The Arts Access Fund works with the following group of visual and performance arts organizations:
Art Works Art School
238 Jane St, Toronto, ON M6S 3Z1
Art Works Art School has evolved and expanded its services, since 1996, to facilitate students of all ages, offering some of the finest and most varied art programs in the city. Our new home and location has allowed us to create many exciting possibilities for our students such as exhibition opportunities in Art Works Art Gallery, access to the Frank Hoff Art Library for research purposes, and proposals for artist-in-residence independent studio development.
Volunteer opportunities are encouraged and available to high school, university and college students through our ongoing Mentoring Program. Services to our community include events hosting, open houses, family days, workshops, and we sell retail art supplies and instruction books to the public.
Artists' Play
1112 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M4M 2S1
Artists' Play School of Dance has been providing dance classes to the Leslieville, Riverdale and Riverside communities since 2004. The school focuses on proper dance technique and the fostering of creativity. We offer professional dance lessons in ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, tap, aerial silks and creative movement. All our instructors are professionally-trained dance and aerial artists working actively in Toronto.
At Artists’ Play, children and youth are respected as creative beings and are taught in a joyful atmosphere as they work toward technical excellence. Through weekly classes they acquire healthy body image, leadership qualities, the ability to take direction, teamwork, and respect for themselves and their peers. As well, two main performances per year provide children with valuable performance and life skills.
Artists’ Play is also proud to have a repertoire of dynamic performance projects under the direction of Elizabeth Dawn Snell.
Avenue Road Arts School
Avenue Road Arts School is a Toronto-based creative oasis for preschoolers, kids, teens and adults who want to develop their skills in the arts, connect with the artistic community and unearth their imagination. The School has been inspiring creativity since 1993 and has become a leader in arts education, providing tuition by experienced educators and a welcoming environment that invites the public to connect and explore the arts. A large roster of art classes are offered all year long through courses, workshops as well as outreach programs at a variety of public and private schools across the city exploring a wide range of media including drawing, painting, mixed media, photography and 3D art. Their program has been shown to develop student's portfolio work for school acceptance, deepen student’s confidence and encourage creative thinking. Through Avenue Road Arts School’s virtual program, the School offers online classes that allow the School to connect to individuals beyond Toronto and brings their community to you!
Bach Children’s Chorus
3739 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, ON, M1J 3H4
Founded in 1987, the national award-winning Bach Children’s Chorus (BCC) is a leader in choral musicianship and performance, continuing to set the highest standards of musical literacy and education for community choirs. Our integrated program includes theory, ear training and sight-singing. Age- and skill-appropriate activities are taught to every singer in all choir levels. The BCC also proudly invites outstanding alumni and senior members to lead and mentor our youth through sight-singing small groups, vocal coaching, and rehearsal assistant opportunities. The BCC’s artistic programming aims to inspire all members, ages 4 to 18, with an emphasis on rehearsals in east Scarborough, where more accessible community music opportunities for youth are needed.
Bravo Academy for the Performing Arts
77 Samor Rd, #4 Toronto, ON M6A 1J2
Bravo Academy for the Performing Arts is committed to the highest quality performing arts training for students of all ages and all skill levels in Toronto, Ontario. Our professional, dedicated, talented and friendly teachers are all qualified instructors that are performers, arts educators, and arts supporters.
Here at Bravo Academy, our aim is to bring music to life! We produce more shows than any performing arts school in Toronto. We love music, theatre, and performance and aim to provide you with a space where we can share our love of the arts with YOU!
Most of all, we are here to teach you what you want to learn. From beginner music theatre classes to advanced performance troupes, from information sessions to masterclasses, to lessons in all types of instruments at all levels, to birthday parties and fun events, we are dedicated to providing you with the best performing arts experiences and education in Toronto.
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre
509 Parliament St, Toronto, ON M4X 1P3
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) is a modern dance repertory company of dancers under 20 years of age. Founded in 1980 by Deborah Lundmark and Michael deConinck Smith to present gifted young artists in professional productions, the Company has staged more than one-thousand performances from Barrie to Beijing and has been hailed by Toronto’s Globe and Mail as “a national treasure”. CCDT members experience the life of professional dancers, including weekly classes in ballet and modern, extensive repertoire training and work with celebrated Canadian choreographers in the creation of original dance works. CCDT performs locally and abroad to critical and popular acclaim.
Centauri Arts Academy
2323 Bloor St W #218A, Toronto, ON M6S 4W1
Centauri Arts Academy is a learning centre for young people and adults who have a keen interest in the arts. We offer arts courses throughout the year in Creative Writing, Theatre/Acting, Filmmaking & Fine Art. In addition, we offer an annual retreat to Costa Rica for adult writers and their families. Many of weekly courses we offer – Film Production and Creative Writing, for example – are difficult to find elsewhere, while our Acting courses include the chance to take internationally-recognized performance examinations through Trinity College (UK).
We are located in West Toronto, and our students come from across the city, as well as from Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Burlington, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Guelph.
Children & Youth Dance Theatre
4507 Chesswood Dr, North York, Ontario M3J 2V6
The Children & Youth Dance Theatre (CYDT), founded in 1993, is a registered charity and community-based dance academy in North York, Toronto. Offering ballet, jazz, hip hop, Afro-Caribbean, acro, tap, and contemporary classes, including an accredited acro program, CYDT develops coordination, rhythm, strength, flexibility, discipline, and teamwork. Students explore dance as self-expression, culture, leadership, and professional training, performing widely across Ontario. CYDT dancers have represented Canada at major international events, including CARIFESTA in Barbados and Trinidad, the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in Scotland, and Dance and the Child International in Jamaica. Graduates have excelled in secondary arts schools in Toronto, Peel, and York regions, often ranking at the top of their class. Many continue their education in the arts at York University and Toronto Metropolitan University, pursuing majors and double majors in their field.
Joy of Dance
95 Danforth Ave #302, Toronto, ON M4K 1N2
Joy of Dance Centre offers the very best in Adult, Kids and Teen dance class instruction within a warm and welcoming environment. We are committed to providing our students with a place and space to grow: uniquely, individually, expressively, technically, passionately and with excellence. We offer instruction in a diverse and extensive dance repertoire from Ballet to Hip Hop to Contemporary to Ballroom.
We are an accredited Ballroom Dance Teacher's Academy, under the DVIDA and ISTD programs.
Our vision is to enrich the dance community we serve, locally and globally, by providing the very best in all things dance. We strive to open the heart, mind, body and soul to the joy of expression and connection through dance. To us anything is possible once joy is experienced. We are committed to sharing the passion and paying it forward.
Our mission is to inspire and spread the joy of dance to all and to be the central, authoritative and collective voice of dance. Above all, we are committed to being simply the best in serving our dance community.
Toronto Music Alliance
Toronto Music Alliance is about Music for Everyone. The school takes a fun, relevant and modern approach to music that emphasizes the journey of learning with an approach that goes beyond the notes on the page. The results have inevitably followed. Our faculty use a variety of teaching methods suited to the individual needs of each student. Music doesn't fit into a square box, so why should music lessons? From the world-renowned Suzuki method to the Royal Conservatory exam curriculum, from classical and jazz to Songwriting 101 and Theory 911, we aim to provide the most engaging and rewarding music lessons in the GTA. In addition, we are proud to feature innovative, award-winning programs you won't find anywhere else, including our Digital Music Production studio (still offered online!). We continue to enrich our community with a huge variety of online activities, including masterclasses, recitals, seminars, student and teacher performances, and a whole lot more!
Randolph Kids Performing Arts
736 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4
In the 25-plus years since its founding, the Randolph Kids Performing Arts has been a part of every major musical theatre event in Toronto, from the pre-Broadway runs of Ragtime and Fosse to the North American premieres of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz and Dirty Dancing, and Mirvish Productions The Sound of Music. The Randolph Kids Performing Arts was established during the mega-musical revolution in Canada, at the time giving rise to a new breed of performer able to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding and dynamic industry.
Sistema Toronto
96 Vine Ave., Suite 5, Toronto ON M6P 1V7
Sistema Toronto is a free music and social development program for children and youth living in underserved communities with the end goal of transformative social action. Our core program students learn together for 10 hours each week where they play in orchestras, sing in choirs, and beat drums in drum ensembles. After graduating from the Core program in grade 8, students are invited to continue their music education throughout high school by joining our Honours Orchestra, where they are able to continue to play in an ensemble while gaining leadership experience by mentoring younger students. Our Mentor Artist Program provides lessons and rigorous instruction to our most advanced and engaged students in our Honours Orchestra Program.
The Toronto Children’s Chorus (TCC)
26 Delisle Ave, Toronto, ON M4V 1S5
The Toronto Children’s Chorus (TCC) is recognized as one of the finest treble choirs in the world. Offering choir programs for ages four through 18, TCC provides exceptional music, vocal and performance training targeted for each age group. Choirs are led by experienced conductors under TCC Artistic Director Zimfira Poloz. TCC’s music education program includes sight singing, theory training, master classes and workshops with expert clinicians. Young singers learn music that embraces diverse cultures, traditions and musical genres and all singers perform in three concerts each year. Members of the senior chamber choir have additional performance opportunities, including collaborations with other musicians such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and tours to national and international festivals.
TCC is committed to the enrichment of children’s lives through outstanding music education, the transformative experience of singing and performing choral music at a high level, and the opportunity to develop life skills of discipline, collaboration and teamwork.
Toronto School for Strings and Piano
1585 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z9
Founded in 1999 by Julian and Mary Fisher, the Toronto School for Strings and Piano (TSSP) provides a positive and inspiring environment where students of all ages develop their love of music through lessons, performances, and group activities. The school fosters a supportive community that celebrates musical growth and promotes the lifelong value of music education for individuals and families.TSSP’s experienced faculty combine the Suzuki Philosophy, Royal Conservatory standards, and personalized approaches to suit each student’s needs. Instruments taught include violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, guitar, and electric bass. Students enjoy opportunities to perform with ensembles, work with professional accompanists, and explore music theory and technology. While rooted in classical training, TSSP also incorporates jazz and improvisation, emphasizing creativity, discipline, and artistic development within a nurturing atmosphere. We encourage our students to take advantage of enriching opportunities such as rehearsing with a professional accompanist, or playing with small ensembles or orchestra.