Aimee Rau was born into a musical family. Her parents Mozart and Julie Gelinas raised their children in a musical environment, encouraging musical exploration….even when it got a little loud around the Gelinas home.
Aimee first performed as a vocalist at a very young age for the seniors of the Bluewater Rest Home. At the age of seven Aimee began singing in the St. Boniface church folk choir, while her father played the guitar and her mother sang alto. Aimee was also showing an interest in playing the guitar but her father insisted that a year of piano lessons was to be completed prior to picking up the stringed instrument. He knew the importance of reading and understanding written music and knew that the best instrument for learning that skill was the piano.
Aimee began her piano studies in 1981 under the watchful eye of Laurie Erb. There was not a piano at the Gelinas home so Aimee walked to her grandparents house each day to practice on their piano. “My Grandmother would be in the next room working while I would practice but she was listening intently and often she would call out…”That’s not right honey, play it again”. She also had me play for anyone who happened to stop by. She taught me persistence and patience. If I would get frustrated she’d bring me a little glass of milk and a cookie and then encourage me to start again. She also encouraged me to try the music that she had sitting in the piano bench. ” When Aimee’s parents saw how much she loved to play the piano, they purchased one for their home, but Aimee still found herself going to her Grandmother’s frequently to practice.
As Aimee grew she began to compete at Kiwanis music festivals and also completed exams through the Western Conservatory (now Conservatory Canada). Her musical interests were becoming evident in other areas of her life. She was asked frequently to sing solos at her church and at school. She participated in school musicals and at age eleven took on the role of Tessie in the play Annie at the Huron Country Playhouse. At the age of 14 she was asked by her grandfather, Mozart Gelinas Sr., to join the family dance band “Mozart’s Melody Makers” as a vocalist and later as a keyboardist. The band had been performing for three decades at local weddings, parties and functions and consisted of Aimee’s uncles, a family friend, her father and grandfather. While Aimee enjoyed performing, the real treat was the time spent with the band practicing and learning new songs. “I enjoyed being with my family doing what we all loved to do…make music.”
As high school came to an end Aimee began teaching piano and theory lessons at Exeter Music Centre and then in her grandparent’s home. She also began providing music for wedding services as a soloist/pianist and was leading her church congregation in song as well.
During her attendance at the University of Western Ontario Aimee traveled home to continue teaching her students and also volunteered at St. Boniface school in Zurich where she and a friend coached the choir. At that time she also began studying music with Anita Ruthig. Though planning to pursue a career in speech language pathology, Aimee discovered that teaching music was where her heart was and so after completing her undergrad, Aimee began teaching full time.
In 2002 Aimee joined the MYC team and began offering the program in her home. She was inspired by the program to write a song in celebration of MYC’s 25th anniversary, a song which was adopted by Frances Balodis, MYC’s founder to become the official theme song for the program. Aimee is a strong advocate for Music For Young Children. She finds the program to be comprehensive and effective. “It amazes me what my students learn in a year. It is such a joy to teach.” Aimee’s enthusiasm for the program shows not only in the care with which she guides her students, but also in the support she offers MYC colleagues through a mentoring program. ” I love that in Music For Young Children the teachers who number over 800 from all over the world, support and encourage one another, sharing ideas and collaborating to keep the MYC program current and of the highest quality. It really is the ‘ university of music education’ !”
Ontario MYC teachers at the International MYC Conference at Niagara Falls, July 2008
- Aimee Rau receives Cornerstone designation, July 2008
Today, teaching about 100 students annually, Aimee is excited to be teaching in a commercial space she calls “The Music Box”. The studio is a special place where children and adults alike can discover and nurture the joy of music making.