Bio

Frances Mae Balodis MEd., ARCT, LCCN(H), LCNCM(H), RMT, MYCC is founder  (in 1980) of Music for Young Children® and cofounder of CLU™. As a Registered Music Teacher, Frances received the Hugheen Ferguson Distinguished Teacher award in Regina SK in July 2011. She was nominated (in 2011) and was a finalist for the Louis Applebaum Composer Award. A certified  Neurolinguistic Programmer (NLP) and an Accredited DISC Training provider, as well as teacher with over 50 years experience, Frances is a speaker and a workshop clinician, adjudicator and examiner. She delights in helping people of all ages and places understand their learning styles. Frances is the Chairperson for the MYC Composition Festival.  Frances has adjudicated at many Festivals. In addition, in 2016 she was the adjudicator for the Mary Gardiner Junior and Senior candidates for Performance Excellence across Canada for ACNMP Contemporary Showcase. Frances enjoys being a Conservatory Canada examiner. She lives in Ullswater, Muskoka, ON with her husband, Gunars. She shares the organist position at St. Thomas Anglican church, Ullswater, ON. Frances played handbells for five years.

Frances makes and sells birch bark cards for her business Creative Muskoka Cards.

Frances is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers CAPS. She is also the director of The Muskoka Men of Song, a 35 voice male choir centered in Bracebridge, ON. She made an arrangement for C is for the Christ Child for this choir. Frances has composed hundreds of piano songs, solo and duets – the best known solo is “Muskoka Autumn.”