Posts
The Joy of Singing Together: Parents, Children, and the Gift of Music (September 2025)
Does your child enjoy music—singing, moving, or experimenting with sound? From the earliest years, children are naturally drawn to rhythm and melody. Music and song are not only fun, but also a powerful way to nurture joy, confidence, and connection. Singing as Connection When parents sing with their children, something magical happens. Children feel comforted […]
Nutsa’maat Sqwalawun – Walking the Bridge Together Through Music (Aug 2025)
In Hul’q’umi’num, Nutsa’maat Sqwalawun means “One Heart, One Mind.” It’s more than just a name — it’s a living invitation to meet on the bridge between cultures, to listen deeply, and to move forward together. On September 26, 2025, the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre will host a free community event that embodies this spirit. Nutsa’maat […]
Forest of Voices: Singing Together for Wellbeing, Learning, and Connection (July 2025)
There is something deeply human about singing together. Beyond performance or perfection, communal singing fosters connection, healing, and a sense of belonging. This summer, Forest of Voices – A Song Circle Gathering invites people of all ages and singing experience to Salt Spring Island for a joyful weekend of shared song and heartfelt community. Taking place August 30 […]
Honoring the Wisdom of My Three Foundational Teachings (Feb 2025)
Over the past ten years, I have immersed myself in “dirt time”—by the fireside, traveling to ancestral lands, and attuning to the cycles of nature. These experiences have been my teachers, deepening my understanding of the interwoven seasonal and life cycles that shape my existence. As the wheel turns, I am refining my offerings of […]
The Fire Within: Honoring the Sacred Transition of Menopause (March 2025)
Menopause is a transformative phase in a woman’s life, yet it is often misunderstood or minimized. However, this transition holds immense spiritual and creative potential, offering an opportunity to tap into new wisdom and strength. As Sharon Blackie writes in Hagitude, many traditional cultures viewed menopause as a time of great power. Lakota elder Paula […]
Weaving Our Way Into Spring (Feb 2025)
For the past decade, I have embarked on a journey to uncover my ancestral roots, guided by local Indigenous elders in the Cowichan Valley, who taught me to honour my heritage with respect. A few summers ago, I traveled to Ireland to connect with my Irish lineage, immersing myself in Celtic mysticism and ancient Gaelic […]
Winter Solstice Concert to Welcome Back the Light (Dec 2024)
Lila Music Centre invites you to the 9th Annual Winter Solstice Concert, where we will celebrate the return of the light. This musical tradition weaves vocal and acoustic music that ranges from jazz to folk, including premiers of original song compositions created especially for this event. This concert provides warmth and peace in the spirit […]
The Art and Significance of Cedar Basket Weaving (Nov 2024)
This month as part of the Quw’utsun Elders Backyard Sessions at Lila Music and Nature Centre, we are hosting a cedar basket weaving workshop, offered by Cowichan weaver Sulsameethl (Deb George). Sulsameethl, will be teaching about the cultural significance and traditional methods of Coast Salish cedar weaving. Participants will learn about the historical and contemporary […]
Reclaiming The Importance Of Nature Connection For Our Children (Sept 2024)
What can we do to begin to heal the disconnection wounds of our times? Start by spending time in nature without our phones, regardless of the weather, and learn to slow down and listen in a way that brings us back into harmony with our true selves and all living things. Spending quality time in […]
The Joys of Singing and Playing With Our Children in Nature (Sept 2024)
At the Lila Centre, we will be bringing back the much loved Parent and Child Music Program, after a hiatus. This Waldorf inspired program previously ran for 14 years and a lot of past participants found it was a great way for them to connect regularly with other parents, and many of the now grown […]
Freeing Your Voice: Discovering the Mystery and Magic of Your Personal Song (August 2024)
I believe that each of us has within us a unique and special way of expressing ourselves through our singing voice. I deepened my own exploration of improvisational vocalizing 5 years ago, after I lost my voice and started singing in nature, to gently reawaken my voice in a prayerful and healing way. A unique […]
Embracing Indigenous Wisdom: Quw’utsun’ Elders Series: Backyard Sessions (June 2024)
Open to everyone, the Quw’utsun’ Elder Series workshops were created for the community, to engage in nature and art-based discovery through traditional cultural practices, led by Knowledge Keepers in the Quw’utsun’ Valley. From the beginning, Backyard Session workshops focussed on bringing all ages together to learn and connect with nature and ancestral knowledge such as: […]
Cari is a seasoned vocalist and music educator with a profound dedication to the transformative power of voice and song. Holding a Bachelor of Music in Performance Voice from McGill University and a Master of Music in Performance Voice and Opera from the London Royal Academy of Music, Cari is fluent in English, French, Swedish, and Italian, with the ability to sing in Russian, Spanish, German, and more.
With over 30 years of training in vocal improvisation under the guidance of Rhiannon, including an intensive year-long training program, Cari has honed a unique approach to voice as a tool for personal and community transformation. She has further enriched her practice under the guidance of Shivon Robinson and Dennis Donnelly in the first Community Choir Leadership Training in Victoria, BC.
Her commitment to the power of music in community building is evident in her involvement with the Ubuntu Song Network and her dedication to offering song and community choir to local non-profits, vigils, and community needs. Cari is also deeply invested in village making, rites of passage, and deep nature connection, working closely with local Indigenous Elders to honor the sacred unseeded lands she inhabits.
In addition to her work as a voice teacher at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and Camosun College’s Post-Graduate programs, Cari has completed extensive sound healing training and has a strong foundation in Waldorf pedagogy, having taught music from grades 1 to 12 at Sunrise Waldorf School. Her Master’s thesis explored the importance of music, improvisation and play in the healthy development of children as inspired by her mentor Par Ahlbom, Jarna Sweden, where she lived for fours years to study and work with him and his specialized Waldorf School “Solvik”.
Cari’s dedication to vocal arts extends beyond education; she is an award-winning recording artist, with her CD *Magnolia* and successful music tours receiving critical acclaim. Her work includes threshold singing in hospices, hospitals, and homes for over 12 years, bringing comfort and peace through song. Cari’s artistic journey also includes three music residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, further solidifying her place as a dynamic force in the world of vocal music.