MUSIC @ HART HOUSE HartHouse as the music lover’s happy helper Eram Lee During my short time here at the University of Toronto, the university’s programs, drop-in classes, galleries, shows, and historical significance have been mostly lost to me. I’m just an undergrad student desperately trying to pass my classes, and not fall privy to seasonal depression (which everyone at school bonds over, what with winter lasting well over four months). But I also love music. I can’t play an instrument, I only sing in the shower, and I can’t tell you anything about music theory, but I love listening and exploring to new music, going to concerts, and pretending I have an emotional connection to all my favourite artists. Besides boring my friends about the thematic expression of a new album or discussing how the cultural background of an artist could influence their art, my only outlet in expressing my too-keen interest was in the form of dozens of Spotify playlists and getting too excited when someone would show me new music. It never crossed my mind that a place like Hart House could provide a space for my interests to grow into an extracurricular. But after learning about Hart House Music Committee, and meeting similar people, I realized that for the past hundred years, Hart House has curated this space that allows not just music majors, but student musicians, producers, local icons, and simple music lovers like me to connect and learn from one another. Rather than being an over-glorified YMCA with better architecture, Hart House is a haven for all those musically inclined, and here’s exactly what they have to offer.
Hart House Music Committee Hart House Music Committee organizes a ton of events throughout the year, a staple being their monthly openmic nights. Open-mic nights are pretty much defined by name, but it’s a space where anyone can sign up and share whatever they’d like, be it a song or dance or standup poetry. They also host music-related events, panels, and presentations. demo is a subcommittee of HHMC, and allows for contributors to post music-related articles to their online website as well as releasing a print issue annually (like this one!).
