Coalition for Music Education in Canada

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Music brings out the life in me. Ingrid T.,
Grade 4 student, Vancouver, B.C.
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Coalition for Music Education in Canada

• Who we are
• What we stand for
• What we do
• How you can help

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Who we are

• Formed in 1992
• Volunteer Board of Directors from across Canada
• Membership across the country beyond
  representing educators, industry representatives,
  artists and performers, parents and music
  lovers.

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Our Mission

• We are a national organization dedicated to
  raising the awareness and understanding of the
  role that music plays in Canadian culture, and to
  advocate for the contribution that music
  education makes in the lives of all Canadians.

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Our Goal

• It is the goal of the Coalition to see that all
  children have the right and opportunity to
  receive, through their core curriculum, a
  well-rounded and balanced education that includes
  a comprehensive, sequential quality program in
  music.

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Our Aims

• To protect, develop and promote the role of music
  in education
• To support music education that reflects our
  cultural diversity
• To support the role of teachers of music in
  education
• To establish a national network that provides
  support to parents, local advocacy and music
  education organizations

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Our Aims

• To accumulate information and statistics on all
  pertinent aspects of music education in Canada
• To research and distribute appropriate
  resource/support materials
• To promote life-long participation and engagement
  in music
• To support the use of active music-making in
  therapeutics

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Why the Coalition

• The benefits of music education to our children,
  our culture and our society are proven
• The delivery of quality music education across
  the country is inconsistent
• At best, quality programs continue to fight for
  their survival
• At worst, they simply dont exist

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• Why learn music in school?

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Quality music education enhances academic
achievement

• Music programs improve the atmosphere for
  learning
• Music programs help students achieve in other
  academic subjects like math, science, and reading
  

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Quality music education encourages academic
achievement

• Music enhances the process of learning. The
  systems they
• nourish, which include our integrated sensory,
  attention,
• cognitive, emotional and motor capacities, are
  shown to
• be the driving forces behind all other learning.
• Konrad, R.R., Empathy, Arts and Social
  Studies, 2000
• Music involves perception, memory, emotion,
  motor
• control, all the learning aspects. It brings
  together a lot of
• different functions in a very coherent way.
• Robert Zatorre, McGill University, Montreal,
  QC 2002

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Quality music education encourages healthy social
development

• Music programs keep students engaged in school
  and less likely to drop out
• Music programs help communities share ideas and
  values among cultures and generations
• Music is a disciplined human endeavor with
  intrinsic value to society

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Quality music education encourages healthy social
development

• With music in schools, students connect to each
  other better, greater camaraderie, fewer fights
  less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm.
• Eric Jensen, Arts with the Brain in Mind,
  2001
• For some children music class is one time during
  the week
• when they are confident they will shine through.
  The music
• program is also a vital part in creating
  community and
• fostering cooperation.
• Music educator, from the Coalition for Music
  Education in Canada, Music Education State of
  the Nation Benchmark Study, May 2005

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Quality music education enhances preparation for
the workplace

• Music develops skills needed by the 21st century
  workplace
• Critical and analytical thinking
• Creative problem solving
• Effective communication

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Quality music education enhances preparation for
the workplace

• Creative and cultural development is a basic
  function of
• education, not a separate subject. They are
  completely
• compatible with high standards of literacy and
  they are
• equally, not less, important.
• Sir Ken Robinson
• Participating in the arts helps people develop
  their
• creativity. Creativity involves imagination and
  the ability to
• visualize. Seeing situations as they might be
  in the future
• is a valuable tool for solving problems and
  changing
• situations.
• Voluntary Arts Network, 2005

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Quality music education enhances the quality of a
young persons life

• Music programs provide students with the
  opportunity to
• express themselves in verbal and non-verbal ways
• appreciate diverse perspectives, openness and
  flexibility in thinking
• develop a high level of self-awareness and
  self-confidence
• take risks and solve problems creatively
• embrace a variety of unique ways to gain insights
  about cultural and historical issues
• develop a rich and healthy sense of beauty and
  imagination.

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Quality music education enhances the quality of a
young persons life

• With music, I feel complete. It reminds me that
  humans possess genius and can use it to create
  beauty. Music classes in our schools can unlock
  the doors to creativity and self expression for
  Canadas young people and help them expand their
  horizons.
• Dr. Marc Garneau, former head of the Canadian
  Space Agency and the first Canadian astronaut
  in space, 2006
• Music education demonstrably improves academic
  achievement,
• behaviour and attitude. Through music kids learn
  how to have
• constructive relationships with other people, how
  focus counts,how
• application produces results, how to dream and
  most of all, how to
• feel true joy.
• Bob Ezrin, legendary producer
• 2004 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee

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• What does the
• Coalition do?

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Advocacy

• Support materials for teachers, parents, and
  other education stakeholders
• Government relations
• Participates in conferences
• Building partnerships with provincial, national
  and international organizations including
• - CMEA, CMIEC, CBA, MIAC, CARAS, NAC, NAMM, CCA
  and others

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Public Awareness

• Music Monday
• Champions for Music Education
• Holiday Tuba Festival
• Print and TV ads

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Music Monday

• National celebration of music education on the
  first Monday of May every year
• Schools and communities join together to perform
  the same piece of music at same time

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Our Champions
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Holiday Tuba Festival

• Annual Canada-wide Holiday Tuba Festival
  features festive tunes specially arranged for
  tubas, baritones and euphoniums

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Posters/Print ads
Children with four months of piano training
scored 27 higher on math tests than other
children.
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Posters/Print ads
66 of Music Majors applying to medical school
are accepted the highest percentage of any
group.
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Resources

• Bilingual website
• Advocacy materials brochures, booklets, posters
• Curriculum guidelines
• Online, secure orders for DVDs and other
  Coalition materials

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Website
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Sample materials
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Research

• Collection and dissemination of relevant and
  current articles and studies
• First- ever State of the Nation study 2005
• News posts, articles, relevant links on website

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What can you do?

• Become a member of the Coalition support our
  work
• Become a music education advocate in your
  community
• Promote public awareness of the importance of
  music education

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What can you do?

• Talk to school administrators and help them make
  informed decisions
• Ask questions about the quality and accessibility
  of music programs in your schools
• Write to your principal, your trustee, your board
  and provincial representatives

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The Coalition is here to help you

• Join the Coalition for Music Education in Canada
  and help us advocate for quality music programs
  in our schools
• Peruse the Coalition website for research,
  articles and more
• Order or download Coalition brochures and
  guidelines (most of which are free)
• Participate in advocacy events like Music Monday
  organized by the Coalition on the first Monday in
  May each year.

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www.weallneedmusic.ca
Your support helps us continue to do the
important work to protect and promote quality
music programs in our schools.