& the Community Music Education Program (CMEP)
The Music in Early Childhood program at Wilton Academy of Music has a history that spans decades and generations. It began in the summer of 1987 at the University of Saskatchewan Division of Extension.
Bertha Klassen and Rae Wilton (mother to current owner Nicole Wilton) had the amazing privilege of studying that summer with music pedagogue Katalin Forrai at the University of Toronto.
Katalin Forrai (1926–2004) was a Hungarian music educator and conductor renowned for her pioneering work in early childhood music education. Born in Debrecen, Hungary, she was a close collaborator of composer Zoltán Kodály. Under his mentorship, she developed and refined the Kodály Concept for preschool-aged children, emphasizing the use of folk songs, singing games, and movement activities to foster musical development from an early age . Kodály-trained children “can see what they hear and hear what they see”. In other words, through the knowledge of solfège, they are able to sing what they see on a music score and write the score of the melody they hear. It is quite remarkable.
Bertha and Rae conducted a pilot project for the U of S Extension Division that fall (1987) and the program, known as the Community Music Education Program (CMEP), flourished for many years. Rae retired in 1997. Her daughter Nicole, who started teaching in the program in 1999, became the director in 2004. Prior to that, Nicole had been teaching music privately since 1992.
Nicole managed the program until 2015 when the U of S was making some structural changes to non credit programming which made its future tentative. Rather than dissolve the program, Nicole requested that the University allow her to take the program privately into the Saskatoon community that it served. Her request was eventually granted and her dream of owning her own music school came to fruition.
After much venue shopping and sorting through the logistics and legalities of zoning and incorporation, Wilton Academy of Music (WAM) was launched, initially operating in various venues before settling in at St John’s Anglican Church Hall in 2018 – a wonderful central location with permanent spaces for all classes and lessons.
In addition to the on-site early childhood classes, Wilton Academy has grown its city-wide outreach in delivering music programming to many daycares and preschools in the community, bringing music education to children who may not otherwise have access. Beyond early childhood classes, Wilton Academy’s private instrumental offerings have continued to grow with individual lessons in Suzuki piano and traditional piano, guitar and violin.
Nicole has also become a leader in the Suzuki piano community across the country. She is one of four Suzuki Piano Teacher Trainers in Canada, training other teachers in this method and offering workshops and adjudication in her commitment to teaching and learning.
The generational learning through Wilton’s established program has not only carried on through their loyal client base, but also through their staff. Nicole’s daughter, Brette (the third generation), has been one of the main early childhood instructors since 2019.
As a local family business, WAM is so grateful to the people of Saskatoon and surrounding communities who continue to support and spread the word about their programs and teachers, building their growth year after year.
