In Parkdale Branch: Musings from the Musician in Residence
There is probably no place in Toronto like the Parkdale library branch. As the library’s Musician in Residence, there is also nothing like doing a one-on-one session during which I provide guidance to aspiring songwriters. This is partly because when we sit behind the glass in the Musical Instrument Lending Library, located inside the Parkdale Branch, both adults and children come and press their faces against the window, watching us and waiting for recognition. This, we do; pausing the discussion to give them thumbs up. Kids scatter away, and adults return the gesture.
It seems as if the Parkdale Branch is forever busy being a Toronto place. Its computer terminals are always occupied; newspapers from everywhere are studied, pawed, absorbed; and, in one instance, an older woman knits with her grandchild on her knee. Borrowers walk the floor with teetering stacks of books and DVDs, and, often, there are line-ups of people asking the librarians a question:
“Where did Parkdale Legal move to?”
“Will this card get me on the streetcar?”
“What time is book club?”
“Do you lend out congas?”
The hive buzzes, the pages fly, the stacks grow. In the Musical Instrument Lending Library, there’s an upright bass here, a synthesizer there, a mandolin on a stand and guitars— electric and acoustic— cushioned in travel-cases, some of them signed out, some of them signed in. Surrounded by these tools, me and my guest worry over a B diminished chord and wait for another face to appear in the window.
Musician and author Dave Bidini is Musician in Residence at Toronto Public Library until December 7, 2019. He's hosting events and offering expert guidance on songwriting, performing and navigating the music industry. Learn more about him and the Musician in Residence program.
Find out more about the Sun Life Musical Instrument Lending Library.
One thought on “In Parkdale Branch: Musings from the Musician in Residence”
Such a great program, we are so lucky to have Dave Bidini at TPL as musician in residence.