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Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

The Royal Conservatory of Music has received a $2.8-million gift to help school teachers teach music.

The RCM announced Friday that Toronto wealth management consultant Michael Vukets and his wife, Karen, have donated the money to the organization's current fundraising campaign, earmarking it for the teacher training program.

As generalist teachers are increasingly asked to teach music, the Conservatory says the Karen and Michael Vukets Public School Teacher Development Program will help prepare them for the task by improving their music skills and will also show them how to use music to teach subjects such as math, science and language.

The RCM fundraising campaign, which has raised $25-million to date, is intended to build Conservatory programming throughout Canada.

Meanwhile, the Toronto International Film Festival also announced Friday that it has received a $2-million gift from the charitable foundation of financier Gerald Schwartz and Chapters Indigo CEO Heather Reisman. The money will help TIFF with its year-round activities including education and cultural programming for people who can't otherwise afford it, as well work in film preservation and exhibition, and filmmaker development.

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