Sing with Alison!
Join our group singing High Notes Voices and improve your mental health
Did you enjoy singing carols during the holidays? Do you sing in the shower? In the car? Elsewhere? Join our FREE group singing class! Singing has many benefits including reduced blood pressure, stress relief and healthy lung function. Singing together stimulates our brain, promotes psychological wellbeing and even helps us remember information. It also allows you to connect and bond with those you sing with. Join and make new friends!
On Wednesday January 21, 5:30 pm our first monthly group singing session takes place at Long & McQuade in Richmond Hill, 10 Via Renzo Drive, Second Floor in the Recital Hall.
Please register below to join!
Meet Alison, Our Group Vocal Teacher Brings Hope and Harmony to High Notes Avante
When Alison first heard about High Notes Avante, it came through a friend whose family knew Ingrid Taheri, High Notes Avante’s founder. Intrigued by the organization’s unique focus on supporting individuals experiencing mental health challenges through music, Alison saw an opportunity that truly resonated with her. “It wasn’t just about teaching music,” she recalls, “it was about being part of a mission that helps people heal through creativity, connection, and care.”
A trained vocalist and pianist, Alison joined High Notes Avante in September 2023 and has since become a beloved instructor. What sets her apart is her gentle, patient teaching philosophy — one shaped not only by her years of experience but also by her deep understanding of mental health.
Before teaching with High Notes Avante, Alison completed Mental Health First Aid training, a requirement for all instructors at the organization. She believes that this training fundamentally shifted her approach to music education. “It’s not about pressure or perfection here,” she explains. “It’s about making the student feel safe, comfortable, and supported. Sometimes the best thing I can do as a teacher is simply wait — to say, whenever you’re ready, I’m here.”
She shares heartwarming stories of students slowly finding confidence – from the boy who once kept his camera off during lessons but one day courageously turned it on, to the adult student who finally sang a full song after weeks of self-doubt. “That moment when she finished singing and said, I actually did it — that’s the kind of progress that means everything,” Alison smiles.
Alison’s compassion comes from personal experience. She lost her aunt, Mary, who lived with bipolar disorder but loved music deeply – singing in community choirs, playing her piano, and encouraging Alison to “keep on singing forever.” That memory continues to inspire Alison’s commitment to High Notes Avante. “When the opportunity came along, I thought, this is exactly what Aunt Mary would have wanted me to do – using music to uplift people facing similar challenges.”
“Mistakes are part of learning Singing is about joy, not judgment.” She measures success in smiles, not scores.
Her approach exemplifies High Notes Avante’s motto – Moving forward on high notes — both literally and emotionally. “It’s about rising above challenges,” Alison says. “You put energy and courage into hitting those higher notes — not just in music, but in life.”
Alison hopes to see the High Notes Avante Music Program continue to grow, reaching more students and attracting greater community support. Her dream? “I’d love to see us one day do a small musical theatre performance featuring our students,” she says. “Imagine a concert where they sing their hearts out — that would be magical.” To anyone considering joining, Alison’s advice is simple: “Just apply. Take that first step. You don’t need to be perfect – you just need to try. Everything starts there.”
Words she lives by: “Be here now.” and a lesson from her late Aunt Mary- “Let go, let God.”
Both reminders keep Alison centred, grateful, and ready to share the healing power of music – one song, one student, one high note at a time.