Music Creation Workshops with Espace Transition
The Music Creation Workshops with Espace Transition (CHU Sainte-Justine) project is an innovative mental health program that uses the arts to promote youth well-being.
Born out of a collaboration between the Agora Orchestra, the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, and the clinical teams at Espace Transition, this program offers annual workshops in composition, improvisation, and sound exploration, led by composer Florence Tremblay and musicians from the Agora.
Between 2023 and 2025, 38 young people aged 14 to 29 participated in the program. The workshops take place in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment, where participants develop their social skills, self-confidence, and creativity through collective music-making. Evaluations show a decrease in anxiety and fear of judgment by others, as well as an increase in feelings of belonging and positive emotions.
The project has had a significant impact, promoting socialization, personal empowerment, and the destigmatization of mental health issues. Building on its promising results and its balance between theory and practice, the program continues to develop, with the next edition scheduled for 2026, and is preparing to be rolled out in other regions of Quebec.
