City requests community input for Kingston Music Strategy
The City of Kingston, in partnership with Nordicity, a consulting firm with expertise in arts and culture strategic planning, is developing an artist-centred Music Strategy to help “realize the full benefits of a thriving local music economy.”
“Kingston is a city with an incredible community of musicians, bands and talent with a thriving live music scene, backed by a unique music legacy and identity,” said Danika Lochhead, Manager of Arts and Culture. “The Kingston Music Strategy will build on the success of the local music scene, while also recognizing the impact of the pandemic to determine how the City and its partners can work together to strengthen our local music economy and to support musicians, businesses and industry better to fully realize a shared vision of Kingston as a music city.”
The creation of this strategy was recommended as part of the broader Creative Industries Strategy that names music as a key subsector for investment and growth, according to a release from the City.
To inform the development of a Kingston Music Strategy, the City and Nordicity are gathering resident feedback and ideas through a multi-phased community engagement plan, that includes two upcoming opportunities for public input:
Survey:
The City invites everyone to share thoughts, experiences, and visions for Kingston’s musical future by taking part in a brief survey. According to the release, the survey questionnaire will be a key method to collect both qualitative data on music’s contribution to the social and cultural fabric of Kingston, as well as fill gaps in quantitative data for an economic impact assessment. Responses are anonymous, and the survey will be open until Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023. To request an alternate format for the survey, please call 905-510-3404 or email [email protected].
Open House:
Residents are invited to an Open House on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Broom Factory located at 305 Rideau Street. This free evening event will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about the Kingston Music Strategy objectives, preview a snapshot of the findings to date and discuss the project directly with members of the project team, including the City of Kingston and Nordicity. No registration is required.
Musicians, music professionals who work in the local music industry and members of the public are all encouraged to attend.
“We hope every genre of music will be represented through these engagement opportunities and the feedback we receive will be essential to capturing what needs to happen and to creating the recommendations included as part of the Kingston Music Strategy,” said Caitlin Cross, Senior Analyst, Nordicity.
The City said that the multi-phased community engagement plan also includes roundtable discussions and interviews with local musicians and music professionals. The final Kingston Music Strategy is scheduled to be completed in June 2023, when it will be presented to Kingston City Council for approval and endorsement. Learn more on the City of Kingston website.