How Music Builds Stronger Communities: A Local Story of Growth and Belonging

In the heart of Winnipeg’s music scene, Deidra Borus stands as more than just a local artist—she’s a symbol of what happens when creativity, community, and education intersect. Her story, which weaves through classical opera, musical theatre, and eventually to fronting her own band, speaks to the deep social value of music and its power to shape lives and communities.

Deidra’s path wasn’t linear. Though she started singing from a young age, it took years—and a few detours—to find her voice, literally and figuratively. She began in traditional spaces like the Winnipeg Music Festival and Rainbow Stage, but those experiences, while formative, didn’t fully resonate. “Shout out to all my musical theatre teachers,” she says with a laugh, “but it wasn’t really something for me.” It wasn’t until university, during a lead performance in The Merry Wives of Windsor, that she had a moment of clarity: opera wasn’t quite it either.

It was her mother who gently nudged her toward something unexpected—music therapy. “She sent me this link to an open house, and I remember thinking, ‘This sounds stupid.’” But she went. And she was moved. “I was totally awestruck by the power of music and what it can do.” That one open house reconnected her to music—not just as performance but as a means of healing, teaching, and building people up.

Today, as a music teacher in Winnipeg, Deidra pours that passion into her students, emphasizing not just technical skill but emotional connection. She often chooses one song and lets students choose another, encouraging them to explore contrasting genres. “They might not like it at first,” she says, “but when we return to the original piece, their growth is obvious. Their range improves. Their confidence grows.”

This process is about more than musical notes. It’s about voice—in every sense. Many students start out shy, barely audible. “Then suddenly,” Deidra says, “they’re standing tall, singing out. It’s not just volume. It’s power.”

Her teaching goes beyond the classroom, reflecting a deeper civic value: empowerment through self-expression. In a city like Winnipeg, where young people—especially those from marginalized communities—often struggle to find platforms for their voices, music becomes more than art. It becomes advocacy. Healing. Belonging.

And Winnipeg itself benefits. When young people feel heard, they engage. When they create, they connect. Deidra’s students aren’t just learning to sing. They’re learning to express who they are, to stand in front of others, and to be unapologetically seen.

The “plus-value” here is both personal and public. Her work strengthens the social fabric—one voice lesson at a time. Music, in this context, is not an extracurricular activity. It’s a civic tool.

From the young student nervously holding a note to the adult rediscovering joy through guitar chords, Deidra’s journey reminds us that music in Winnipeg isn’t just culture—it’s community infrastructure. It’s resilience. And it’s loud in the best way possible.