Conservatory one-stop shop for the arts
Children and adults alike have a new spot to participate in music and the arts.
The Saskatoon Conservatory of Music and Arts has opened on 22nd Street.
It features private and group music lessons, dance and a fine arts program, says director Oxana Ossiptchouk.
She said it is her vision to give children the opportunity to experience a number of creative outlets.
Ossiptchouk, who is second principal violinist with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, teaches violin and piano.
They have Suzuki violin group classes as well as classic violin.
The centre will teach all instruments, though the focus is on guitar, piano, violin, drums and voice.
Students range from the very young to adults and there are group and private lessons.
In September, they plan to offer music for one- to fouryear-olds.
Besides music lessons there is Ukrainian dance, Flow & The Skill breakdancing and soon, Dance in the Prairies School of Ballet will be housed at the conservatory.
Guitar teacher Michael Zdravko Besermenji is also the builder of the space, which came about after Ossiptchouk and some of her colleagues had been teaching private lessons at different areas and wanted something more permanent.
The building has a recital hall, dance studio and a number of private studios. It also houses Smak Ukrainian Store & Coffee Shop.
Ossiptchouk said so far it has been a rewarding experience.
“I love what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s like a different experience all the time.”
They are having an open house and fundraiser on Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. There will be a book and music sale to go along with the open house. Proceeds will go toward upgrading the dance studio and purchasing a grand piano.
The Better Good store has recently moved a block or so down from its previous location on Broadway Avenue.
Owners Corey and Laura Neufeld have bought the building they now occupy. It was formerly owned by Willey’s Jewellers, which had been at that location since 1949.
“They were happy to pass (the building) on to another local family,” Laura Neufeld said. “It is the ideal location and size.”
The Better Good offers a wide variety of environmentally and socially sustainable products. This includes items ranging from organic mattresses to clothing, shoes, locally made toys, body care products, organic and fair trade food items.
And they now have a gardening section that offers organic and heirloom seeds.
“We’ve introduced lots of new and unique products, but they still must fit into our ethical buying criteria,” Neufeld said.
Those include being organic, fair trade, locally produced, reused/recycled/renewable materials, handmade items and natural products.
The Better Good is celebrating its fifth year and has maintained its core values, which include donating 10 per cent of profits to local and international charities, and being involved with the community through events such as free yoga in the park every Sunday. It is also doing its second yard and home tour this August featuring green home designs and ecofriendly yards.
Neufeld said virtually all the renovations to the new location were done with recycled and used materials, including the counter, which was reclaimed from the KG Bowling Alley.
The Better Good is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have purchased, started or moved a small business in Saskatoon within the last few months, let us know by calling 657-6293 or faxing 657-6437, attention Scott Larson. Submissions can also be emailed to slarson@thestarphoenix.com. Home-based and temporary businesses, as well as those without physical locations, will not be considered for publication. Businesses must be located in Saskatoon.