophony of life for much of the summer, musical opportunities draw many others to tuneful experiences where they learn, grow, and connect through music.
The International Music Camp (IMC) kicked off the summer season in Manitoba with its mid-june start to its 70th season of welcoming youth from across North America and around the globe for fine arts experiences. Why so early? Our neighbours to the south have already been out of school since the end of May. The start of the IMC season includes a middle-school focused week with band, choir, and art, followed by four weeklong sessions of concert band camps and a variety of other programs (they have 45 in total!), a weeklong jazz band session which includes both big band and combo experiences for all jazz campers, and an orchestra week. All of these programs offer experiences for both middle school and high school campers. The IMC season wraps up with a four-day Adult Community Camp that includes two concert bands, jazz band, brass band, orchestra, and more. IMC is located in the beautiful International Peace Garden located right on the Canada-US border in western Manitoba, and is the only place on the 49th parallel where passports are not a requirement for entry, speaking to the original intent and spirit of this very special place which has probably never been more important as a gathering place for peaceful understanding through music, art, and nature. IMC welcomes nearly 1,500 campers, and 250 staff, faculty, and volunteers every summer.
At the beginning of August Winnipeg heats up with the Manitoba Band Association’s (MBA) seven summer band camps occurring in six different locations. These camps cover a span of three weeks beginning with the Prairie Percussion Workshop and the Prairie Brass Camp for students in grades 6 - 12. Both camps are hosted at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music and include many University faculty as well as members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the RCAF Band. Following that are two weeks of band camps for students up to grade 9 offered in four different regions of Winnipeg and just outside the city in beautiful Oakbank, MB. All of these camps offer volunteer experiences with a strong focus on mentorship for camp alumni and high school and university students. This summer, 330 band campers took part in one or more of the MBA’s Summer Band Camps where faculty include freelance and professional musicians from across the Winnipeg region. MBA was also pleased to continue providing each camp with a professional chamber ensemble performance thanks to continued sponsorship from the Musicians’ Performance Trust Fund. Enrichment activities provided for campers included a jazz improv workshop, a wellness session, chamber music units and recitals, and more.
Jazz camp offerings continue to expand in Manitoba, and for the second year since Covid, the Winnipeg Jazz Education Collective’s Summer Jazz Camp provided middle and high school students with a jazz camp experience at the Desautels Faculty of Music.The addition of a camp for adults expanded the camp as well. This camp is focused mainly on combos and improv and features a faculty comprised of some Desautels Faculty of Music jazz faculty along with professional freelance musicians. For a third year in a row the Dirty Catfish Brass Band also offered a weeklong mid-August camp at the Winnipeg Conservatory of Music that focuses on New Orleans-style brass band traditions, improvisation, and second-line parades.
Session Five is Jazz Week at the International Music Camp
Above: St. James Summer Band Camp
Below: Winnipeg Jazz Education Collective Summer Jazz Camp
Above: Central Camp
Below: Western Camp
This summer, the Newfoundland and Labrador Band Association took some important early steps toward rebuilding and expanding summer band opportunities across the province with Regional Band Camps in Grand Falls-Windsor and Corner Brook.
Coordinated by Katie Barrett and Aiden Hartery, the camps brought young musicians together for a week of ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, workshops, camp activities, and plenty of opportunities to learn, play, and connect. Each week wrapped up with a Friday showcase performance, giving campers the chance to share what they had accomplished with family and friends.
At the Central Band Camp in Grand Falls-Windsor, campers welcomed Dr. Alan Klaus of Memorial University’s School of Music, who shared his expertise and enthusiasm with the young musicians. They were also treated to a performance by the Phoenix Trio, giving students the chance to hear professional musicians up close.
At the Western Band Camp in Corner Brook, campers explored rhythm and improvisation through a lively drum circle led by percussionist and educator Whitney Rowe. Campers also enjoyed a performance by Jazz West, connecting them with some of the talented musicians making music in their own region.
The NLBA is so excited to continue to grow these initiatives as they are an important first step toward creating more summer music opportunities outside the St. John’s area and strengthening connections between young musicians, educators, and communities across the province.
We are incredibly grateful to Katie and Aiden, our guest musicians and clinicians, families, volunteers, and community partners for helping make the camps possible. We’re looking forward to building on these small beginnings and seeing where these regional programs can go next!