Music and the Mind: A Smart Start to Early Childhood Education
RCM Smart Start Symposium 2025 - Panel Discussions
Friday, October 31, 2025 | 9 AM - 12:30 PM
Koerner Hall, Toronto
For admission to the Full Symposium, click here.
For tickets to An Intimate Evening with Renee Fleming, click here.
Join us for a groundbreaking day of discovery, inspiration, and connection at the Smart Start Symposium 2025, a global event exploring how music can shape the developing mind.
This year’s theme, “Music and the Mind: A Smart Start to Early Childhood Education,” brings together world-renowned voices in neuroscience, early learning, and music to highlight the transformative power of music in the earliest years of life.
The event marks the global launch of the updated RCM Smart Start early childhood music program.
RCM Smart Start is The Royal Conservatory’s early childhood music program, blending music education with leading research in neuroscience to support cognitive, emotional, and social development. Rooted in a decade of success with over 5,000 children, this play-based, research-driven curriculum is now expanding globally. Designed by experts in early learning and neuroscience, RCM Smart Start for Early Childhood Education fosters key areas for children’s development such as fine motor skills, communication, emotional regulation and social development, helping children thrive in and beyond the classroom. This curriculum blends insights from neuroscience with engaging activities created specifically for early childhood environments
The all-day symposium on October 31 will bring together international experts for dynamic discussions, hands-on experiences, and inspiring performances.
Whether you're an educator, policymaker, researcher, or passionate advocate for music education, this symposium will deepen your understanding of how music enriches brain development and how Smart Start is shaping the future of early childhood education.
Event Highlights
Two Inspiring Panels at Koerner Hall
The two panels will feature trailblazing leaders in arts, education and policy such as:
· Renee Fleming, world-renowned soprano, arts advocate, and four-time Grammy Award winner, will moderate one of our panels, bringing her unique perspective on the intersection of music, culture, and education.
· Raffi, beloved children’s entertainer and children’s advocate
· Evan Solomon, Federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation
· Alexander Brose, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO, The Royal Conservatory of Music
· Dr. Indre Viskontas, neuroscientist and operatic soprano, exploring the science of music and the brain
· Kevin Chan, Global Policy Campaign Strategies Director at Meta, focusing on the future of the internet including artificial intelligence, the metaverse and the creator economy.
Why Attend?
· Gain exclusive insights from leading neuroscientists, educators, and policy experts
· Explore how music shapes cognitive, social, and emotional development in early childhood
· Be among the first to experience the Smart Start approach in action
· Network with global leaders shaping the future of education and the arts
Tickets go on sale August 21, 2025
Spots are limited - don't miss this unforgettable event at the intersection of music, science, and early learning.
With Gratitude
This symposium and the ongoing Smart Start research wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our champions. Special thanks to:
Heather Edwards, The Krawczyk Family Foundation, TELUS, Temerty Foundation, and David Thomson & Severine Nackers.
Your vision and commitment help bring Smart Start to life and empower the next generation of learners through music.