'The arts have a venue': Community music hub opens in Yellowknife

"There's music in all of us," they sang. "There's music in all of us."

The refrain was chanted Sundayby visitors to Music Space, a community centre for musicians of all skill levels that recently opened in Yellowknife.

The space is the brainchild of music instructor and hub manager Mary Kelly.

"My vision for this space was that people of all ages and all musical abilities could find a place to make music, and make music in connection with other people," Kelly told guests at this pastweekend's grand opening.

Located in the Graham Bromley Building, Music Spaceincludes one 800-square-foot (74 square metres) classroom, two smaller practice rooms, two pianos, a multi-channel mixer and a stereo sound system.

It offers rooms for rent by the hour for classes, jam sessions andpeople who want to work on their own projects in a setup specially designed for music.

"I'm trying to make a space that's available for all types of music making," said Kelly.

For the last five years, Kelly has been searching for a space for Yellowknife residents to gather, learn and create with each other.

Last spring she applied to the city's Win Your Space YK contest, acompetition for new businesses in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Detah, where entrepreneurs submit their business ideas for a chance to win one year of free leased space downtown.

Evidently, Kelly's pitch was a hit.

"Mary's worked hard to get to this point," Mayor Rebecca Alty said at the grand opening. "Her business and her new space is a true community space where people can come together in the middle of our city."

Carmen Braden, a Yellowknife musician and composer, is already taking advantage of the new space. She's bringing her 10-month-old daughter to Kelly's music class for young children.

"I'm such a supporter of places that are open to the public to create music in this town," said Braden.

"It means the arts are supported, the arts have a venue," she continued. "Having that gives a town its culture, its life."

Music Space is the fifth business to win a year of free rent through Win Your Space YK.