A drummer and a guitarist on stage.

COVID Information for Students

Statement to Students

Dear Music Students,

Following up on the message, "Student Update for Our Fall Semester", sent out by Deb Saucier, PhD, President and Vice-chancellor, the Vancouver Island University Music Department is committed to continuing to provide its students with a diverse and comprehensive music program at VIU.

As creative artists working in a genre that values and encourages improvisation, the VIU Music Department faculty will have new or modified approaches for delivering courses from theory to history, from performing to recording. Whether you are just entering the program, or getting close to graduating, our dedicated music faculty will work together to help you achieve your goals.

As the world changes through these challenging times, it is the arts that (still) define us as humans. We feel privileged to be musicians, to have chosen music as our area of expertise and as our way of life. It is imperative that the music, and our contribution to it, does not stop. The world needs us more than ever!

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions for the Fall Semester.

The music faculty would like to leave you with some sage advice from the great Cannonball Adderley.

“You know, sometimes we're not prepared for adversity. When it happens sometimes, we're caught short. We don't know exactly how to handle it when it comes up. Sometimes, we don't know just what to do when adversity takes over. And I have advice for all of us, I got it from my pianist Joe Zawinul who wrote this tune. And it sounds like what you're supposed to say when you have that kind of problem. It's called ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’.”

Stay healthy and stay safe.

Sincerely,

The VIU Music Department faculty