Academy Dates

Thursday, August 1 - Friday, August 16, 2024

Location

VIMA is hosted on Brentwood College’s oceanfront campus, which has an international reputation that matches their educational profile as one of the world’s great boarding schools. Sheltered on the pristine coastline of Vancouver Island, the College’s 77-acre campus has over one kilometre of waterfront facing the Gulf Islands and stunning views of a snow-capped Mount Baker. The College is located forty kilometres north of Victoria and is adjacent to the village of Mill Bay (population 3,250). It is less than one hour's drive from Swartz Bay Ferry terminals and Victoria International Airport.

This beautiful setting and our modern campus open up a wide variety of opportunities for our students. The Academy is the perfect place to turn off the electronics and focus on personal and artistic development.

Housing

VIMA accepts approximately 100 students for the two-week Academy. Students are housed according to age and gender in large residence houses. Minors are chaperoned by live-in resident assistants (counsellors).

Each residence has two single beds, closets, desks and chairs. Bath towels and hand/face cloths are supplied daily. Full bedding is supplied and refreshed once mid-stay. Each residence house has coin operated laundry machines. Single occupancy requests will be accommodated for students at a surcharge of $838 CAD.

Each residence house is situated to provide easy and quick access to the Arts Building, T. Gil Bunch Theatre, various sports facilities and the cafeteria. The houses are also grouped in close proximity to each other, allowing students the opportunity to socialize with friends and siblings. Each of these houses have been newly renovated in the past five years. These buildings are modern and comfortable with spacious kitchen and eating areas, wireless internet access, televisions, and common areas for socializing with friends from other houses. Each house has its own character and unique traditions that help foster lifelong friendships.

Food Services

Students who register for “on-campus” tuition will be provided three full buffet-style meals per day for the duration of the Academy, as well as late night snacks. Students who register for “off-campus” tuition will also have the option to register for full cafeteria privileges. Please indicate this on the application form if applicable to you, and fees will be advised on request.

The Food Services at Brentwood offers a large variety of healthy and delicious foods for every meal, and will cater to any specific dietary restriction. Please indicate any specific nutritional/dietary/allergy requirements in your application.

Any student over the age of 18 who is living on campus has the option of using the common-area kitchen in the residence house to prepare light snacks. Parents may of course use the kitchen as well. No student under the age of 18 can use the oven in the kitchen.

Student Needs, Supervision and Communication

We understand that our students may have unique needs when away from home. Our staff is always ready to offer immediate assistance if and when required. Helping students with logistical and musical questions, as well as any social issues are all part of our care and concern for each student. Parents are immediately notified if there are health concerns or disruptive behaviour. A talk with the parent will usually help the student refocus and get back on track with their musical studies. A high degree of social maturity and professionalism is expected of each student attending VIMA. A strong willingness to work together, respect for the feelings of others and the motivation to practice every day are necessary to achieve maximum results.

Upon check-in on August 1, 2024, students are added to a WhatsApp group called "VIMA General Chat." Every student, parent, and counsellor is a part of this group. This group provides students a place to receive updates to the daily schedule (including concert information), important announcements and information, and be able to ask any questions they may have.

VIMA has a team of at least ten counsellors, led by two professional counsellors. Students under the age of 18 have live-in counsellors who wake them in the morning for breakfast, chaperone them throughout the day and check them back into their rooms at the 11:00 pm curfew.

Students under the age of 18 are not allowed to leave campus without parental, faculty or counsellor supervision. Students may leave campus with an adult visitor authorized by a parent or guardian, only if a Visitor Permission Form is signed by the parent or guardian. The name, date and time of the adult visitation must be indicated in the Visitor Permission Form. Visiting adults must register in the office prior to leaving campus with the student. The proper documentation must be signed before release.

Taking a student under 18 off-campus

Students under the age of 18 must sign out in the office before leaving campus. Students must have a signed  Visitor Permission Form on file in the office to depart with anyone other than their parent.  Visitors must show identification and be listed on the Visitor Release Form or the student may not depart our campus. These precautions are in place to ensure the safety of all our young students.

Please call or email with any questions. 

Visiting

Parents, family and friends may visit their children at any time. Only family members are allowed in the student residences. Friends may visit with students at the Arts Building or anywhere else on campus. Visitors are not allowed to dine in the cafeteria unless a meal plan is arranged prior to the start of the Academy. Students under the age of 18 must checkout in the office before leaving campus. (See “Taking a Student Under 18 Off Campus” above).

Concerts and Performances

The Academy holds daily indoor and outdoor concerts on campus, and students are highly encouraged to perform in as many concerts as possible. All concerts are free and open to the public. Weather permitting, the open-air concerts are held on a beautiful ocean front lawn garden. All indoor concerts, including the final music theatre production, are held at the T. Gil Bunch Theatre Concert Hall.

There are many solo, chamber and orchestral performance opportunities for students throughout the VIMA season. Students can also take advantage of faculty studio classes and masterclasses, and guest artist masterclasses. Students are also highly encouraged to audit any private lesson or workshop of their liking.

Practice and Recreation

Each student’s daily schedule depends on their assigned studio classes and individually scheduled events. Students must arrange their individual practice time on their instrument in the intervals between the Academy’s scheduled events. Attendance at all scheduled concerts is mandatory throughout the Academy. Time free from lessons, chamber music and orchestra rehearsals, coachings, masterclasses, seminars, accompanist’s rehearsals, concerts and off-campus trips is designated as leisure time and may be used for any activity of the student’s choice.

To fill in leisure time, there are a variety of on-campus activities offered for students. VIMA offers a wide variety of on-campus non-musical activities. Led by our lead counsellors, our Recreation Program includes basketball and tennis courts, track and field, soccer, football and ultimate frisbee. Brentwood College will supply all the necessary equipment for every recreational sport and activity. There is approximately 90-minutes of recreational activities scheduled every other day. Each residence has a common area with cable television. The entire campus has Wi-Fi. There will be an all day, off-campus excursion which includes sightseeing, hiking, and swimming. The cost of this excursion is included in the tuition fee.

Pocket Money

It would be a good idea for your child to have a small amount of money on hand to purchase a snack or souvenir during our out-of-campus excursion. $50 is the suggested amount. The office at VIMA would be happy to safe-keep any pocket money should the student or parent wish.