Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Friday, 10 October 2014
Inaugural AGM and New Website Coming Soon!!
We are revitalizing the CMEBC and will have a new website going live very soon!
Our inaugural Annual General Meeting is coming soon as well - all members in good standing are invited.
Annual General Meeting
Friday, October 24th, 4pm
Similkameen Room
River Rock Casino
Richmond BC
If you would like to become a member of the society and attend the AGM please contact us for a membership application form and more information
We are excited to share with you the work that has been accomplished and the exciting things to come!
Thursday, 17 April 2014
An Open Letter to the Burnaby Board of Education Trustees
The Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia (CMEBC) has consistently recognized and celebrated the Burnaby Board of Education’s historic commitment to quality music education programs for all students in Kindergarten through to Grade Seven in Burnaby schools. Along with ensuring every student has access to music education throughout their time in elementary school, Burnaby has also been a leader in recognizing the vital role qualified music specialists play in ensuring the delivery of a comprehensive music program. This commitment to music education has continued in the face of years of budget restrictions.
The CMEBC strongly encourages the Burnaby Board of Education to maintain this commitment and not make cuts to music programming as part of the potential budget adjustments that were announced on April 9th, 2014. We are concerned that these cuts which will impact students by reducing the number of music teachers in the district as well as eliminate the strong festival program which is a key aspect of the music program in Burnaby. The CMEBC is also concerned that this is only the beginning and that music educators will find themselves in this position again in years to come as the district continues to face increasing costs and the requirement to submit a balanced budget.
The Coalition for Music Education in BC strongly urges the Burnaby Board of Education’s Trustees amend the budget proposal that reduces the number of music teachers in the district so that thousands of Burnaby children will continue to have a quality music education program throughout their elementary experience.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia
Who we are
The Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia Society (CMEBC) is a registered non-profit society
made up of parents, educators, arts organizations, and supporters from across our communities whose
For questions or comments, please email president@cmebc.org
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
An Open Letter from Our President
From our President Christin Reardon MacLellan :
Dear Ms. Bacchus and the Vancouver Board of Education Trustees:
My name is Christin Reardon MacLellan. I am the President of the Coalition for Music Education in BC, the conductor of a youth band in the Greater Vancouver Youth Music Academy, and I am the Education & Community Programs Manager for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
I am writing on behalf of all of my colleagues, and thousands of voices of students, teachers, parents, arts supporters, and concerned citizens who are fiercely opposed to the recommended cuts to the VSB’s Elementary Band and Strings Program. I will not tell you how to balance your budget, for that is not my job. I will, however, tell you why you need to retain the elementary band and strings program. I asked my students why they need their school bands and orchestras. A grade 8 student said “because I’ll never outgrow music. It’s something I can do forever.”
As suggested by a vast body of research, playing in a music ensemble offers children an experience they can’t get elsewhere. In band and orchestra, students learn non-verbal communication, self-expression through an instrument, development of fine motor skills, positive social interactions, and how to participate in the creation of something bigger than oneself. Most importantly, all of this happens SIMULTANEOUSLY. Consider students with special needs- some of whom function best in music, a subject that allows them to express themselves in unique ways. Consider First Nations students, and the unifying power of music education- the way it creates positive bonds between students, and within schools. How could taking instruments out of the hands of thousands of
elementary school students even be considered?
Imagine the first day of elementary band or orchestra class- it’s September, it’s something brand new to students. They can’t wait to open their instrument cases, they are overcome by curiosity. If you’ve ever been in a classroom on this day, you know that the excitement is wonderfully genuine. The earlier students begin music instruction, just like with any subject, the better they are at it. Students learn so much in their first years of playing a band or string instrument, as concepts progress sequentially, and always comprehensively. Now imagine if you choose to eliminate these programs: “Sorry kids, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning to play these instruments. Now give them back.” Who will have to deliver that horrible news?
Fast forward to secondary school band or orchestra class. Students are building upon what they learned in elementary school and developing musical sensitivity. As a conductor, I’ve experienced astonishing communications with students. Not a word had to be spoken. Music was the voice. I want you to imagine looking into the eyes of a young person, giving them a visual cue through the movement of your hands or the expression on your face, and the only way they need to communicate is by looking back into your eyes and creating a sound on their instrument that means something. And that’s what music is. “Music is the movement of sound, to reach the soul, for the education of its virtue” (Plato).
I sympathize with the VSB, and realize that school boards across our province are faced with difficult financial decisions, however your recommendation to eliminate the band and strings program is regressive and shortsighted. The excuse in the budget proposal suggesting music will be taught through general music programs is most alarming, because in addition to losing band and strings, you will also lose 12 music specialist teachers. There is a reason why the BCTF recognizes music specialists: they are the ones with the pedagogical knowledge who bring quality to music programs. Their training cannot be undermined. So what then VSB? How do you plan to effectively implement the BC Music Curriculum in grades 4 through 7? Generalist teachers are not able to teach concepts such as compound meter, minor scales, melodic form, and understanding repertoire based on historical, cultural, and social contexts.
Music is NOT an expendable area of study. The Coalition for Music Education in BC recommends equitable cutbacks across all programs and expenses in the entire district- cutbacks that do not single out music and that do not propose elimination. We also reject the “pay to play” option, as it will immediately restrict access and make playing music at school unaffordable for many Vancouver families. Perhaps consider the approach taken by the Richmond and Delta School districts, who have implemented a mandatory band program. Can the VSB accomplish a mandatory program for band AND strings?
I strongly recommend you find a solution that considers the big picture and the long term benefits for the thousands of students involved in band and strings each year, without placing a petty price tag on your investment in music. Please think of your students and preserve the humanizing parts of their education. Consider the return on your investment into music.
I’ll leave you with this quote, by a university student in response to the question of why we need music in schools: “Through any type of adversity, people naturally turn to music to express themselves. To remove music because of adversity is backwards.”
A Call to Action
The Coalition for Music Education in BC urges parents, community members, and concerned citizens to make their voice heard in support of the elementary band and strings program in the VSB.
EVERY VOICE COUNTS and time is of the essence. The budget goes to vote on April 30.
Please consider the following:
- Write to Patti Bacchus, Chair of the Vancouver Board of Education Trustees, urging the board to preserve the current funding for the elementary band and strings program. (Sample letter attached). Email: patti.bacchus@vsb.bc.ca
- Attend and/or register to speak at the upcoming Public Consultation Budget Meeting on Tuesday, April 15 (or Wednesday, April 16 if required) by emailingbudget2014_2015@vsb.bc.ca.
- Follow the Coalition for Music Education in BC on Facebook and Twitter for updates and action items.www.facebook.com/cmebc; Twitter:@cmebc
- Share this information with your friends, families, and neighbours and encourage them to make their voices heard in support of school music education of our children.
Who we are
The Coalition for Music Education in British Columbia Society (CMEBC) is a registered non-profit society made up of parents, educators, arts organizations, and supporters from across our communities whose mission is to protect, promote, and advance music education in British Columbia.
For questions or comments, please emailpresident@cmebc.org
Have your say at the VSB Board of Trustees meeting TODAY!
Come to the VSB Public Consultation Budget Meeting TODAY - April 15, 2014.
7pm in the gymnasium
Mt Pleasant Elementary School 2300 Guelph St. Vancouver
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Mark your calendars for Music Monday on May 5th 2014!
Mark your calendars!
Music Monday
May 5th, 2014!
Join us in making music on May 5th, 2014!
Register your event, print posters, download arrangments of I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing?) by astronaut and musician Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson!
Stay tuned for more details about our BC events!
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