Music Monday 2018 announcement soon!

We are thrilled to bring you more information soon for the official countdown to Music Monday 2018! Canada’s only national celebration for the power of music in our schools and communities, takes place on Monday, May 7, 2018. We are working on an exciting announcement for next year’s celebration which will reach from coast to coast to coast! This special 25th anniversary year of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, will celebrate music making all across the country with a special focus on YOU! Stay tuned for this special announcement in our next newsletter. For more information on Music Monday, visit our website www.musicmonday.ca.

First Indigenous Y4M event in North Bay

On November 25th, youth leaders gathered to discuss the importance of music and music education in North Bay. The meeting took place in the Big Medicine Studio at Nipissing First Nation where about twenty youth from North Bay and surrounding areas engaged in discussion on the importance of Aboriginal cultural and music. The discussion developed into a strategic plan for the importance of teaching, valuing, and development of music in this area for current and future generations. The day was facilitated by youth leaders Cole Forrest and Kelsey Borgford, and included traditionals songs, musical performances, and presentations from Chief Scott McLeod and others. Click here for a short video clip from CTV News, Northern Ontario.

Y4M Update

We’ve been engaging youth across the country, providing leadership opportunities as well as discovering new leaders for the future.

The Youth4Music Toronto Hub hosted it’s third event in Toronto titled, the Youth4Music Toronto Leadership Exchange. Youth leaders were inspired by incredible speakers and musicians, who came together for work on a strategic local action plan for the coming year. Action items included better access and opportunity for creative performance spaces in the city, and youth opportunity for mentorship.

The Youth4Music Montreal Hub hosted a workshop during the FAMEQ conference to showcase opportunities within the Youth4Music program for youth living in Montreal. Youth leaders presented and discussed both successes and challenges for music and music education in Montreal.

The Youth4Music Vancouver Hub met with Executive Director, Angela Elster in Vancouver to discuss the next steps for this newly formed Hub. Youth leaders in this area are looking forward to working toward collaborativly with other youth leaders in Vancouver, as well as the BC CME and BCMEA.

Do you know youth leaders who are passionate about music, excited to become engaged in a network for the importance of music? Contact Program Coordinator, Ashley Boychuk for more information about the Coalition’s Youth4Music Program.

Board Member Sarah Veber

We are pleased to introduce one of our newest Coalition Board Members, Sarah Veber. Sarah joins our Board of Directors with a focus on the youth voice as the Youth4Music Portfolio representative. Over the past couple of years, she has worked with the Coalition in the capacity of Youth4Music Ambassador. Sara is also a Loran Scholar, currently attending the University of Ottawa for harp performance. A dedicated and engaging member, we welcome her and look forward to further engaging her youth voice! Click here for more information on Sarah.

Music Advocacy Postcards

We’ve developed a postcard to be given to parents, administrators, and attendees at school concerts. These postcards speak to the importance of music and how the Coalition can help to foster this message. For more information and to order the free postcards, please email info@musicmakesus.ca.

MEA Update - OMEA / BC / FAMEQ

Over the past few months, the Coalition has had the opportunity to visit the Ontario Music Educator’s Association, British Columbia Music Association, and Fédération des Associations de Musiciens Éducateurs du Québec conferences. We had the privilege to speak with music educators and students, to participate in passionate discussions about music education, and to determine how the Coalition can better serve these communities. We learnt about the inspiring work, research and teaching tools of music educators and shared in the successes and challenges of each region. Thank you to the organizers and attendees of each conference for outstanding work and dedication to actively supporting the development of music education in your province. We can’t wait to attend more conferences next year.

Music Tool Suite

The Music Tool Suite is a collection of digital tools created to support music learning/music making in studio music instruction, in ensembles, and in music classrooms. Four tools have been developed:Cadenza, Notetaker, DREAM and iScore.  The tools are currently available without charge. Partners of the Music Tool Suite are Queen’s University, Concordia University, The Curious Piano Teachers, and the Coalition for Music Education. Please visit www.musictoolsuite.ca

Lending library for Toronto and Calgary

Following a poll of 2,500 people, Sun Life Financial customers are saying that music education is the most valuable experience in one’s life. For this reason, the insurance company is developing and supporting instrument banks in six Canadian cities for the next two years, building on the current lending libraries in Toronto and Calgary. Library card holders will have the opportunity to rent instruments for a period of up to nine weeks for accessible valued musical experiences. Click here to read more.

Invitation to Music Educators Working in French

Carl Orff Canada (COC) and the Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba are exploring the possibility of offering Orff professional learning including Orff levels in French in Winnipeg. We invite you to submit this short survey before January 15, 2018. Your responses will help us to evaluate the level of interest. Thank you in advance! https://fr.surveymonkey.com/r/9PQLH7R

Thank you • Merci • Miigwech • kinana'skomitina'wa'w

We are able to do all of this awesome work because of the support from many groups. For a full listing of this support go to Coalition, Youth4Music and Music Monday.