Ben Glossop is a very active musician in the Ottawa area playing with the Ottawa Symphony, the Kingston Symphony, the Prisme Ensemble, the National Arts Centre and the Bel Canto Quintet. Ben has brought the Bel Canto Quintet to a number of schools, Lotus Music and the National Arts Centre to perform his piece How the Kangaroo got her Pouch. An interactive piece written to be performed with the participation of people with special needs. Through these Music Circles, dozens of people have had a chance to make sounds on the instruments of the quintet, as well Ben has run many workshops bringing lots of other instruments for people to try and experience. In addition to being a bassoonist, Ben plays piano, guitar and is a singer songwriter who revels in using songs to bring music, sound, poetry, and movement to life for the people he works with.

Justin has always been extremely passionate about the arts and fell in love with music at age 13. He started playing the guitar at age 15, composing at age 16, and has since expanded his instrumental range to include bass, ukulele, piano, and drums. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Moncton in 2016, Justin began working with children of all ages and needs and developed a passion for advocating for and helping people in the neurodivergent community. In his lessons, Justin’s main focus is for his students to explore different aspects of music to find their strengths and what they’re most passionate about. Then, using a multimodal and personalized approach, he helps them reach their full musical potential based on those personal strengths and interests. Justin offers lessons in both French and English.

Lauren is a passionate bass clarinet player pursuing a Bachelor’s in music performance at Carleton University. She has experience teaching clarinet to concert band peers in high school, and great experience in piano and trumpet as well. Most of her musical experience comes from performing in ensembles throughout high school and currently, at university. In teaching, Lauren’s main goal is to spread her passion and excitement for music. She hopes to make lessons enjoyable, build a relationship with her students, and create a fun and safe space for learning!

Liam Vaillancourt is an educator and musician based in Ottawa, Ontario. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa. Liam has experience teaching and supporting students in a variety of settings, including grades 7–12 music, contemporary studies, language arts, mathematics, and special education.

As a music educator, Liam has experience teaching beginner students on band instruments, including saxophone, clarinet, brass instruments, and hand percussion. He also teaches beginner-to-advanced guitar, bass, and ukulele and has experience leading both small and large ensembles. Through his work in schools and at Lotus Music as a music lead, support staff member, and private music instructor, Liam has developed approaches that support students with a wide range of abilities and learning needs.

Liam believes that every student can learn an instrument and experience music in a way that is meaningful and accessible to them. He believes this starts with knowing the student, understanding their individual needs, and building a collaborative relationship that allows them to feel successful. His work at Lotus Music has been particularly meaningful, providing him with transferable skills that have strengthened his practice as an educator and reinforced his belief that every student can succeed.

What drives Liam most as an educator is seeing students grow in confidence, develop their skills, and experience the satisfaction of making progress over time.

Mubarak Farah is a professional pianist, music educator, and composer with over twenty years of experience learning and playing the piano. Before stepping back in 2017 to focus full-time on pursuing a career in teaching, Mubarak was an active performer in the Ottawa music scene for over a decade, first as a solo artist and later with his band Airliner. Mubarak has performed in countless venues throughout eastern Ontario, including the Ottawa RBC Bluesfest in 2014. His band Airliner released both a self-titled EP in 2012, and a full length album called Fired Up in the summer of 2014. Mubarak considers himself to be a lifelong student, earning a Bachelor of Music honours degree with distinction from Carleton University. He has studied with notable piano teachers such as Troy Dodds and Ian Card, and more recently with the jazz pianist Yves Laroche at Carleton. Mubarak lives for the joy of teaching music and says there is no greater moment than when a student learns a song from start to finish, or is able to demonstrate a music theory concept for the first time.

Rafael is an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Music student at the University of Ottawa. He has a strong passion for working with children and youth that has grown through his involvement in camps, youth committees, and community programs. His journey began at the Community Music Schools of Toronto (CMST), where he started as a student, later volunteered, and eventually took on the role of Camp Administrator. Through programs like Early Childhood Music (ECM) and various summer camps, Rafael had the opportunity to work with children of different ages and abilities. These experiences helped him develop patience, adaptability, and a thoughtful, student-centered approach. He is committed to creating a positive, inclusive environment where every child feels welcomed and encouraged to explore creatively. Originally from the Philippines, Rafael grew up without access to creative programs like music or camps. After moving to Canada, he found a sense of belonging and purpose in these spaces, and now he’s passionate about giving back to the community that helped shape him. Outside of work, he enjoys playing volleyball, performing music (most recently “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne), and volunteering in the community.

Robin is a singer, songwriter, and music educator born in Ottawa. Her interest in music was clear from a young age after taking piano lessons with a family friend which then led to an interest in singing. In high school she formed a band with some classmates that led her to opportunities playing at bluesfest, local fairs, and venues around Ottawa which garnered a love for songwriting and performing. In Spring of 2021 she completed a Bachelor of music at Carleton University where she studied Jazz & Pop vocal performance. Since graduating she has worked with various artists around Ottawa performing in jazz quartets, recording with local artists, and working on her own music projects. As a teacher she believes that music education is a great way to foster interpersonal and social skills and it is her goal to provide a positive and accommodating environment to do so. Robin has benefited greatly from music’s role in her life and through her lessons she aims to provide the same to all of her students.

Selena was first introduced to music playing through piano lessons at age five, and has since enjoyed the instrument as a soothing expression of thought and emotion. Throughout middle and high school, Selena explored playing the clarinet and violin, and ultimately found an affinity for the voice. First with choir, having performed in a choir tour across China, then transitioning to solo classical singing. Now she participates regularly in competitions and performs in annual showcases to share opera with the community. She was first involved with Lotus Music as a volunteer in music circles, and saw potential to further give the gift of music through teaching. Moving forward, Selena is looking to combine the piano and voice in music playing with appreciation of theory, and use her experience to help others on their musical journey.

Selena is currently studying biomedical science at the University of Ottawa. She is pursuing a career in research and hopes to maintain a connection with music and the community through her work.

Tracy started formal music studies late in life, at the age of 28. She always wanted to play piano. Both parents were very musical; between the two they played piano, guitar, alto sax, organ, banjo and accordion. Both played for enjoyment – her mom even brought her piano to senior’s apartment. As Tracy juggled family, work, and volunteering, music lessons always came last. She still takes lessons from Erin (of Lotus Music), currently in RCM program, working on ARCT Intermediate Pedagogy. It has been a long musical journey, and she’s still moving forward.

There are so many benefits when learning to play music: to call upon a few, growth of imagination and creativity, development of small muscles, and a confidence booster when playing for a teacher or at a recital. With the skills we learn, Tracy believes when we teach music, we teach for life. Just like her parents, she aims to enjoy playing the piano for years to come.

Ursa Meyer, B.Mus, MYCC, is a Canterbury High School Strings Grad who studied Viola Performance in university before earning her Bachelors of Music Education, summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa. She is a multi-instrumentalist (viola, violin, and piano) who has been teaching for 9 years and has an extensive performance history (her first show was at the age of 9) in various styles such as fiddle (notably Maplewood Ceilidh Band), classical (notably Cadenza Quartet, Canterbury High School Orchestra, Ottawa Youth Orchestra, Ottawa University Orchestra), klezmer (notably the Ottawa Klezmer Band), pops (notably the Ottawa Pops Orchestra), and world folk (notably Fiddlehead Soup). 

Ursa is an extremely passionate teacher who loves watching her students grow through music and who teaches in both our country’s official languages. She espouses the universal benefit music education gives in every aspect of life. It helps with emotional regulation, effective learning skills, creativity, and it teaches problem solving which helps you to take different approaches to life’s challenges, as well as numerous other benefits. Teaching those with exceptionalities is one of Ursa’s greatest joys, has strengthened her compassion, fun-lovingness, and patience, and she creatively accommodates all needs!