63rd Annual Kiwanis Music Festival
Tuesday, April 11 – Friday, April 28, 2023

We greatly appreciate your generosity.  Your inspiration will keep motivating me to achieve more goals in my musical adventures.  Warmest Regards!

Thank you so much for the $50.  I really appreciated it.  (In a hand made card with musical notes and a rainbow.)

Thank you for that generous cheque.  I am honoured to be chosen to receive such a generous amount of money.  This money has helped me buy my new books and resources for piano so I can continue to grow and improve in piano.  This money has gotten me the new level 6 Royal Conservatory books (Etudes, Repertoire, Sight Reading, Technical Requirements. and the level 5 Supplementary Theory book to help me prepare for the exams.  I am very thankful to have you as a piano teacher because you helped me improve and get into the Kiwanis Music Festival Provincials.  Thank you again for giving me the money and being such an amazing piano teacher.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful gift.  It means a lot for me to take part in Kiwanis.

Thank you for running the competition through the pandemic.  I know it must have been hard, but it was well worth it.  It was really fun performing and competing this year even though it was virtual.  It gave me something to work and practice for.  I want to thank you for your hard work all this year and hope the next few years go as smoothly as this last year.  Thank you.

I am 10 and have been playing piano for 6 years.  I am very grateful for the money you gave me.  Thank you!

The difference you make makes all the difference!  Hope you know how much you are appreciated.  I was honoured to receive your generous award.  It was a very nice support.  The money has gone towards my Grade Seven piano books.

Thank you for being my piano teacher and helping me with my technique, theory, and pieces.  This year was very exciting to participate in the Kiwanis Music Festival.  Even though it was a virtual competition, I still had lots of fun and learned a lot from the experience.  I want to thank both of you for helping me learn and practice my pieces.  Because both of you are fantastic teachers, I was able to win awards.  I really appreciate the $150 I was able to receive for my piano and violin. 

Thank you very much.  A very special thank-you as warm as it can be.  To express appreciation to you from grateful me.  A beginning piano winner.

Thank you so much for your generosity!  (Hand made card with key signatures and notes of varying duration)

Thank you so much for your generous donation.  I am beyond grateful to have been awarded the Rose Bowl Prize.  Competing in the Rose Bowl was a goal of mine since I started participating in Kiwanis 12 years ago.  The Festival has been integral to my development as an artist and performer, and I would not be where I am today without the invaluable experience/knowledge I’ve gained each year at the Festival.  Thank you for supporting young artists like myself, and for allowing us the opportunities to develop our craft.
Thank you for donating this award/prize to me.  It means a lot to me because I have been practicing hard.  To have an award is huge!  This was the first time I won an award.  I was so excited.   I encourage you to keep donating to young musicians to give them that same excitement.  I am excited to go back to the Kiwanis Music Festival next year.

My name is …  and this year I am one of the award recipients of the Kiwanis Music Festival.  I am currently in Grade 11 and am hoping to complete my Level 10 RCM Piano Exam by the end of the year.  I am extremely grateful to have received an award.  It will continue to motivate me as I continue to pursue music throughout my life.  Thank you so much for sponsoring an award.

You were so thoughtful and really kind too.  The world is a nicer place because of people like you.  This year I took part in Level 10 piano.  Thank you very much for your contribution and support to the Festival.  I promise to keep working hard in this musical journey.

We thank you bunches and bunches for your generosity.

Thank you so much for the award!  It means so much to me!  I started playing piano in September 2021.  Thank you for holding the Kiwanis Music Festival.  I am looking forward to the next Kiwanis Music Festival in 2023.

Thank you for your generous support!  Have a great summer and wish you all the best.

Thank you for the prize award.  It was a surprize receiving the award when it was my first time entering the Kiwanis Music Festival.  I hope I get to attend next year. 

Thank you for the music award.  There was a hand made card of a girl playing a piano with a kitten on either side of the piano.

I would like to thank you sincerely for supporting my musical journey!  I am grateful to be the recipient of the Kiwanis Club of Forest City-London scholarship at the 2022 Kiwanis Music Festival.  The extraordinary organization and commitment quality of this festival have made it a joy to take part in.  I am currently a student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (classical piano).  Some my recent achievements include top prizes in the OMFA Provincial and the CMC National competitions, as well as soloing with numerous orchestras across the Greater Toronto Area and being maned to the CBC Music’s top 30 under 30 musicians list.  Having just finished my second year in university I am still unsure where my career will take me, but I love working with and learning from others and have been teaching piano for a few years – it’s something I hope to continue in the long term.  I am beyond grateful for this scholarship as it will help broaden my musical experiences, hopefully leading to graduate and post-graduate studies.  I am inspired to give back to the community and will be organizing some community outreach initiatives this fall.  Thank you once again for your generosity and support – it means so much to me.

Thank you so much for your support in my musical journey.  I appreciate is so much and will continue to work hard and become a better musician.  I have been playing the piano since the age of 8, and while I had a rough start (as I thought of piano as a chore and really did not enjoy the practicing), I grew to really enjoy practicing and playing pieces and making music for fun as well.  The piano is now something that I love to do and see as something that brings me enjoyment and relaxation.  My favourite piece that I am currently playing is nocturne op. 9 no. 1 in B flat minor by Chopin because it is such a soft and expressive piece, which is the style that I enjoy playing the most. As well, in my spare time, I like to try composing my own pieces and I also like to find a sheet of music for songs the I like (ex. Taylor Swift songs such as “Back to December” and “Safe and Sound”).  Going forward, I will be taking my level 10 piano exam in July 2022 and will be studying Management and Organizational Studies at Western with Ivey AEO in the fall.  I am going to continue to play the piano in my spare time (playing pieces and composing my own) and like to be able to teach piano to younger students.  I have been teaching my neighbours how to play the piano since November 2020, and hope to be able to reach more in the future.  Thank you again for your generosity, I truly appreciate it.

On behalf of the several award winners from our program, we thank you very much for the generous award.  As Ontario opens again, we are slowly returning to our classrooms from online lessons.  It is a challenge to say the least, be we are not going alone in this journey.  Our video performances are a far cry from playing in front of an adjudicator, but we will use whatever tools we have to continue instilling great music in our youth.  Although our conditions keep changing for the kids, our enthusiasm and support do not waiver.  As we struggle with adapting to this new world, we are very grateful for the support of people like you who enable our efforts.  Thank you for your support.

Thank you so much for your recognition of (name of school) in the Festival this year.  We truly appreciate the award that was presented to us this year.  We will be able to use the money to continue to support our students’ musical endeavors.  Your ongoing support of musical excellence in London and area is such a vital part of the arts community.  You provide amazing opportunities for our students and their quality of education is enriched by the ongoing financial support of your donors.  (Name of school) enters many classes in the festival each year because we truly believe in the importance of the arts in our community.  It reaches our students, not only about diligence and hard work, but also sharpens their talents in the arts and helps to form them into lifelong learners.  On behalf of the staff and students at (name of school), we thank you.   Congratulations on another successful year and we look forward greatly to entering next year’s Kiwanis Music Festival.

The musicians of (name of school) were so elated to receive recognition for the hard work this year.   Your generosity is much appreciated. 

On behalf of the music students in the band and choral program at (name of school), we are writing to thank all the Kiwanians for the gold certificates that were awarded to our department in the festival this year, as well as the numerous trophies for the bands and jazz ensembles.  We were especially honoured to receive the “Best Body of Work” for a secondary school band.  Every year the students have a fantastic time at the festival and this year was especially meaningful as we returned to playing together and live performances.  The students were so proud of their work, particularly the ways they were able to take on challenging pieces and then perform them so well for their families, friends, and peers.  Thank you so much for all you do to make the festival happen.  We really appreciate it.  Looking forward to next year.