Harper Government Celebrates Growth of the Royal Conservatory's Expertise Into the United States

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 14, 2012) - An innovative program underway at Canada's Royal Conservatory to establish a national music standard in the United States is positioning the institution as a global leader in music education and creating local jobs, thanks to a Harper Government investment of $7.5 million. The announcement was made today by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Member of Parliament for Halton and Minister of Labour, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

"Our Government's top priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity," said Minister Raitt. "Our investment is helping The Royal Conservatory to expand globally and share Canadian expertise with the rest of the world. We are proud to support the cultural and creative industries as they are important economic generators in Canada."

In March 2011, The Royal Conservatory announced a joint venture with Carnegie Hall in New York City to form The Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program (The Achievement Program), a music teaching and accreditation system for the United States. An investment through FedDev Ontario's Prosperity Initiative is helping to expedite the critical work needed to export The Royal Conservatory's expertise through curriculum adaptation and expansion, as well as enhanced online delivery systems.

Formal partnerships have also been confirmed with most major American music associations, including the National Association for Teachers of Singing and the National Guild for Community Arts Education. In its first year, over 100 music schools and nearly 4,000 teachers in the United States have signed up for The Achievement Program, underscoring the reputation of The Royal Conservatory's curriculum as among the leading music education systems in the world.

The profits generated from The Royal Conservatory's global expansion will be invested back into the Canadian institution, furthering the development of intellectual property created in Canada and exported abroad, sustaining and supporting Canadian jobs, and ensuring the longevity of music education in Canada.

"The Royal Conservatory is a wonderful Canadian success story. The Conservatory system is the best in the world and the brand name is very powerful and respected. We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its investment, which allows us to export our system around the world," said Dr. Peter Simon, President, The Royal Conservatory.

For more information, please refer to the backgrounder.

Created in 2009, FedDev Ontario supports the southern Ontario economy by building on the region's strengths and creating opportunities for jobs and economic growth. The Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong position to compete in the global economy. These initiatives are designed to encourage partnerships and support projects that help the region's businesses and communities become more competitive, innovative and diversified. To learn more, please visit www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca or call 1-866-593-5505.

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Backgrounder

Contribution to The Royal Conservatory

Now in its 125^th anniversary year, The Royal Conservatory is one of the largest and most respected music and arts education institutions in the world. Providing the definitive standard of excellence in music education through its curriculum, assessment, performance, and teacher education programs, The Conservatory has had a substantial impact on the lives of millions of people globally.

Funding for The Royal Conservatory's involvement in The Achievement Program was first announced in Budget 2011 and is being delivered by FedDev Ontario through its Prosperity Initiative.

The funding is going towards the following activities:

• Use of technology-based solutions in the development and implementation of an academic curriculum. This curriculum will include the development of online resources for students and teachers, such as syllabi, online teaching materials and support, and e-learning products.
• Implementation of a marketing and outreach strategy that will build awareness and uptake of The Achievement Program by teachers, evaluators and student candidates. The strategy will include the delivery of information sessions across the US, as well as participation in educational and other relevant conferences.
• Development of interactive social media tools to be used by all program stakeholders, teachers, students, examination evaluators, parents, school boards and schools and professional/academic organizations.

All editing, publishing, and program and curriculum development, including computer programming, digital media development, product development research and the creation of intellectual property, is taking place in Canada.

This program will accelerate the ongoing global expansion of The Royal Conservatory and provide it with further experience in conducting programs in foreign markets. It will also provide a growing capacity to deliver programs globally, as well as a stable revenue stream to invest back into Canadian education.

More information is available at www.rcmusic.ca and www.theachievementprogram.org.

Prosperity Initiative

FedDev Ontario's Prosperity Initiative is designed to encourage businesses, not-for-profit organizations and post-secondary institutions in southern Ontario to undertake projects that will result in a more productive, diversified and competitive economy.

Funding is available for projects that:

• enhance productivity by accelerating the adoption of new technologies, processes and skills that enhance the region's businesses and sectors;
• diversify the regional economy by increasing the number of new industries or opportunities with the potential to have long-term impacts on regional economic diversity; and
• build a competitive advantage in the region by creating or expanding economic clusters and enhancing their global competitiveness.

Applications for funding are being accepted and assessed on an ongoing basis. For more information, please refer to the Program Guidelines available on the FedDev Ontario website at www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca.