Being a teacher comes with great responsibility. Barbara Levorson, a music teacher for over ten years, understands this perfectly.

She offers piano lessons to children and youth in Swift Current, SK. Some of her students have received funding from Creative Kids.

She says one of the things she enjoys most about her work is that she gets to have a long-term relationship with her students as their teacher. “I am a part of these children’s lives over many years. I see them grow, go through many changes and life experiences, and develop into young adults,” she says. “It is a long term relationship that leaves a lasting impression on both them and me.”

She shares how Creative Kids has become the envy of many across the country. “My colleagues in other provinces also see students in need and they are envious of this program. Creative Kids has much greater potential, and need, and is deserving of greater support from both public and corporate sectors.”

“My colleagues in other provinces also see students in need and they are envious of this program. Creative Kids has much greater potential, and need, and is deserving of greater support from both public and corporate sectors.”

While the program is making an impact, Levorson says there is far greater need than the current Creative Kids funding can provide. “In previous years, I would have four or five students per year receive funding. Now, only one or two students are approved for assistance. There is a real need in our community for this type of funding assistance. People struggle with decisions about what they can or cannot provide for their children,” she says, adding that Creative Kids is a unique program that has had an incredibly positive impact on individuals, families and community as a whole.

Levorson grew up in an artistic household. She became engaged in the arts at a young age through the influence of her mother, who was an artist. Levorson started piano lessons at the age of six, and returned to music learning and education as part of a lifelong journey. She says creative activities should not only be accessible to those who can afford it as this serves to further widen social and economic gaps. “Music is a study of many interdisciplinary pursuits: math, the science of sound; literature and language; history; and other arts -dance, ballet, and poetry,” she explains. “I often tell parents that music is its own language – every dot and line and mark means something – it is a codex waiting to be deciphered! Furthermore, reading music, particularly piano music, is the equivalent of reading two books (one for each hand) and doing math sums, all at the same time. The level of neurologic processing is phenomenal.”

Levorson adds that the arts is an emotional refuge for students when they are feeling isolated or experience loss. She says that all creative endeavours are about story-telling – whether it is a painting, a book, a dance or a song. To her, they are all stories, which engage with people’s imaginations in positive and productive ways.