Before I say anything else, let me say this clearly: something is happening to our children, and we need to talk about it!

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I would like to tell you a story about my personal and professional experience, because I have witnessed something that needs to be addressed urgently by all of us. After many years of teaching music and running a music school, I left education ten years ago to pursue a different career path—one that promised more financial stability and success. For nearly a decade, I worked in the world of finance, building a business and going after  what many would call a more “practical” life.

But over time, I began to feel something I hadn’t expected: a deep sense of emptiness. I had left behind the part of my life that made me feel most connected to myself and to others. Only after stepping away did I fully understand: it was music that had kept the very essence of my spirit alive. And if I wanted my soul to survive, I had no choice but to return to music, because that was my one and only true calling. Eventually, I made the decision to return to teaching. I missed the joy of working with children. I missed the meaning, the depth, the human connection, and the sacred bliss of music as an art form. But when I returned to teaching, I was shocked by what I found.

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Our Children Have Changed—and Not for the Better

The students I encountered were different than those I had taught years before. Their ability to focus was diminished. Their patience was shorter. Their engagement with learning was more fragile, more fragmented. Tasks that once sparked curiosity now often triggered restlessness. I quickly realized this wasn’t just an isolated experience—it was a pattern.

Conversations with other educators confirmed it. We are seeing it everywhere. And increasingly, we’re seeing the research to match: excessive screen time is reshaping our children’s minds—literally. It affects attention, memory, emotional regulation, and deep cognitive development. And when children are constantly overstimulated by digital content, their brains become wired for distraction. Real learning becomes harder. Real thinking becomes slower. Real connection becomes rare.

And this isn’t something they grow out of. It’s something we must actively help them grow away from.

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This Is Bigger Than Education—It’s About Their Inner Life

We are not just facing a decline in academic performance. We are witnessing a loss of something deeper: the stillness, imagination, and internal space that allow a child to develop true intelligence, empathy, and creativity. That space is being drowned out by the noise of digital culture.

I say this not to alarm you, but to bring an uncomfortable truth into the light: this is not going to fix itself. And it’s not the job of schools alone. As parents, we have a responsibility to make hard decisions about what we allow to shape our children’s minds—and what we don’t.

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Music as a Path Back to Wholeness

When I returned to teaching, I knew I couldn’t just go back to the way things were before. The world had changed. Our children had changed. And so our response had to change, too. We created a music program that is more than just lessons. It’s a deliberate response to what we see happening around us. Music requires focus. It demands attention. It trains the brain and nourishes the spirit. It gives children a language for emotion, a tool for thinking, and a way of connecting to something bigger than themselves. And just as importantly, it gives them a space free from distraction—free from screens. A place to slow down. To listen. To feel.

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We Can’t Do This Alone

Our after-school music program isn’t a product we’re trying to sell. It’s a contribution. A step in the direction of healing. And it’s an invitation.

If you’re a parent reading this, know that we don’t see this issue as “your fault.” We know the pressures. We know how difficult it is to protect your child from the influence of a digital world that moves faster than any of us can keep up with. But we also know this: we have to try. If we want our children to grow up whole—able to think, create, love, and lead—we cannot allow screens to raise them. We must give them something real to hold onto. And music is one of the most powerful, proven ways to do that. We’ve seen what’s happening. And we’re doing what we can.

Now we invite you to join us—because saving our children’s minds, and nurturing their spirits, will take all of us. 

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Bringing the Vision to Life Across Vancouver

Through this mission, West Coast Institute of Music now offers a range of programs—including daily after-school music programs, piano group classes, summer music camps, and private piano lessons—designed to meet children and families where they are. Whether it’s preschool music classes, RCM exam preparation, or adult piano lessons, each offering is guided by our commitment to depth, presence, and connection. We currently serve students across Vancouver BC, with a focus on neighborhoods like Yaletown, Kitsilano, and Downtown, and offer programs at schools such as Elsie Roy Elementary, Lord Roberts Elementary and Annex, Henry Hudson Elementary, Crosstown Elementary, and False Creek Elementary. Our goal is simple: to create access to real music education—and to protect what matters most in the lives of the children we teach.