Barb McIlquham

Barb's wonderfully crafted songs and beautifully clear voice are evident in her latest album "Come and See My Rainbow". Barb has combined her two outstanding talents as professional musician, and as professional educator, into one cleverly unique and comprehensive package.

Although Barb's previous recording "Inside My Dream" (released under Barb's maiden name Mattiacci) was geared toward Adult Contemporary audiences, her new vision was to create a tangible piece of musical work that not only would be pleasurable to listen to, but also be a useful cross-curriculum teaching tool for kindergarten teachers everywhere.

Barb has not only had extensive experience teaching kindergarten students, she has also been a music teacher to students in the intermediate level.

As a musician, Barb has been writing and performing professionally at clubs and music festivals throughout the Province of Ontario for over twenty years. Barb's music is frequently aired on the CBC radio and community radio stations throughout the country.

In 2001, Barb was the award recipient of the Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario (E.T.F.O.) Multi-Media Award and The Curriculum Foundation Award for her musical accomplishments. Most recently Barb won another award through Curriculum Services Canada for an early literacy project that she developed.

Barb has the ability to create expertly crafted lyrics and melodies that conjure feelings of wonderment and awe in the children that she writes for, while being able to teach basic academic concepts. It is clearly evident that Barb is a truly gifted musician and educator!