Meet Carol!
He helps students discover healing through music
When you meet Carol, it’s easy to sense that music is more than a skill to him.
It’s a language of empathy, connection, and healing.
His journey from being a sound engineer and concert producer in Dubai to becoming a passionate music therapist and teacher at High Notes Avante is a story of rediscovered purpose and profound belief in music’s power to transform lives.
Carol Olympus first learned about High Notes Avante through his friend and fellow instructor, Stephanie An who encouraged him to connect with founder Ingrid Taheri. As soon as Carol learned about High Notes Avante’s mission to make music accessible for everyone regardless of background, ability or circumstance, he knew it was exactly where he wanted to be. “Everything Ingrid spoke about inclusivity, and the emphasis on expression over perfection aligned perfectly with my own philosophy,” Carol recalls.
Before joining High Notes Avante, Carol spent 16 years working in Dubai’s thriving concert production scene with some of the world’s most legendary artists, including The Eagles, Toto, Quincy Jones, Trilok Gurtu, A R Rahman, Nancy Ajram, Amr Diab to name a few. A trained engineer by profession and a lifelong musician at heart, he built a successful creative and technical production agency, managing large-scale events and training teams. While he enjoyed creating experiences for thousands, he yearned to connect one-on-one with people, and to “use music not just for entertainment, but for healing.”
It was only after moving to Canada in 2020 that Carol discovered music therapy as a science, a field that bridges neuroscience, psychology, and music. “When I discovered the clinical research on how music can create new neural pathways, help children with cerebral palsy, or calm premature babies through heartbeat synchronization, I was fascinated,” he explains. This phenomenon, known as entrainment, opened his eyes to the clinical application of music.
Now enrolled in the Master of Music Therapy program at Wilfrid Laurier University, Carol brings that blend of scientific understanding and emotional intuition into everything he does at High Notes Avante. His teaching approach rejects rigid curriculums in favour of collaboration and curiosity. “My first goal is to remove the intimidation that comes with music. Kids come in thinking they must be perfect or play scales endlessly, but the point isn’t perfection, it’s expression.” Instead of starting with theory, Carol begins with what his students love: a favourite song, a rhythm, or a simple melody that feels personal. From there, he introduces harmony, structure, and storytelling. Within just a few weeks, many of his students end up writing their own songs, transforming familiar tunes into original stories. “One student turned ‘You Are My Sunshine’ into a song about ice cream and TikTok! It was hilarious, but also showed how comfortable she’d become using music as her own voice.”
When asked what “Moving Forward on High Notes”- High Notes Avante’s motto means to him, Carol smiles. “It’s about discovering one’s musical self,” he says. “When my students finally master a chord they’ve been struggling with or a new beat on the drum kit, their eyes light up. That joy, that sense of possibility, that’s the essence of moving forward on a high note.” He hopes to see High Notes Avante’s programs grow in reach and recognition, particularly through more community and funding support. “When a student receives music lessons through High Notes Avante, they’re not just learning notes; resilience, creativity and confidence is being rewired into their brain. The ripple effects can last a lifetime.”
Carol’s story embodies what High Notes Avante stands for, the belief that music heals, transforms, and empowers. Whether guiding a child through their first guitar strum or helping families rebuild hope through song, Carol is not just teaching music, he’s helping others rediscover their voice, their rhythm and their strength.
High Notes Avante appreciates the support we are receiving from participating in Charitable Gaming at Bingo World Richmond Hill, without whose financial support HNA would not exist.
We would also like to acknowledge MusicCounts recent generous contribution of musical instruments that will be included in our instrument lending bank.