Community
Real IT. Real People. Real Give-Back.
Sometimes that's how we handle a ticket. Sometimes it's showing up for something that has nothing to do with IT at all.
The full interview. Program Director Jamie Sharpe on the trip, the students and what your support makes possible. 4 min 15 sec.
This year Tuor is a Gold Sponsor of the Sound Academy band trip out of Central Hastings. Six shows across Alberta in May 2027. The goal is $30,000 so every student can go, and every dollar goes to getting kids on the plane.
Why this trip is different
The band program has been going on the road for close to 30 years. Nashville, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, the East Coast. This is the first time they're heading west, which means flying instead of busing. That's a bigger price tag, and the usual student fundraising won't close the gap on its own.
What it means for the students
We asked Program Director Jamie Sharpe why trips like this matter. Three things stood out.
For many of these students it's the only travel they get.The area has real economic challenges and a lot of families are living close to or below the poverty line. As Jamie put it, “A lot of students don't have experiences outside of our area... it just gets them out. It lets them see different places and see different things.”
They get to live the job for a week. Performing, setting up, tearing down, picking up skills that go well beyond music class.
Then there's the screen break.Phones stay away for most of the trip. Jamie's take, “It makes the kids connect in ways that I remember when I was a kid, before we had cell phones... the kids really enjoy it, which you would not think is the case, but that is the case.” Camaraderie, teamwork and a confidence boost that shows up long after the trip ends.
The funding reality
Classroom budgets aren't what they used to be, especially in the arts. Elementary music programs in the area are nearly nonexistent and high school programs have been stretched thin for years.
“Everybody thinks that music is important... but the funding that people might expect is there, is not there. So we're kind of doing it all ourselves.”Jamie Sharpe, Program Director, Sound Academy
Why we're in
We didn't need much convincing. This is a program run by someone who has shown up for 30 years, for students who don't have many other chances to get out and see the world. Being a Gold Sponsor is a small way of backing that up.
We work with small businesses across Ontario every day and we know how much of the community runs on them. If you run one and have a little room to give, this is a good place for it. Sponsorship tiers and one time donations are both open at soundacademy.ca/Sponsorships-Donations.
Learn more about the program at soundacademy.ca.