For more than 50
years, Long & McQuade, the largest musical instrument retailer in Canada, has been providing a full range
of musical instruments and related services to Canadian musicians. Faye Shearer, director of music education
for Long & McQuade, says, “Offering music instruction to our customers is a logical and important
extension of our primary business of instrument sales. A musical instrument is meant to be played, and
teaching you to play it is where we come in.”
Guitar and piano students of all ages are in the majority at the 31 Long & McQuade Music Education
Centres, but every instrument from trumpet to drums, and saxophone to violin are taught by professional
instructors. “We do see some trends in demand for certain lessons,” Shearer says, “and with the popularity of
shows such as Canadian Idol, our vocal teachers are keeping very busy.”
Nikki Loney is a vocal and theory teacher who has been teaching at the Burlington Long & McQuade for 10
years. She says that just about anyone can be taught to sing. “My philosophy is ‘You can,’” says Loney.
“Singing is a skill and just like any other skill, some people learn slower than others, and some people
progress to be like a ‘superstar’ vocalist.”
According to Loney, singing is an extension of speech. “Your voice is an instrument — you just can’t see it,”
she says. “People don’t realize what a delicate instrument it is.” This is why it is essential to teach
people how to sing healthy. “Healthy” singing is an idea that Loney is quite passionate about, and it means
learning the “difference between singing and screaming.”
For Loney, there is no such thing as being too young or too old to learn to sing. She teaches students
from the ages of five to 68. “I personally enjoy working with younger students. It’s great to get young
children involved in music lessons. I play a lot of music games with them, and lessons are half an hour —
long enough to be a lot of fun, but short enough to keep them engaged in the lesson. I love it.
However, I find that my older students are more likely to practice — usually,” says Loney with a chuckle.
The age range of Loney’s students is typical of the other students taking lessons at Long & McQuade; the
largest demographic is represented by the seven to 16 year old age group.
Shearer says adult beginners are often under the impression that “old dogs can’t learn new tricks.” “Adult
beginners have many advantages over the younger students when it comes to learning to play a musical
instrument — self-motivation, attention span, existing strategies for learning, and most importantly,
understanding that practice is essential to learning a new skill,” says Shearer.
Just like Loney’s students in Burlington, students at the Long & McQuade Music Centres from Victoria to
St. John’s have the opportunity to showcase their talents at twice-yearly student recitals. Shearer talks
about the importance of students having goals to work towards. Festival competitions, student recitals and
Royal Conservatory Exams provide students with performance opportunities and in the case of Conservatory
exams, a nationally recognized standard. Shearer stresses that the best teachers know how to motivate and set
goals for their students. As Loney says, “We’re a lot more than someone who is going to take you through your
scales. A good vocal teacher — or any music teacher actually — is going to challenge you outside your comfort
zone.”
Shearer does acknowledge many older students are taking lessons as a recreational pursuit, learning to play
for their own enjoyment and not necessarily looking for a challenge. “That’s until they realize that just by
doing something they’ve always wanted to do, and haven’t done for one reason or another in the past, they’ve
actually accepted the ‘challenge.’ Good for them!” says Shearer.
“An extra incentive in learning to play an instrument, whether you’re five or 75, is the positive impact it
has on stimulating all parts of the brain,” adds Shearer. An advocate for music education, Shearer relates
study after study that show how playing a musical instrument has a positive impact on all other types of
learning and healthy brains. “Many parents are very savvy as to the importance of music as a complete part of
their child’s education,” says Shearer, “and with cutbacks in music programs in some school districts,
private music instruction is their only alternative. We’re very aware that we are an important educational
resource for the community, and we take that role very seriously.”
Loney agrees. “Long & McQuade is a really great community of resources,” she says. “Knowledgeable staff
in the store is always available to help students choose the proper books or instruments that they need.”
With more than 14,000 students attending lessons each week at Long & McQuade, it’s a very lively
community indeed. •
Photo courtesy
Long & McQuade
