Sean Bradley, a Grade 11 student at North Toronto Collegiate Institute, began playing the cello at age four. Now he’s using his skills to provide local children with the opportunity for music lessons as well. With the help of two friends, Sean organized Shindig 2013, a charity jam session on May 14 for Torontonians to come and sing and play together in support of the Regent Park School of Music (RPSM).

RPSM is a not-for-profit organization that provides subsidized music lessons for children in the area. Regent Park is home to Canada’s oldest and largest social housing project. Despite efforts for revitalization, the high-crime area has been the setting of two recent homicides, including that of a 15-year-old boy, and recently a youth volunteer was arrested for drug trafficking in the neighbourhood.

Sean said that the music program is a positive outlet for teens in the area. “It’s a gateway to something amazing,” he said.

Many studies have noted positive correlations between hours of music training and academic performance — and according to Sean, it also helps to build confidence: “It’s given me a sense of determination to do things that I didn’t know were possible,” he said. “It gives you a sense of accomplishment that is unlike any other.”

In the Greater Toronto Area, private music lessons can sometimes run up to $40 per hour, which Sean admitted can be a burden for families. “Learning an instrument can be a struggle,” he said. “When you add that to the fact that it can often pose a financial struggle, that can deter people who might otherwise love their instruments.”

The jam, which charged attendees $10, saw $3,130 raised for the music school.