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Music grant available for schools
By Michelle Forbes
As a former music teacher, I have seen both the expense of musical instruments, as well as the joy it brings students. With an alternative way to learn, music accesses a different part of the brain, and can help children learn in completely different ways, and remember things more easily, when they are set to music.
Music helps children learn other subjects more easily, and even aids their language development, so bringing music into our schools, and growing our music educations can have a great influence, especially when there are not as many musical education experiences for our children as are available in a big city.
When we moved from a big city to the rural Kootenays, I was a little taken aback by the difference in musical education available in the schools, as well as instruments available to the students, compared to the well-stocked music classes I had taught in. I have since seen the difference in educational funding between rural B.C. and metropolitan Alberta, and pondered the different ways to help close that gap.
While the Kootenays have wonderful musical opportunities with private lessons, choirs, and musikgarten, there are ways to bring more musical opportunities into the schools, as well.
Musicounts offers a ‘Band Aid Program,’ to supply elementary, junior high, secondary, and separate schools in Canada $5,000-$10,000 to purchase instruments for their music programs where they are lacking.
Musicounts grants are available to any school, although they give preference to schools that have a unique story to tell – anything from a history of fundraising for music, to excellent teachers that have been working to create a music program for their schools to minority groups that are impacted by the music program. They welcome everyone to share their story, and apply for this opportunity to help their local music program.
This program is available every year, opening in September, with a deadline on November 20 this year. If you are interested, and to access the application form, click here.
Lead image from Musicounts
