WATCH: 'Music touches everybody's soul': music school looking for a new home

• Community school has limited time to find new facility
• The first fundraiser was held at local church

Kelowna Community Music School (KCMS) has been a local staple for many years and they've been instructing out of the same house since they first began in 1976.

Now, the school has outgrown its humble beginnings and the clock is ticking on finding a new, more suitable place to teach. They must find a new spot by 2024.

“Which sounds like a long away, but it’s not. Time is moving quickly, and we need to find a new space,” Lucy Benwell, KCMS executive director told Kelowna10. “Music is important to everybody, even if they’re not even aware of it. It’s used in so many social settings: weddings, funerals, parties, and it’s got to come from somewhere.”

Among the issues, the old house-turned-school presents a lack of parking, not enough space for group lessons, limited amenities, and poor soundproofing.

KCMS decided to sell the house back in December and is now leasing it. The music school is consulting with commercial realtors and they have proposals from architect firms.

To offset the costs of moving and buying a new facility, the school has begun fundraising. The first event was held on Saturday at St. Michael’s Cathedral.

“Hopefully we’re just going to get some awareness out there about what we’re doing,” Jessica Crawford, KCMS artistic director said. “This one is starting everything off and getting people aware that we exist and that we’re looking for a new place.”

The benefit concert had a butterfly theme and was called ‘Chrysalis’ and there were many colourful designs hung from the archways of the church.

“We’re comparing it to a new beginning when a butterfly is in a cocoon and its going to blossom into something new and wonderful,” Crawford said. “It’s kind of where we’re at right now is that beginning stage.”

The talent included both past and present, teachers and students, playing together.

Everything from the piano, and cello, to violin and guitar, filled the high ceilings of the church. In between each act, speakers shared stories and history of the school.

KCMS still welcomes new students and it offers bursaries and scholarships to give access to music lessons more accessible for everyone.

“Music touches everybody’s soul and it’s a foundational part of our being,” she said.

“It’s a universal language, it’s a form of self-expression, and I think it’s really important for children to be able to express themselves through music.”