Funding for music program

BY MARC LALONDE



Arts programs are a matter of choice for schools in the Lester B. Pearson School Board, chairman Marcus Tabachnick said. Some decide to focus on arts, while others choose to focus on science, math, or language programs.

“Every school has music programs, because every child gets a recorder, but an enhanced music program is a local choice that schools make. Arts programs are very important. I wish we had more money available for it, because it is the mark of a complete education. Some schools, though, specialize in arts and offer more classes in a wider breadth of topics,� he said.

The Canadian Association of Recording Artists (CARAS) recently handed out two $10,000 Band Aid grants to West Island schools for music instruction under the auspices of its MusiCan program. “Young Canadians need music in their schools now more than ever,� said CARAS president Melanie Berry. “These grants mean more than just new instruments for a school. They represent an investment in the future of each child. Music education enhances the development of children and is a stepping stone to future success that we are proud to be nurturing.�

Riverdale High School in Pierrefonds and Springdale Park elementary school in Dollard des Ormeaux both received funds —

enhancing an experience that makes the entire school day worthwhile to some students, a Riverdale teacher said.

“A lot of the kids have told me that if it weren’t for music (class), they wouldn’t come to school. Music programs, and arts programs in general, help kids with their leadership skills, it works on their self-esteem by allowing them to perform in front of others and encourages them to work toward goals,� Jennifer Harms said. “They say that playing music can also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s because it keeps you alert. I’d say the biggest thing is being able to work as part of a team, which will be a big thing down the road for them.�

In addition, she said, music helps kids with their math skills because of the need to divide and subdivide beats. “It’s precision, it’s discipline, it’s all of it,� she said.

Pearson board member and former Lakeshore School Board director general John Killingbeck said students who are well versed in the arts are better well-rounded students.

“It gives them an appreciation of music, and appreciation for writing. Some of the art being produced at local high schools is some beautiful work,� he said.

Lindsay Place High School in Pointe Claire, long feted for its extensive and successful music program, supplements the department with a fundraiser sale of citrus fruit every year. Many schools have been following their own tried-and-true fundraising techniques for years to bolster budgets for different programs.

Pearson teachers’ union president Serge Laurendeau said the board has actually improved arts teaching by creating special slotted hours for specialized arts teachers, like a violin teacher, for example. “It could also be an elementary-school music teacher at a school where the last teacher was very comfortable with recorders, but the new teacher wasn’t, that has been a concern before.�

Now, with the additional allocation of arts time and teaching hours, the board has created a situation where specialized arts teachers, often the lowest on the seniority totem pole, aren’t bumped from school to school every year. “The teachers seem to be pleased. We are seeing fewer situations where teachers are going from school to school. You could have one teacher who’s been working for six or seven years and they’ve worked in five different schools,� he said, adding he has received no complaints from arts teachers about lack of supplies or support.