This year, CNMN was able to support a total of 5 projects by the following facilitators:

• Eryn Dace Trudell: MamaDance
• Maxime Daigneault & Véronique Girard: Inner Voices {Voix intérieures}
• Nathan Gage: Guided Group Songwriting
• Samantha Letourneau: Resonant Stories
• Chelsea Mackinnon: Fountains of Uke

The post PCM Hub Open Call Results appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, September 24, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a sixth virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners. This session features four Canadian musicians, each of whom strikes a unique balance of performance, creativity and community engagement in their careers: Allison Girvan, singer and choral director; Nour Kadaan, multi-percussionist and music creation facilitator; Joni NehRita, songwriter, performer and music educator/facilitator, and Ian Whitman, symphony and jazz bass player and community engagement coordinator.

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Balancing Performance, Creativity, and Community Engagement in Your Music Career appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, June 18, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a fifth virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners. This session invites you to explore the charity model for participatory music practice, and hear from two Ontario-based musicians and arts administrators who helm charitable organizations focusing on community music education: Denise Williams (Founding Artistic Director and Producer, No Strings Theatre) and Caroline Hissa (Executive Director, Community Music School of Waterloo Region).

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Building a Participatory Music Charitable Organization appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, May 28, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a fourth virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners. this session invites you to explore the possibilities of social enterprise in creating sustainable community music programs, and learn from our special guests: Lisa Michaels (Executive Director and Co-Founder, Bandology) and Erin Parkes (Executive Director and Founder, Lotus Centre for Special Music Education).

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music. Sessions are held online every two months.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Participatory Music as Social Enterprise appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, March 19, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners, featuring musician and sound artist Guillaume Jabbour. This hands-on workshop explores strategies in finding opportunities in new sectors — such as education, health and community settings — and fostering new relationships that can lead to creative projects.

Guillaume will talk about his work in sectors, and participants will have opportunities to develop strategies for their projects. Whether you are an artist in the first years of your career, or are well-established in certain circles, come with a new idea you are interested in proposing to develop new partners/relationships in a new sector.

Practical Workshop: Please come with a project in mind, ideally with existing description of the project that we will use to develop for different sectors.

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music. Other topics for the year will focus on engaging in outreach, partnership building, and how to evaluate impact.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Diversifying your Participatory Music Career appeared first on CNMN.

The Canadian New Music Network is excited to call for Participatory Creative Music Projects to be hosted on the online Participatory Creative Music Hub. Successful applicants will be provided funding for documentation of an existing project.

Amount of grant: $600.00

Application deadline: February 27, 2026

Application form

Deadline for submission of documentation of chosen projects via online upload form: May 1, 2026.

What is Participatory Creative Music? 

According to the Canadian New Music Network’s Public Engagement Committee, Participatory Creative Music is a multitude of approaches to creating music in which everyone involved, regardless of their prior experience in making music, has active input in the creative process. Authorship and decision-making is shared to greater or lesser degrees, depending on context.

For more information and clarification, see Keyword Definitions.

What is the Participatory Creative Music Hub?

The Hub showcases people from all walks of life creating music together. Whatever you call it – participatory creative music, community music, jamming, co-composition, improvisation, music exploration, listening games or having fun with sound – The Hub celebrates music creativity for everyone. 

The main criteria for projects is that all participants have active input in the creative process, whether they are 4, 40 or 94 years of age, an experienced musician or making music for the first time.

What is an eligible project?

An eligible project is a participatory creative music activity already occurring in the community, whether on-going or completed. Projects may take place in the fields of health care, education, social services, prisons and more. 

While not exclusive to this participant group, we would like to encourage submissions of projects occurring with children and youth in the community, including intergenerational projects. Projects outside of formal school settings are strongly encouraged, including those projects that serve children and youth in exceptional circumstances. Examples of participants include, but are not restricted to:

• Newcomer families in community centres,
• Street-affected youth groups or group homes, 
• Patients ages 3–5 years of age in children’s hospitals, 
• and more!

Eligible projects are wide and varied. Priority will be given to facilitators who are submitting a project to the Hub for the first time.

See the Project page for examples of Hub projects. 

See Keyword Definitions for terminology.

Documentation

The purpose of this grant is to support documentation of an existing PCM project to provide inspiration and tools for user groups of the Hub to make their own music. It is crucial that documentation is instructional in nature, rather than promotional. Links to biographical information via a CNMN member page and external links are possible on the project webpage.

The post PCM Hub Open Call 2025–2026 appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, November 20, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a second virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners, featuring Canadian musicians who have cultivated participatory music projects throughout the course of their multifaceted careers in performing, composing, teaching, and facilitating.

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music. Other topics for the year will focus on engaging in outreach, partnership building, and how to evaluate impact.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Cultivating a Portfolio Career with Participatory Music appeared first on CNMN.

On Thursday, September 25, from 3:30 to 5pm (EDT), join the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Canadian New Music Network for a virtual professional development session for participatory music practitioners, featuring two Canadian musicians who initiated participatory music projects that have thrived over years.

This free talk is part of the Professional Development Series: Grow your career in Participatory Music. Other topics for the year will focus on growing a portfolio career, engaging in outreach, partnership building, and how to evaluate impact.

Registration for the virtual session is free. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days in advance.

The post Planting Seeds: How to initiate a Participatory Music Project appeared first on CNMN.

Amount of grant: $800.00

Application deadline: February 20, 2023

Application form here.

Deadline for submission of documentation of chosen projects via online upload form: April 17, 2023

What is Participatory Creative Music? 

According to the Canadian New Music Network’s Public Engagement Committee, Participatory Creative Music is a multitude of approaches to creating music in which everyone involved, regardless of their prior experience in making music, has active input in the creative process. Authorship and decision-making is shared to greater or lesser degrees, depending on context.

For more information and clarification, see Keyword Definitions.

What is the Participatory Creative Music Hub?

The Hub showcases people from all walks of life creating music together. Whatever you call it – participatory creative music, community music, jamming, co-composition, improvisation, music exploration, listening games or having fun with sound – The Hub celebrates music creativity for everyone. 

The main criteria for projects is that all participants have active input in the creative process, whether they are 4, 40 or 94 years of age, an experienced musician or making music for the first time. Projects must take COVID-19 measures into account. 

What is an eligible project?

An eligible project is a participatory creative music activity already occurring in the community, whether on-going or completed. Projects may take place in the fields of health care, education, social services, prisons and more. 

While not exclusive to this sector, we would like to encourage submissions of projects occurring in social services and community. Priority will be given to facilitators who are submitting a project to the Hub for the first time.

See the Project page for examples of Hub projects. 

See Keyword Definitions for terminology.

Documentation

The purpose of this grant is to support documentation of an existing PCM project to provide inspiration and tools for user groups of the Hub to make their own music. It is crucial that documentation is instructional in nature, rather than promotional. Links to biographical information via a CNMN member page and external links are possible on the project webpage.

The post PCM Hub Open Call 2022–2023 appeared first on CNMN.

Amount of grant: $800.00

Application deadline: February 28, 2023 at midnight

Deadline for submission of documentation via online upload form for selected projects: April 23, 2022

What is Participatory Creative Music? 

At CNMN, Participatory Creative Music is a multitude of approaches to creating music in which everyone involved, regardless of their prior experience in making music, has active input in the creative process. Authorship and decision-making is shared to greater or lesser degrees, depending on context.

For more information and clarification, see Keyword Definitions.

What is the Participatory Creative Music Hub?

The Hub showcases people from all walks of life creating music together. Whatever you call it – participatory creative music, community music, jamming, co-composition, improvisation, music exploration, listening games or having fun with sound – The Hub celebrates music creativity for everyone. 

The main criteria for projects is that all participants have active input in the creative process, whether they are 4, 40 or 94 years of age, an experienced musician or making music for the first time. Projects must take COVID-19 measures into account. Projects in remote and isolated areas are very encouraged.

What is an eligible project?

An eligible project is a participatory creative music activity already occurring in the community, whether on-going or completed. Projects may take place in the fields of health care, education, social services, prisons and more. 

This year’s call will prioritize projects related to health.

See the Project page for examples of Hub projects. 

See Keyword Definitions for terminology.

Documentation

The purpose of this grant is to support documentation of an existing PCM project to provide inspiration and tools for user groups of the Hub to make their own music. It is crucial that documentation is instructional in nature, rather than promotional. Links to biographical information via a CNMN member page and external links are possible on the project webpage.

Participatory music takes place in all kinds of settings with all kinds of people. Documentation can reflect this, and doesn’t have to be of studio-quality audio or video where that is not possible or appropriate. Sometimes a video capture from your cell phone or screen capture from zoom speaks volumes. Documentation should best reflect the nature of the project, communicate well on an on-line platform and assume varying levels of music training. 

Possible formats include: 

• Text: max 500 words. Exceptions made when use of participant images are an issue
• Scores and representations of all kinds are welcome and encouraged (text, graphic, video, western notation etc.)
• Images of process (JPG,PNG or GIF. Ideal size: 1280 pixels wide)
• Audio: links to SoundCloud are preferable. If this is not possible, the maximum size for uploading audio files is 10MB, or roughly 5–10 minutes of audio. For longer clips, please upload an excerpt.
• Video: YouTube or Vimeo link 
  • Optional: submission of video for upload to the CNMN YouTube channel
  • Max 3 minutes in length. If more time is needed, we recommend making multiple shorter videos rather than one long one

Permissions

Depending on the nature of the project, participants may be featured in image, audio and video files. Successful applicants are responsible for procuring, respecting and documenting permissions from participants for regular and digital usages of documentation related to the pilot project. Media release forms to this end will be provided by the CNMN, and are considered part of the deliverables.

Application Form

Please fill in this form to apply!

Write us at assistant.cnmn@gmail.com with any questions.

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