Lotus Music

Exciting changes coming your way...

We are thrilled to announce that we are launching a rebrand next week! Swipe for a sneak peek at our new logo 👀

This update is such a meaningful step for us as an organization. We can't wait to continue spreading the joy of adaptive music education with a refreshed name
and look that better reflects who we are, where we're going, and the people we serve.

Stay tuned for more details on Monday 💙

Join Dr Erin Parkes for a professional development session on Participatory Music as Social Enterprise this Thursday at 3:30 PM EDT 🎹

Participatory Music as Social Enterprise — Meet our guest musician | Rencontrez notre musicienne invitée: Erin Parkes (Executive Director and Founder, Lotus Centre for Special Music Education)

Erin founded Lotus Centre in 2012 based on a passionate belief that music education should be accessible to all. A PhD graduate in Music Education from McGill University and a leading expert in adaptive pedagogy for neurodivergent and disabled students, she founded the Lotus Institute for Professional Development in 2020.

Erin is an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and an active researcher at various national music and health institutes.

Join us for our next free professional development session with Erin Parkes:
📅 Thursday, May 28, from 3:30 to 5 pm (EDT)
📍 Online (the link will be sent in advance)
🆓 Free to register:
https://www.newmusicnetwork.ca/participatory-music-as-social-enterprise/

🎶

Erin a fondé le Lotus Centre en 2012, animée par la conviction profonde que l’éducation musicale devrait être accessible à toutes et tous. Titulaire d'un doctorat en éducation musicale de l'Université McGill et experte reconnue en pédagogie adaptée pour les élèves neurodivergents ou en situation de handicap, elle a créé le Lotus Institute for Professional Development en 2020.

Professeure adjointe à l'Université d'Ottawa, Erin est une chercheuse active au sein de plusieurs instituts nationaux en musique et santé.

Rejoignez-nous pour notre prochaine séance de développement professionnel gratuite avec Erin Parkes:
📅 Jeudi 28 mai, de 15h30 à 17h (HAE)
📍 En ligne (le lien sera envoyé à l’avance)
🆓 Inscription gratuite:
https://www.reseaumusiquesnouvelles.ca/la-musique-participative-comme-entreprise-sociale/

•••
The series is supported in part with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) | Cette série est financée en partie par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH

Join us at CFMTA's Connecting Canada 2026 for a roundtable with Lotus teachers and researchers Jeff Sabo, Olivia Adams, and Dr. Erin Parkes.

CFMTA Invites All Music Teachers to Register Now for Connecting Canada 2026.
https://sites.google.com/view/cfmta-cc
Only $80 for the All Access Pass! Weekly option is $25 each.
Live & pre-recorded workshops begin July 6, with access until August 31.
CFMTA Members - look for your exclusive discount code in the monthly Of Note e-newsletter.

Hear the Lotus Centre Singing Collective and Rock Band perform "Mitêh" live for CBC Music, powered by MusiCounts 🥁

We are so proud of our talented, hard-working students 💙

CBC Music Class 1 like. ""Mitêh" - Lotus Centre for Special Music Educ. (LC Singing Coll. & Rock Band) "

Join us this summer as we host the pre-conference seminar with ISME Commission on Special Music Education and Music Therapy! We can't wait to welcome ISME to Ottawa this summer.

ISME Pre-Conferences are live!
pre-conferences.isme.org/registrations/

The 2026 Lotus Centre Coffeehouse is Thursday, March 19th at 7:00 PM! This year, we are thrilled to partner with Happy Goat Coffee Co.'s Laurel Street Cafe as our host. The evening will feature special performances by our students, staff, and community members. Entry is by donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). We ask that you RSVP via the form linked below as space is limited. See you there!

https://forms.gle/nK2aG2jrLQVrvJ7p6

A thank you card from Lotus Centre ❄

Every lesson, group class, community workshop, concert, training, and research project we deliver is powered by partnership. We are deeply thankful for the funders and supporters who believe in inclusive, accessible music education. Your investment is creating lifelong impact one student, one teacher, one community at a time.

Special thanks to:
Adobe
Azrieli Foundation
BridgeGreen Capital Inc./Minto Foundation Inc.
Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation
City of Ottawa
Foundation Amelia & Lino Saputo
Government of Canada
Kiwanis Club of Ottawa
H.E. Foster Foundation
Lewitt Family Foundation
Molson Foundation
Telus Friendly Future Foundation

Would you look who's on the cover of the Oxford Handbook of Special Music Education and Music Therapy! What a pleasure to see the smiling face of a long-time Lotus Centre student on the cover of this important new publication, featuring a chapter written by our very own Dr Erin Parkes and Jeff Sabo.

Learn more about this exciting project at the link below!

https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Special_Music_Edu/nXCREQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1