About
Who We Are
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
- Joy Forbes
Joy is an award-winning English, French and Music teacher. She studied piano, flute, théorie, solfège and dictée at la Conservatoire de Musique à Québec and graduated with a BA (Hons) and B.Ed. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Joy was the winner of the Sharon Hiscott Memorial Award for Leadership and Excellence in Elementary Creative Arts in 2002, a finalist for the Governor General’s Awards of Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, winner of the OCRI Capital Educators’ Awards Program in 2003, and winner of the National Arts Centre Leadership in the Arts Award in 2007.
She is a Past President of the Canadian Federation of University Women in Kanata, Ontario, and continues to serve on the executive. In 2010, Joy was asked to teach other members how to play the guitar. She formed a group called the Guitar Groovers. There are now 24 singers and guitarists that love to perform in senior residences, long-term care facilities, and at community events. This group performed regularly until COVID-19 struck in March 2020.
Joy then founded the company Groove with the Guitar to bring back laughter and entertainment to seniors. She loves being able to perform again with friends. She currently teaches guitar to mature adults who always wanted to learn how to play.
OUR TEAM
GUEST ARTISTS
Elena Petrcich
Coming from a large family, Elena’s brother taught her how to play the guitar when she was a teenager. She graduated from Wilfred Laurier (BA) in History and Political Science, and Ottawa U. (MEd Admin), and became a high school teacher at Galt Collegiate Institute in Cambridge and Confederation High School in Ottawa. In addition to teaching History, Political Science, Sociology, and Economics, she coached many teams and now continues to encourage people to stay physically active through hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
After becoming an executive member of the Canadian Federation of University Women in Kanata, Elena joined the Guitar Groovers interest group, singing and playing the guitar. In retirement, she continues to learn, play, compose lyrics, and sing. Elena enjoys the challenges of learning new songs, new chords, rehearsing, taping, and laughing!
Joan Blake-Savoie
Growing up on Canada’s east coast meant music was a part of everyday life. Joan comes from a musical family; her father played guitar, harmonica, spoons, and Jews harp, her mother played piano and violin and her sister plays guitar and piano.
Family gatherings meant musical gatherings. Musical instruments accompanied guests when they arrived at Joan’s family home as much as food and drink.
Joan studied piano for 8 years and learned to play guitar by watching and listening to her father play. She started with a few basic chords and learned new chords when new songs were added to the list of popular tunes that were played and enjoyed at campfires and family musical evenings.
Music is a lifelong passion. Joan continues to learn new chords on the guitar and new songs that she sings and plays, with her group the Guitar Groovers, for audiences around the Stittsville and Kanata area.
Ann Seely
Ann loves making music. Since she was a girl growing up in Hamilton she enjoyed playing piano and clarinet. Later while away at Queens University a friend gave her a guitar. As a distraction from her studies, Ann enjoyed learning folk tunes from the '70s like Neil Young and the Eagles. After graduation, Ann parked her guitar at her parent's home and traveled around the world. She returned to Canada to continue her studies at the University of Windsor and then earned her CPA designation while working in Toronto. Next, she moved to Ottawa for a new high-tech job, married Carl, and raised her two amazing daughters.
Although her parents long ago shipped the piano, the guitar, and the clarinet to Ottawa the guitar was relegated to a closet. Now as Ann looks forward to her retirement from accountancy she has at long last pulled the old guitar out and even acquired a new fancier one too. She is taking instruction from her friend and guitar teacher Joy to expand her repertoire and further hone her guitar skills.
Adele Cummings
Music has always played an important part in Adele’s life. She studied piano for many years and enjoys playing her grand piano. She finds music is a great stress reliever and it touches her soul.
Adele has had the opportunity to work with seniors in long term care facilities and has seen how important music is for their mental health. She has enjoyed performing for seniors and community members with the Guitar Groovers over several years. In addition to singing, she finds it fun to have the opportunity to ‘drum’ as well.
QUESTIONS
