At my crummy high school, “music lessons” meant singing the dreariest hymns known to God and man from a book that smelled like petrol while we stared longingly at all the instruments concealed behind a padlocked door.

Things aren’t much better in our arts-hostile world these days, but the Sarah McLachlan School of Music does its bit.

More, in fact.

“We have more instruments here than I've ever seen; more than they have at Long and McQuade, and we encourage our students to take them out and play them,” says SoM executive director, Rob Appleton, chuckling.

Applications are now being accepted by SoM for the 2014 school year, starting in September.

Appleton says that the organization relies on teachers, counsellors, social workers and other responsible adults to identify the best candidates for programs designed for grades 4-12.

“We’re a school for at-risk and under-served children and youth, so what we’re trying to do is find those kids that hide in the corners that really do need the service. We just want somebody to say, ‘This child would really benefit from the program’,” he explains.

Appleton adds that the majority of the kids attending the school—situated just off Main Street on East 7^th Avenue since 2011—come from Vancouver’s Eastside.

“We’re looking for people with an interest in music; we’re not looking for the next superstar or anything like that,” he says. “Being part of the school will allow them to take their inherent interest in music and go a lot deeper than they could in their situation.”

As for the executive director himself, he’s a “latent” music lover. “I didn’t get music lessons as a kid, but I wish I had,” he says. Sounds familiar!

For further inquiries, go here. Applications can be found here. The deadline for applications is April 4.