For Sean McAllister, music has always been an important part of his life, and through the years he has developed into a respected performer, playwright, composer, music educator, and music academy owner with a dedication to building a better community.
McAllister, who was born and raised in Brantford, explained his early start in music.
“Growing up in Brantford, we had some form of music in every grade, which is different from how things are now. I remember in grades three and five, we had in-class music where we were doing choir or playing percussion instruments. In grade six, when I was around ten years old…I went to an elementary school that sent us to another school a couple of days a week for instrumental music, tech, and home economics. That was where I was introduced to orchestral instruments, and I played the trumpet. At that time, I had already taken piano lessons and was playing guitar, so music wasn’t brand new to me, but orchestral music was definitely something different,” he recalled.
However, the young musician had several influences growing up, which shaped how he played the guitar.
“My guitar playing today is still heavily influenced by what I listened to back then. I’m Irish, so U2 is always in my back pocket and my playing is very inspired by them. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, I was also heavily influenced by classic rock: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Beatles….the kind of stuff that shapes most musicians my age,” he said. “At that young age, I was just playing whatever the teachers gave me and learning to become proficient on my own. The idea of being in a band hadn’t crossed my mind yet; that didn’t happen until high school.”
Eventually, he would branch out to other opportunities to explore music including forming a band.
“Playing with others opened up a lot of channels. When you play on your own, you’re playing solo and trying to figure out what the instrument can do. Even now in my acoustic duo, my bandmate will suggest a song and I’ll say, ‘We can’t do that on just one guitar.’ Back before I joined a band, I was trying to make the sound of an entire band with one guitar, which never works. Meeting people who wanted to play together was fun, but it was also a learning process,” McAllister noted. “When I entered high school, I was leaning into punk music. My first band at age 14 was called Attention, Mr. Cleaver. We recorded a short four-song EP that thankfully never saw the light of day. It was all punk, which was fun for a 14-year-old, though it was a relatively short stint.”
It was at the end of high school that McAllister realized that music could be a career.
“Near the end of high school at BCI, I played in the pit band for a musical version of The Hobbit. That was where I realized I could use music and my instrument in different venues and contexts. Before that, I was playing rock and roll in a band. Here, I was playing guitar in a strict environment alongside orchestral instruments. It hadn’t occurred to me before that I could do that, and it really opened my mind to new possibilities,” he said.
After high school, the musician would go on to continue his studies at the post secondary level.
“Playing in the pit orchestra for that musical got me interested in musical theater. Towards the end of high school, I shifted toward performing on stage because I’m also a vocalist. Theater opened my eyes to broader musicianship, which led me to the musical theater program at Sheridan. It was a lot of fun….singing, dancing, and acting all day long, and performing in shows as part of your education. At the same time, through a sister program, I took studies at U of T. I received credits through Sheridan that allowed me to finish my Sheridan diploma and my U of T degree almost simultaneously,” he said.
However, he has learned a great deal when it comes to musical theater.
“I had written a musical at the end of high school with a friend who came up with the story idea while I wrote the music and lyrics. We performed it in the lobby of the Sanderson Centre. As you progress in an arts career, you learn to critique your own work. If you can’t spot what isn’t good, you need to do more growing. I realized my early material wasn’t great, but people along the way pushed me,” he said. “Musical theater is collaborative, and people encouraged me to finish my work and put it out there. Working with great people helped me put on shows in the Sanderson lobby, the rehearsal hall, and eventually on the main stage. Having people believe in my original material rather than just established works like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s…it’s something I’ve always appreciated.”
After completing his post-secondary studies, McAllister looked to take the next step in his musical career.
“Coming out of Sheridan, I wanted to perform in musicals. I did that for a little over a year, but found I didn’t enjoy doing large-scale productions. At that level, creativity is restricted…if a show opens in New York and comes to Toronto, you reproduce exactly what was done in New York without much creative input. Smaller shows offer actors more freedom, but once a role is originated, you’re expected to stay within those boundaries. Because of that, I decided to transition into producing and directing musical theater,” McAllister stated. “And during this time…there were many highlights. We staged shows frequently [and] in 1997, I participated in Brantford’s sesquicentennial celebrations, where we mounted a couple of musicals at the Sanderson Centre. Performing at the Sanderson Centre is a wonderful experience…it’s a fantastic theater, and Brantford is lucky to have it. I’d advise any performer to find a way to get on that stage at least once. Running a sustained production company that regularly puts on shows and making a career out of something people rarely view as a standard job was a major highlight for me.”
While he has written and produced a strong repertoire of musicals, there are a few that are considered his favourites.
“It’s a tie between two: my Titanic musical….God Himself Could Not Sink This Ship, and my stage adaptation of the novel Lolita. I was fascinated by the Titanic. Counting my early attempts, it was my fourth musical. I wrote it long before the James Cameron movie came out. That project showed me I was growing as a songwriter. The music was more complex, and I felt proud of how I handled the story, music, and lyrics. It has been mounted several times, including by other theater groups, which is deeply satisfying,” he noted. “With Lolita, I read Vladimir Nabokov’s novel and knew the movie adaptations, though I don’t recall the exact spark that made me adapt it into a musical. What makes me proud of Lolita is that it marked another level of growth in my songwriting. It was my first through-composed musical…there is no spoken dialogue, so the music runs continuously from start to finish.”
Beyond theater, McAllister has also composed for television and video games. An opportunity that started through mutual friends.
“A friend mentioned to two creators in Toronto, Chris and John [and] that if he knew someone who wrote musical theater. They were producing a musical episode for their TV show and asked if I could write a few songs. I had never written for the screen, but they assured me I just needed to compose songs that fit the narrative. I wrote them, they hired me back for the following season, and other industry professionals noticed my work. That opened up doors for more film and television work. Every project was a growth opportunity that tested my abilities. Writing background music for screen media changed my process…I joke with my bandmate that writing standard songs feels like a chore now because I spend so much time composing instrumental scores. But it matured my overall musicianship,” McAllister noted.
Nevertheless, teaching has been the longest running thread running through his career.
“Pat Alonzo hired me at L.A. Music to teach guitar when I was 16. Over the years, alongside theater and media work, I always did teaching. Regarding the Academy of Music and Performance, I didn’t originally start it. Two founders started it in 2018, and one of them brought me in to teach one night a week. By 2019, I added a second night,” he said. “When COVID hit, my screen scoring work dried up, so I transitioned students online using my home studio setup. When the physical studio was closed, the founders offered to bring me in as a partner. However, I realized the business was being mismanaged. I spoke with our upstairs landlords, who were also dissatisfied with how the business was running. I asked if they would be open to renewing the lease solely with me. It felt a bit like a takeover, but they agreed. After returning from a trip to Disney World in 2021, I took over the lease and business license, and I’ve been running it ever since.”
Since solely heading the Academy of Music and Performance, the entrepreneur has looked to offer student’s exceptional learning opportunities.
“The core vision established by the original founders that I maintained is hiring instructors with real-world music industry experience. Rather than someone who has only played in a local band for a few years, our teachers have session experience, theater credentials, or film and TV composition backgrounds. They can guide students on how to navigate the actual music business,” the music instructor said. “Over the past five years, we’ve grown substantially. We operate an independent teacher model where instructors have creative freedom in how they teach within our facility. We cover almost every instrument, offer early childhood music programs, and have an instructor accredited by the Royal Conservatory of Music who prepares students for RCM examinations. We also house a full-service recording studio. Students can record their work as part of their experience, and outside artists can record, mix, and master full albums. We aim to offer an entry point into the music industry rather than just basic lessons.”
One of the most important aspects of the academy is sharing music with the community.
“When I first took over, we hosted Customer Appreciation Days in our parking lot with performance tents, games, a barbecue, and live sets from students and local bands. Music builds tight communities, so seeing that bond form among our student body is deeply rewarding. And that community involvement led me to join the downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA),” he said.
Along with music, McAllister has also participated in other ways in the community, including being with the BIA.
“My landlord suggested I apply for the BIA board about two and a half years ago. It’s a funny progression…going from a 14-year-old punk kid to a 50-year-old local businessman. I joined the board, served on the executive committee, and currently chair the marketing subgroup. Its mandate focuses on maintaining public space, beautifying downtown, and advocating for local businesses. Downtown often faces negative public perception, so seeing places like Harmony Square packed with people enjoying community events helps break down that stigma. It’s rewarding to give people a reason to come downtown and see its potential,” McAllister noted. “The BIA has also created fantastic opportunities for our students. Through BIA events like the Garage Urban Night Market, Duck Fest, and performance stages at Harmony Square, our students get real performance opportunities too. Recently, Laurier hosted the Fusion Beats showcase at the Sanderson Centre. We had one student perform last year, and five students auditioned this year. Giving students the opportunity to perform on that stage is immensely gratifying.”
McAllister also has a band called Last Men Standing, which has become well known in the community.
“It’s an acoustic duo with my long-time collaborator, Stephen B. Andrews. Stephen performed in many of the theater productions I produced from the late ’90s through the mid-2000s, and we later played in a full band together. When that band split, Stephen and I wanted to keep playing, so we formed Last Men Standing. We have singles on streaming platforms, play local venues, and are working on a full album. It’s a fun, creative outlet for both of us,” he explained.
However, McAllister has sights set on growing the academy among other goals.
“For the Academy, my goal is continued growth….bringing in more teachers and students so more people learn how to perform and build careers in music. I also want to expand our recording studio capabilities to accommodate full bands and higher-profile artists. Personally, I want to continue my work with the BIA board ….chairing the marketing and decorations subgroup. I enjoy serving the community, and I want to keep investing my energy into growing the Academy to see how far it can go,” McAllister stated.
