Fish are jumping and the cotton is high and it finally feels like it’s Summertime.

Layers have been shed, birdsong awakens the eyes to sunny days. The Picnic Real Estate Boom of 2014 begins and smiles are 65% more visible.

The young scholars feel a borderline euphoria as a significant load is lifted off their shoulders. The sounds of the last bell until September ricochets off of the lockers. 

The whole world seems to be in party mode, on patios and in parades, waving their flag and celebrating their cause and their country. Music festivals are in full bloom and the Island entices the urbanite from across the water.

On the shores of the mainland, the cultural and recreational broadside continues. What’s at hand here at TIFEM is indeed no deviation from all the activity.

This Summer we’re jamming as much music as possible into the TIFEM curriculum. There are many opportunities to augment and compliment your current musical journey. There will be many doors flung wide open for those of you wanting to get into music for the first time.

One such door reads: Ukulele Sundays! A FREE introduction to the wonderful and enchanting Uke, Sundays from 12:30-1pm. The introductory class is designed to get you geared up for the Group Ukulele Class, Level 1 that runs from 1-2pm and is aimed at the beginner to intermediate level.

If you happen to have a little bit of experience with playing the Uke already, TIFEM recommends the Level 2 Class for the intermediate to advanced players. Level 2 starts up at 2pm and goes until 3pm. The drop-in rate for the Uke classes is $15.

Come early and reserve a spot, the Uke class is a great way to do something new and exciting on a Sunday afternoon.

In addition  to the Uke classes we have a Drop-in Guitar class (Saturdays at 5pm). A FREE TIFEM Kids class every week (Tuesday at 11am) and the TIFEM Summer Camp of Rock (every Saturday from August 2nd-23rd), for guys and girls who are interested in meeting other kids and having that first band experience.

We have two more Open Mics to look forward to as well this summer (July 19th, August 23rd), plus a long list of surprises and spontaneous musical moments, as per usual.

From the 427 to the River Rouge, Lake Ontario on up to Steeles Ave, we bring you the city’s best, past present and future.

One of the most celebrated pianists of the 20th Century, Canadian Glenn Gould was also known as a writer, composer, conductor and broadcaster.

Glenn Herbert Gould was born on September 25th, 1932 and grew up at 32 Southwood Drive in Toronto’s beaches area. Gould’s childhood home has since been named a historic site by the City of Toronto.

An artist in the truest sense, Gould is equally famous for his technical and musical ability as he is for his eccentricities. Namely, insisting that the Brahms Concerto No.1 in D minor, which Gould was performing with the New York Philharmonic, be played at half its indicated tempo, much to the chagrin of music critics.

Perhaps most well known for his interpretations of the keyboard music of composer J.S. Bach, his diverse repertoire also included the compositions of Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, and Brahms. In addition, Gould performed the works of Pre-Baroque era composers such as Jan Sweelinck, and 20th Century pieces by the likes of Arnold Schoenberg and Paul Hindemith.

Also very prolific as a broadcaster, Gould was involved in the programming of several television and radio performances as well as some musique concrète documentaries for CBC radio about life in the Canadian wilderness.

Gould spent many summers at his family cottage, he often spoke about the fact that he was happiest, practicing music while surrounded by nature.

Honouring one of our city’s brightest lights, Mr. Glenn Gould.

It certainly takes a lot of work and a lot of talented and motivated people to create a memorable, well organized and enjoyable event.

Throughout history there have been many musical movements, happenings and events that have shaped the past and foreshadowed the future of music.

In this series, we try and make the impossible happen and go back in time to celebrate an epic event that has had an impact musically, culturally or otherwise.

Talking Heads Perform at Kingswood Music Theatre, August 12, 1983.

The lineup to the grounds at (not yet Paramount) Canada’s Wonderland looks like a group of extras let loose from a John Hughes movie set. Spiky haired teenagers with really skinny ties lean against Mazda 626’s and blast the Talking Head’s latest, Speaking in Tongues, through their cassette decks. The sounds meld in the air along with the smell of Funnel Cakes and the blood curdling screams heard from the Mighty Minebuster.

80’s New Wave is in full swing, and the brand new Kingswood Music Theatre was playing host to New York’s Talking Heads, on tour supporting their latest album.

The hoard of New Wavers ride the ferris wheel, and try to hold their Pizza Pizza down. They are thankful and even quite contented with the fact that the wind from the rides will enhance the height of their hairstyles. An aerosol assault following a couple of runs around the fury, and that hair is ready for Talking Heads.

That hair is up for quite the show. In store for a crowd of 15, 000 is a performance that will go on to become legendary and spawn the Talking Head’s concert film and album, Stop Making Sense.

The opening song is TH staple Psycho Killer. It features a solo David Byrne playing an acoustic guitar kept to time by a boom box with a recorded drum loop on the cassette. Not your average concert, the Heads are introduced one by one, with a new member entering the scene after each successive song.

Heaven is next and is played as a duo, with Byrne and bassist Tina Weymouth. The sound gets bigger with each new addition, and the effect is exhilarating.

This cumulative progression continues beyond the band’s immediate members and by the time the groove from Girlfriend is Better begins, the band is at full capacity, a small pop orchestra of sorts.

By the time the show is over, the walk back to the 626 feels like a flight. Hearing the echoes of perhaps one of the best concerts of his life, the young man looks to the horizon. He focuses his gaze on the peak of the Magic Mountain. He senses the sheer potential of this place, the promise of what is to come. At the moment he turns away, jingling his keys, a midnight coloured vampire bat rides the sky backwards over the jagged summit.

The lazy days and crazy nights of summer provide the perfect scenario to take our time and do things with style, and a little extra care. This summer, TIFEM is throwing it back to the double cassette deck to get things done.

Deck A is ready to go with only the best; a blank, fresh Maxell UR-60. Time to go digging through the musical universe and pick out some stars to arrange in the galaxy that will be this righteous dedication to one of our favourite seasons.

Lots of cueing, rew/rev-ing, and attending to the spaces in between the songs, as much as the songs themselves. Not to worry, here at TIFEM we operate at the highest level of cassette tape technology.

High speed dubbing ahead!!!

Side A:
1. Suffragette City-David Bowie
2. Panama-Van Halen
3. SLW-Teenanger
4. Dramamine-Modest Mouse
6. Sad Fuzz-Ty Segall
7. Baby You’re A Rich Man-The Beatles
8. Seasons (Waiting On You)-Future Islands

Side B:
1. Do It Again-Royksopp and Robyn
2. Sweet Life-Frank Ocean
3. Past Lives-DIIV
4. Summer Goth-Wavves
5. Face Again-How To Dress Well
6. Prismatic Room-Crystal Stilts
7. Sunday Evening-The Black Angels
8. Surfin’ Safari-The Beach Boys

Even though we love summer at TIFEM, we all understand that the sun has a weight of it’s own and sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated in the heat.

Here are some suggestions on how to get and keep your inspiration for a fun, and productive few months.

1. The Case for No Case
Leave your instrument set up while you’re at home, out of it’s case. If your instrument is easily accessible and tuned, it’s a lot easier to just pick it up to practice or just to play around. Remember, as long as your hands are on the instrument, there is always some progress being forged.

2. Go See Some Music
There are many music festivals happening this summer. Jazz Fest, NXNE, and many smaller events which feature live music. Many times the performances are free, and staged underneath a bright sunny sky. Scope out some other players, and investigate some of the possibilities of your instrument, or music in general.

3. Practice What You Don’t know
It’s all good to play pieces that we know and love, for the sheer Enjoyment of it. When you’re up to practicing something new, make sure that you are focusing and looping those sections that are giving you trouble, so as to be efficient with time and so you are not making the same mistakes over again.

4. Listen, Listen, Listen.
One of the greatest skills a musician can have, no matter the genre or approach, is a patient and attentive ear. Take an afternoon or two this summer to go to a park, or to the beach and just listen to the symphony that is nature. Take some compositional cues from the waves, from birdsong, or from the whistling wind through the trees.

5. Exercise!
The best music is played with a clear mind and a relaxed body. When the stresses of life get the better of us, sometimes the remedy is a run or bike around the block. Exercise can ease tension, and gives us a sense of wakefulness and a burst of energy. A great way to prepare the faculties for getting into the zone.

6. Sing
On your way down the road, as you walk through the crowded sidewalks, or on your way home after a long night, try humming a few bars of your favourite song. Maybe you’ll want to test those new song lyrics on the wind, or even try making up some lyrics on the spot. Whatever the case may be, singing while you walk, or drive can chill you out, and make you feel 8% happier.

7. Switch It Up
Guitar player? Try a music theory class. Play the piano? Why not try a night of singing in a choir? It can be extremely beneficial to see music from the perspective of another instrument. TIFEM has a great line-up of group, drop-in classes that allow you to venture outside of the box and try something brand new to help you see the artform in new ways.

We’re very proud of our faculty here at TIFEM. There are many talented folks around here that we have the pleasure of working with.

Our teachers here are at the forefront of what we intend to achieve at TIFEM, namely, our students walking away with a positive experience through music and music education.

We’d like to take some time out to send some love to one particular member of our team that we’ve chosen to put on the spot. (In the spotlight.)

Reenie Perkovic is a multi talented, multi instrumentalist and a conduit for good vibes. The kind of good vibes that assure the letters E-N-J-O-Y-M-E-N-T, stay firmly stuck to the store front here at TIFEM.

Reenie has expanded the programming of TIFEM and helped the place evolve in many ways. A true champion of the Open Mics, Reenie is always either performing her own beautiful and soulful songs, or else she is supporting and accompanying others on the guitar, or drums.

Reenie coaches and oversees the TIFEM Youth Band, and she will be leading the Summer Camp of Rock program this summer as well.

Reenie recently returned from a tour supporting her new album, Parallel Place, and played a fabulous date here in Toronto at the Garrison. We were blown away by her voice, her songwriting and the way she makes managing a multi-piece band look easy.

In addition to her own songwriting, Reenie collaborates with many other musicians, including a band called 13Factories in which she plays drums like a demon. Hard to believe that such a sound of thunder comes from someone who is actually really nice.

Reenie’s solo project, simply titled Reenie, accompanied by her amazing band is playing a show at the Drake this July 4th, with Fighter/Lover.

We’re lucky to have Reenie around, we know that someone as talented, and sweet isn’t a dime a dozen.