BMO Private Wealth recently made a $25,000 gift to the Holland College Foundation, which will provide students with access to advanced music technology.

The gift, designated for the School of Performing Arts, will upgrade the Music Performance program lab from its current PC set up to an Apple iMac lab complete with industry-grade music recording software. Students will learn to compose, arrange, and record on industry-leading technology, empowering them to be self-sufficient in their creative endeavours.

“Holland College is a special institution not only for P.E.I. but for all of Atlantic Canada,” said BMO Atlantic Regional President Marc Champoux. “That BMO Private Wealth is able to support a really important Holland College program and, ultimately, our arts community as a whole, makes us proud and is our absolute pleasure.”

The lab upgrade was at the top of the Music Performance program’s wish list for quite some time and is welcomed by the students and their instructors.

“This has been the missing piece,” said Liam Corcoran, program manager for the School of Performing Arts. “This is one part of the Music Performance program that we have really wanted to strengthen, to enrich the student experience and provide them with the tools to produce high-calibre music.”

Students come from all over the world to take Holland College’s two-year Music Performance program, which uses official curriculum from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Students learn how to interpret, improvise, and perform many contemporary music styles, how to use music technology to produce their own music and sound design projects, and how the business side of the music industry works. The revitalized lab will be ready for students early in the new year.

“Donors play a critical role in ensuring that students learn and train in classrooms and labs that replicate real-world environments,” said Holland College Foundation Board Chair, Kent Scales. “We are grateful to the BMO Private Wealth team for this impactful gift.”

In this picture: Holland College President Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald and Holland College Foundation Board Member and Vice-President, BMO Nesbitt Burns Adam Balderston accept a $25,000 cheque from Greg Chaisson, Market Leader and Vice-President, New Brunswick and PEI, and Marc Champoux, Atlantic Regional President.