MITS collaborates with a number of arts education and cultural partners where together we bring interdisciplinary arts projects to Ontario school communities in rural, First Nations and inner city (including Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas) – visit our Ideas page for examples of these projects.
Our current partnerships include the following:
Composers In The Schools project
MITS songwriters, arrangers, composers and spoken word artists offer workshops that incorporate big ideas, rich topics and cross-curricular learning such as social studies, history, geography, media studies, literacy and character development as well as FSL and much more!
Reduced fees for these programs are available for a limited time, with special thanks to the SOCAN Foundation, together with generous contributions from other project funders, and supporters of our Equity of Access fund.
Composers In The Schools artists include: Njacko Backo ~ Gurpreet Chana ~ Markus ~ Ed Hanely ~ Sheniz Janmohamed ~ Joy Lapps Lewis ~ Chris Rawlings ~ Muhtadi Thomas ~ Ken Whiteley
Inner City Angels
With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, MITS and ICA artists are developing performing and visual artists collaborations with classroom teachers along with school librarians and music teachers in TDSB and TCDSB school communities to provide child-centered, story-inspired interdisciplinary projects for grades 1 to 8 students. Students reflect, express and celebrate their learning while deepening community ties and leaving a beautiful visual legacy. Focus is placed on science and math concepts, critical environmental and social justice issues and an understanding of identity, belonging and wellbeing.
- Beautiful Sculptured Bees, Bees That Dance & Bees That Tell
- Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect
- Flow Theory
- Mapping the Heart
- Seven Sacred Grandfather Teachings
- Starry Night
Next Wave with Ontario First Nation Libraries and SOLS/OLS-N 
We are very honoured to have been invited to partner with Ontario First Nations Libraries in a cultural exchange of traditional songs and music, dance, and storytelling and puppet theatre between First Nation and non-native artists. With the generous support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation MITS artists visited a number of First Nation communities in Northern, Southern and Eastern Ontario 2010-2012. These opportunities would not have been conceived of, or made possible without the passion and expertise of SOLS First Nation Library consultant, Patty Lawlor, and to whom we are most grateful!
Jowi Taylor – Six String Nation project
Students reflect on the concept of national identity, while experiencing the narrative of the making of the Voyageur – the remarkable guitar crafted from over 60 items that celebrates the people and stories of this country from ‘the roots to the trunk rather than the other way around’.
This multi-media presentation is appropriate for Canadian history classes or as inspiration for an interdisciplinary project that can include song writing or visual art, a community celebration or keynote.
Toronto District School Board, Global Music Dept. – Indian Percussion Instrument Kit
MITS is excited to participate in the development of the Toronto District School Board Global Music department’s Indian Percussion unit pilot project. Musicians Gurpreet Chana and Ed Hanley collaborate with music teachers, visiting each class three to four times throughout the unit, where students are introduced to both Hindustani and Carnatic rhythmic languages through chanting and the playing of the instruments as they learn about, create, compose and perform with rhythmic syllables (bols and sol-ka-tu).
We are able to provide subsidy assistance to two TDSB school communities annually, with the generous support of the SOCAN Foundation and the Toronto Arts Council’s Targeted Enhanced Fund.
UNITY Charity
Created in memory of hip hop artist Barry Luksenberg, the FeelGood Music Fund provides aspiring hip hop artists with an honorarium as they continue to develop their art form and leadership skills through mentoring opportunities with UNITY Charity and Mariposa In The Schools’ veteran artists.
World Fiddle Day Toronto
The Parliament of Canada has officially declared the 3rd Saturday of May as National Fiddle Day. MITS is delighted to partner with World Fiddle Day Toronto in sharing diverse fiddle traditions with grade 4 to 12 students in Toronto’s school string programs with renown fiddler, Anne Lederman.
World Fiddle Day Toronto is a collective of both professional and amateur musicians who come together to organize participatory and inclusive World Fiddle Day events to celebrate the playing of bowed string instruments throughout the world.