Music Canada

Gold/Platinum

Join Mailing List

Music Canada

Gold/Platinum

 Music Canada

Music Education (36)

view

Chris Hadfield & Bramwell Tovey lead nationwide singalong for Music Monday 10th Anniversary

Posted by

On Monday May 5, 2014, students from coast to coast took part in the 10th Anniversary of Music Monday, an annual event that brings together thousands of children, musicians, parents and community members to celebrate the gift of music in our lives. Launched by the Coalition For Music Education in 2005, Music Monday unites communities and schools across Canada by singing one piece of music on the same day at the same time.

Beginning in Gander, NL with co-hosts Jessie Downey and Liam Dawson, the Music Monday webcast brought participants to various towns and schools across Canada to watch their unique individual performances.

During Toronto, ON’s festivities at the Ontario Science Centre, Music Canada’s Amy Terrill, VP Public Affairs, provided remarks calling for a commitment to a developing a national music education strategy, which can be viewed below:

In a statement in the House Of Commons on May 5, MP Andrew Cash (Davenport, NDP) emphasized that music education “helps young people to see the world in a broader way” and “access to a music education should not be left to just luck and chance.” Cash’s full statement can be viewed here.

MP Rick Dykstra (St. Catherines, CPC) also spoke, stating, “I invite everyone to tune in and enjoy this great day as we celebrate the impact of music on Canada and the impact Canadian music has on the world.” Dykstra’s full statement can be seen here.

At around 12:55 PM EST, participants sang along with Astronaut Chris Hadfield in Edmonton and Maestro Bramwell Tovey in Vancouver to “I.S.S (Is Somebody Singing)”, a song penned by Hadfield for last year’s event.

The song’s co-writer, Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, appeared from Tuscany to announce next year’s event in Montreal, QC. Robertson also announced that next year, in partnership with the SOCAN, Music Monday is inviting any interested Canadians to submit their song ideas for 2015.

Using the hashtag #MM10, participants shared photos of their Music Monday experiences via Twitter and Facebook. A collection of tweets can be seen below:

Categories: Advocacy, Music Education
Tags: , , ,
Comments
view

National music organizations join voices to oppose cuts to VSB music programs

Posted by

National music organizations join voices to oppose cuts to VSB music programs

The Coalition for Music Education, Music Canada and MusiCounts believe in the importance of music education for all young people in schools. We are joining our voices together to urge the Vancouver School Board (VSB) to withdraw the proposal to cut elementary band and strings programs. Don’t take instruments out of the hands of children. Keep providing a comprehensive education that includes quality music instruction for all students, taught by individuals with a background and training in music. Music is not an expendable area of study. We strongly disagree with any reduction to music in schools and ask – what is the VSB’s vision and plan to maintain quality music programs in VSB schools for all students?

Research has proven that music education provides far-reaching benefits to the lives of young Canadians, to our communities and to our culture. We believe that decisions minimizing any aspect of the VSB’s music program will have a long-term negative impact on the lives of Vancouver students and on the community.

 

Music is essential to education and to life.

Music education:

  • teaches students to think creatively and critically,
  • develops skills that are essential in the 21st century workforce,
  • opens students’ minds to diverse perspectives and thinking,
  • bridges languages, cultures and generations,
  • unites us through shared experiences,
  • enriches our sense of beauty and imagination, and
  • supports student success.

 

The Coalition for Music Education annually celebrates the importance of learning music in our schools through a national event titled Music Monday. Last year’s Showcase Concert included a live link with Commander Hadfield in the International Space Station and this year’s Showcase will include a special event in Vancouver. “Everybody should be learning music. Music opens doors. And music stimulates the brain. Music helps organize and even wire your brain…Music education is really important in life. It’s a wonderful and applicable skill that only makes you a more capable human – We should all learn music.” – Chris Hadfield

Music Canada has identified music education as one of five critical components for the development of the music industry in Canada and an essential stimulant for a vibrant music scene which leads to great community impacts including increased tourism, job growth and business investment. “ There is vast evidence that music education contributes to the broader development of young minds and more well-rounded citizens,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Music is a great equalizer, bridging all cultures, and languages.”

MusiCounts is helping keep music alive in our schools. MusiCounts has awarded nearly $7 million in grants and scholarships to schools and communities in Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to a music program through their school. “Every child deserves the opportunity to experience and benefit from playing an instrument.” says Allan Reid, Director, MusiCounts “Music can and does change lives.”

We urge decision-makers to maintain elementary band and strings programs in the VSB.

About the Coalition for Music Education:

The Coalition for Music Education works to raise awareness and understanding of the role music education plays in Canadian Culture, and to promote the benefits music education brings to young people. We envision Canada as a country where the lives of all children are enriched by quality school music programs, and where their active participation in music is valued and supported in our communities.

For more information about the Coalition, please visitMusicMakesUs

 

For more information contact:

Holly Nimmons, Executive Director
(416) 371-6486 | holly@musicmakesus.ca

About Music Canada:

Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1964 that promotes the interests of its members as well as their partners, the artists. Music Canada is a passionate advocate for music and those who create it. Music Canada also works closely with recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, awards programs and managers in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

For more information about Music Canada, please visitMusic Canada

For more information, contact:

Amy Terrill, Vice-President, Public Affairs
(647) 963-6044 | aterrill@musiccanada.com

 

 

About MusiCounts:

MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), is helping to keep music alive in schools across Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to a music program through their school. MusiCounts includes Band Aid musical instrument grants, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships, and other music education initiatives.

For more information about MusiCounts, please visitMusiCounts

For more information, contact:

Allan Reid, Director
(416) 485-3135 ext 228 | allan@musicounts.ca

– 30 –

Categories: Music Education, News Release
Comments
view

Music Monday 2014: On May 5th, join the Canada-wide celebration of music in our lives & schools

Posted by

On Monday, May 5, 2014, join the Canada-wide celebration of music when schools and communities from coast to coast unite in singing and performing the Music Monday theme song ‘I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing.’ This year, Music Monday celebrates its 10th anniversary with a live webcast of simultaneous events happening across the country, concluding with a synchronized performance of ‘I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing’ with former Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield and Maestro Bramwell Tovey of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Music MondayMusic-Monday-Poster-ENG-JPG is an initiative of Music Makes Us: Coalition for Music Education, a national advocacy organization promoting quality music education for all young people. The annual event takes place on the first Monday in May, with the goal of celebrating the galvanizing power of music in Canada and demonstrating how that power is rooted in school music programs. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians take part in the event through their schools and communities; last year’s event engaged approximately one million people in Canada and abroad.

The Coalition for Music Education expects this year’s Music Monday to have record numbers of participants, with confirmed events happening in St. John’s, NL, Halifax, NS, Charlottetown, PEI, Toronto, ON, Winnipeg, MB, Edmonton, AB, Vancouver, BC, Whitehorse, YT, Ottawa, ON, Montreal, QC, and more cities and towns across Canada.

To get involved with Music Monday, download the Participation Toolkit, and register your event online. To find an event happening in your area, search the Music Monday Map, which already dotted with events from coast to coast.

To prepare for sing-along, download the arrangements for ‘ISS – Is Somebody Singing’: there are vocal lead sheets as well as scores for bands, drumlines, ensembles, guitar, steel pans, strings, and much more. There are also translations available for the song in eleven different languages, including American Sign Language, Cree, Dutch, French, Gaelic, German, Inuktitut, Italian, Japanese, Ojibway, Russian, and Spanish.

The Coalition for Music Education is also looking for youth reporters to cover Music Monday 2014, and has launched a new essay contest to find thirteen students from across Canada, who will represent their province as a Music Monday Roving Youth Reporter and be given the opportunity to interview a prominent Canadian on the subject of music and music education.

In the above video, Commander Hadfield articulates why music education is so important:

“I bought my first record at about nine or ten years old, and listening to music introduced me to cultures and people who were different than I was. And learning to play the guitar taught me to improvise and to be creative, and to be able to be play with a group. And practicing on that guitar, that taught me self-discipline. And these were all fundamental skills that I have used throughout my career. And that’s why I can confidently say that music helped me be a better astronaut.”

Music education is a key priority of Music Canada as one of our five strategies in The Next Big Bang report, which recommends that given the strong evidence that music education prepares workers who are more creative, better problem-solvers, and possess soft skills that are critical in the digital economy, as well as the correlation between music scenes and tech clusters, governments should invest more in music education and should consider music scenes as a tool for economic development.

For more information on Music Monday, visit http://www.musicmonday.ca/, and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter for future updates.

Categories: Advocacy, Music Education
Tags: ,
Comments
view

Jeff Kula of Winnipeg’s River East Collegiate honoured with MusiCounts’ Teacher of the Year Award

Posted by
Congratulations to Jeff Kula of Winnipeg’s River East Collegiate, who was honoured with MusiCounts’ Teacher of the Year Award yesterday in recognition of his passion and dedication to music education.

The MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the incredible, dedicated and hard-working music teachers in Canada who encourage music education for many young Canadians.

“Each year we receive a number of nominations on behalf of teachers who impact school communities across Canada,” says Allan Reid, Director, MusiCounts. “Choosing the one recipient of this annual award is never easy, but Jeff Kula’s commitment to his students and how he goes above and beyond the call of duty of a music teacher exemplifies the reason that we established this award to begin with.”

Gord Bamford, who is nominated for The JUNO Awards Country Album of the Year, was on hand to present the award at a surprise presentation at Kula’s school. This year’s award is sponsored by Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation, who also committed an additional $100,000 to MusiCounts over the next three years.

“If I wouldn’t have started music at a young age, and started in school, I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” says Bamford. “It creates dreams. It’s a dream I eventually started chasing, and it’s come true for me. It all started in grade four and I have my teacher to thank for that. I want to make a difference, and giving back is the most rewarding thing that I’ve been able to do.”

Check out the video of River East Collegiate’s reaction to the news, care of CTV Winnipeg.

Categories: Music Education
Tags: , , ,
Comments
view

Musicounts announces 2013-2014 Band Aid Grant recipients with help from Classified & David Myles

Posted by

Today, Musicounts announced the 2013-2014 recipients of their Band Aid Grant program at Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School (JVCSS) in Scarborough, ON, which is one of 70 schools from across Canada who will receive a grant to support school music programs. This year, the Band Aid Grant program is awarding more than $600,000 in funds as part of Musicounts’ mission to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to a music program through their school.

Music Canada and our members Sony Music Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada are proud supporters of the Band Aid Grant program. This is the second year of Music Canada’s partnership with Musicounts, following last year’s pledge of $250,000 over the next three years, which supports music education programs in schools in Toronto and across the country.

“Music education is a gift that keeps on giving – from the obvious benefit of inspiring our future generation of musicians, some of whom will go on to become ambassadors for Canada around the world, to preparing students for careers in a variety of disciplines including technology and science, to instilling respect in the creative process,” said Music Canada Vice President of Public Affairs Amy Terrill. “Music education is as important as the three R’s and we are proud to do a small part to ensure it remains a priority.”

The celebration was hosted by East Coast Music Award winner Kim Stockwood, and featured a terrific performance by the Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School band, as well as a surprise performance by JUNO Award winners Classified and David Myles.

ClassDavidsized

Classified and David Myles performed their hit songs “3 Foot Tall,” “So Blind” and “Inner Ninja” before revealing the instruments JVCSS are receiving as part of their $10,000 Band Aid Grant. The instruments will allow JVCSS and their musical instructor Michael Fanning to extend its popular music program to 75 additional students next year.

BandAidsized

For more photos from today’s event, view the album on our Facebook page.

Categories: Music Education
Tags: , ,
Comments
view

National music organizations join voices to oppose cuts to TDSB music programs

Posted by

The Coalition for Music Education, Music Canada and MusiCounts believe in the importance of music education for all young people in schools. We are joining our voices together to urge the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to keep providing a comprehensive education that includes quality music instruction for all students, taught by individuals with a background and training in music. We strongly disagree with any reduction to music in schools and ask – what is the TDSB’s vision and plan to maintain quality music programs in TDSB schools for all students?Research has proven that music education provides far-reaching benefits to the lives of young Canadians, to our communities and to our culture. We believe that decisions minimizing any aspect of the TDSB’s music program will have a long-term negative impact on the lives of Toronto students and on the community.

Music is essential to education and to life.
Music education:

  • teaches students to think creatively and critically,
  • develops skills that are essential in the 21st century workforce,
  • opens students’ minds to diverse perspectives and thinking,
  • bridges languages, cultures and generations,
  • unites us through shared experiences,
  • enriches our sense of beauty and imagination, and
  • supports student success.

The Coalition for Music Education annually celebrates the importance of learning music in our schools
through a national event titled Music Monday. This year’s Showcase Concert in Toronto included a live
link with Commander Hadfield in the International Space Station, who said, “Everybody should be
learning music. Music opens doors. And music stimulates the brain. Music helps organize and even
wire your brain…Music education is really important in life. It’s a wonderful and applicable skill that
only makes you a more capable human – We should all learn music.”

Music Canada has identified music education as one of five critical components for the development of the music industry in Canada and points out that the recently announced Ontario Music Fund (OMF) sends a clear message from the government that it values the contributions of the music community and that it thinks music is a sound investment. “There is vast evidence that music education contributes to the broader development of young minds and more well-rounded citizens,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Music is a great equalizer, bridging all cultures, and languages.”

MusiCounts is helping keep music alive in our schools. This year MusiCounts awarded over $1 million in grants and scholarships to schools and communities in Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to a music program through their school. “Every child deserves the opportunity to experience and benefit from playing an instrument.” says Allan Reid, Director, MusiCounts. “Music can and does change lives.”

We urge decision-makers to maintain quality music programs in the TDSB.

About the Coalition for Music Education:
The Coalition for Music Education works to raise awareness and understanding of the role music education plays in Canadian Culture, and to promote the benefits music education brings to young people.
We envision Canada as a country where the lives of all children are enriched by quality school music programs, and where their active participation in music is valued and supported in our communities.

For more information about the Coalition, please visit MusicMakesUs.

For more information contact:
Holly Nimmons, Executive Director
(416) 371-6486 | holly@musicmakesus.ca

About Music Canada:
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1964 that promotes the interests of its members as well as their partners, the artists. Music Canada is a passionate advocate for music and those who create it. Music Canada also works closely with recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters and managers in the promotion and development of the music cluster.
For more information about Music Canada, please visit Music Canada

For more information, contact:
Amy Terrill, Vice-President, Public Affairs
(416) 967-7272 ext 103 | aterrill@musiccanada.com

About MusiCounts:
MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), is helping to keep music alive in schools across Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural
background, have access to a music program through their school. MusiCounts includes Band Aid musical instrument grants, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships, and other music education initiatives.

For more information about MusiCounts, please visit MusiCounts

For more information, contact:
Allan Reid, Director
(416) 485-3135 ext 228 | allan@musicounts.ca

– 30 –

Categories: Music Education, News Release
Comments