Let's see now: there has been the Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts, in which 17 schools from across the Dufferin County and beyond participated - not at all as a competition, but just for art's sake.

During the festival, while visual arts played an important part, the main component was music - singing, playing, drumming and so forth.

There are choirs - specifically the junior and senior T.O.Y.S. (Theatre Orangeville Youth Singers) - and theatrical productions at Theatre Orangeville, which focus on young people, both for singing and the other theatrical arts of dancing and acting, drama and comedy.

And last weekend, there was a concert at Theatre Orangeville produced by Mark DuBois Productions Inc. (MDPI) with Mark DuBois and his Studio Singers, with "a special guest appearance by The Hockley Valley Children's Choir."

In addition, but not in Orangeville, there was another such concert - a recital, really - in which my daughter, Patricia, aired the talents of her students, and which took place in Hamilton.

The ticket price of all these events was either nothing, as in the festival, or minimal. The cost of the tickets is aimed at covering the cost of the events, not much more.

The festival was a marvel; the shows that result from the work with T.O.Y.S. and the rehearsals at Theatre Orangeville during the summer are great; Mark's show with his beautiful and talented students and the H. V. Children's Choir was stunning; and Patricia's students, ranging from ages 8 to 50-plus, had the audience shouting for more.

And yet. Were the houses full to capacity? Was there the slightest chance of getting a ticket at the last minute? Was everyone excited to sell tickets to neighbours, friends, distant relatives?

Was there the slightest understanding of what it was all about?

These events are more than about the kids simply strutting their stuff; they are about the dedication and caring that goes into the bothering to teach, to stage, to pony-up the initial costs, to make the leap of faith.

Mark DuBois charges to teach vocal lessons, but he gives his time to the Hockley Valley Children's Choir. It takes countless hours to organise the venue, the publicity, the music - the everything - to produce such an event.

All these teachers - Mark, Joy, Patricia, the many others - they all give far and away more than what they are paid to do. But why?

Because music matters.

There are no qualified vocal teachers in elementary schools and very few in high schools. The arts are always being relegated to the bottom of the money schedule. If there are cuts, they will start with the arts and the exercise, as though nothing matters outside of computers, science and math - and maybe football.

When Patricia was talking to her audience in Hamilton toward the end of her show, she talked about the importance of music. She told them that her mentor, Mark DuBois, had taught her that professionalism and rehearsal were just as important whether the audience was a small one in Hockley Village or a full house at Roy Thomson Hall. The preparation and devotion to performance matter, not the venue. She had learned as well, from others, about the passion for music, about its virtue as the international language, the bonding between people of all cultures.

Mark DuBois has told me that without music being part of a young person's life, there will be no theatre in the future, for they are the singers, the actors, the patrons, the audience.

So, the next time you know there is a performance at your local theatre, go to it - fill those seats. It is important to support the arts - and it's a joy.