We are excited to share the stage with many other local social change agents next week!
The Harmony Centre is hosting ChangeMaker Pub Night on Friday March 3, as part of their 10 for 10 series celebrating a decade of preserving their space for the community to share, create, educate, and perform!
Join us and many others for music, community, and conversation!
New year, a few changes. No, no resolutions to report, just a shift in our youth open mic schedule. We are pushing the dates for the open mic out to the spring in the hopes of avoiding the impacts of winter weather and to spread the word to our local youth about the project so we can fill the library auditorium with more young musical talent from our community.
2023 Youth Open Mic Dates- all events at the library auditorium Thursdays 5:30-7:30pm.
April 6 & 27
May 11 & 25
June 8 & 22
We have had a wonderful turnout from our local youth for the fall and winter open mic events we held, and are hoping to expand that in the spring.
Spread the word that dinner and music is on the calendar at the library for any young person 13-17 years old. It is a place to listen to some great music and share your talents!
Want to learn more? Reach out to us at hello@thebigsound.org
See you in April for our next event!
We had a great turnout at our December Open Mic night at the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library on December 1, and thanks to our incredible host/musician extraordinaire Paige Warner @paigewarnermusic, a good time was had by all.
Thanks to our supporters at Long and McQuade, the door prize of a brand new ukulele found a new home with Jacob!
Our Open Mic Nights continue in 2023, with the next one on Thursday January 12, beginning at 5:30pm. Open to all Grey Bruce youth 13-17 years old. Bring your friends, your bravery, and your appetite as there is dinner provided and the stage is YOURS!
For more information please contact hello@thebigsound.org
A lovely group of musicians from our Music & Movement after school program admirably represented The Big Sound at the Georgian Bay Symphony’s Family Christmas Concert on December 10.
Hearing the thunderous round of applause from the symphony members after the dress rehearsal and the same from the audience during the concert confirmed that there are some very talented young musicians in our community. The high calibre of their performance was further confirmed by the comments we received from retired teachers and individual members of the symphony after the performance. Way to go!
Seeing the students faces when they realized that the orchestra had started playing behind them was nothing short of incredible- it was as if some mysterious magic was boosting and elevating their sound. Which it was! Another highlight was seeing the mesmerized faces upon what was likely their first experience hearing an orchestra. They were in awe!
Under the leadership and guidance of Gael Mulvaney-Courtois, the Music & Movement students shone bright on a cold December afternoon and it was a beautiful sight to be seen!
Here is to a great success and to many yet to come performances for The Big Sound musicians!
Happy Holidays from The Big Sound!
We had a great turn out for our first open mic night at the Library on Thursday November 10. Folks from the Youth Social Justice Group shared their mission and vision, Josh Ritchie was our gracious MC and resident musician and pizza finally arrived 🙂
Feedback from participants and their adults was overwhelmingly positive, and being in community with others while sharing some fun, friendship, and music made for great evening.
The Big Sound in partnership with the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library will be hosting more Open Mic Nights through the June 2023 on a monthly basis. Open to youth 13-17, to share their musical interests and talents, and create a space to dig into the incredible social justice and change work happening locally here in Grey Bruce Counties.
There is no cost to participants, and dinner is served. Adults connected to the youth participants are welcome though not required. Join us next month to learn more! We will be hosting Open Mic #2 on Thursday December 1 from 5:30-7:30pm. Registration is not required.
We proud to announce the kick off of a new project, Yours, Mine Ours, in partnership with the Owen Sound Public Library and the Georgian Bay Folk Society!
Thanks to the support of the recent Kids Can Play community grant stream from the Community Foundation of Grey Bruce, we are hosting a series of open mic nights and weekend workshops in the Owen Sound Library auditorium starting Thursday November 10.
This project is designed to offer a space for youth musicians (both aspiring and practicing) to come together in a collaborative space facilitated and hosted by young adult musicians connected to the GB Folk Society. These open mic nights and workshops are open to all Grey Bruce youth aged 13-17 years old. Adults connected to the youth are welcome but not required, this is not open to the general public.
We encourage folks to sign up, bring their own equipment if available, there will be some instruments available for use at the events.
More information about workshops will be available at the Open Mic Nights, with the first workshop being held on Saturday November 19. More information on this and other workshops to follow shortly.
One of the goals of this project is to entrust much of the leadership and decision making about the open mic and workshops into the hands of the youth involved, from ensuring a positive, safe environment, to collaborate with each other and local social justice organizations/movements to bridge the gaps between the youth and the issues they are concerned about using music as a tool for community building and engagement.
Monthly Open Mic Structure
5:00pm- auditorium opens, registration and set up/sign up
5:30pm- dinner and presentation from local social justice group
6:00pm- open mic begins
8:00pm- clean up/close
Monthly Open Mic Dates 2022-2023
Thursday November 10
Thursday December 1
Thursday January 12
Thursday January 25
Thursday February 9
Thursday March 9
Thursday April 6
Thursday May 11
Thursday June 8
To learn more or ask questions, please reach out to us at hello@thebigsound.org.