chloe shantz | undergraduate research assistant

Chloe is a conductor, soprano vocalist and violinist from Edmonton, Alberta. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Music and English literature in 2025, and is currently exploring a career in conducting and music education. She worked on the FVC project from 2023-2024 as a Research Assistant, transcribing interviews, compiling codes, and presenting at the Podium national choral conference in 2024. 

What drew Chloe to the From the Voices of Children project was the focus on creating community through music for the kids who need it the most. Chloe took the isolation of the pandemic very hard, beginning her first year a Bachelor's in Music completely online. This experience taught her how fragile live music is, and how important it is to protect it.  

Chloe was lucky to grow up in a musical family, so even though music was shut down elsewhere she was still able to have music at home, but for many people, especially kids who only have music at their schools, this is not the case. FVC's research opened her eyes to this disparity especially. Chloe comes from a Western perspective based in the Western Classical Music tradition, but she seeks to learn from different traditions to keep learning the infinite amount of ways music can bring people together. She is grateful to have been part of the FVC project, and hopes this research can continue to have a positive impact on the education system for music.