Editor,
An open letter to the trustees and senior leadership teams of SD 36 (Surrey), SD 41 (Burnaby), SD 42 (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows), and SD 75 (Mission):
(Cc: Lisa Beare, Minister of Education, and MLAs)
I am writing as a board member of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada. I am also writing as a teacher, parent, and concerned citizen. I am fiercely opposed to the proposed cuts to elementary band programs in four B.C. school districts: Surrey, Burnaby, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, and Mission.
The vote to eliminate Grade 7 Band in Surrey (the largest school district in B.C.) and the proposed elimination of elementary band in the other three districts is alarming and deeply harmful to students.
I cannot tell you how to balance your budgets. I can, however, tell you why you need to retain elementary band programs. In explaining their experience with school music programs, two of my former students made comments that have stuck with me over the years. A grade 8 student said “I’ll never outgrow music. It’s something I can do forever.” A graduating senior said, “Music is advanced humanity.”
As supported by a vast body of research, playing in a music ensemble offers children an experience they can’t get elsewhere. In band, students learn non-verbal communication, self-expression, development of fine motor skills, positive social interactions, and how to participate in the creation of something bigger than themselves.
They learn resilience and patience, commitment and accountability, vulnerability and empathy. They connect with one another, with history, and with a genre of music (wind/concert band) that is growing in participation and innovation in many other places around the world. How could taking instruments out of the hands of thousands of elementary school students even be considered?
Learning to play an instrument is developing a brand-new skill set. As students continue in band over the years, these skills are further developed, and the learning is cumulative. Elementary band programs are essential to building successful secondary band programs. The elementary school years are the prime time for students to begin playing instruments.
I realize that school boards across our province are faced with difficult financial decisions; however, eliminating elementary band programs is regressive and short-sighted. Music is not an expendable area of study. If cuts need to be made, they should be equitable across all programs and expenses in the entire district – cutbacks that do not single out music and that do not propose elimination of an entire program.
Renowned educator, author, and speaker Vaughan Fleischfresser is known for his ability to articulate the “why” of music education. He writes, “In a world where everything is online, music is in-person. In a world where everything is instant, music takes time. In a world where everything is increasingly superficial, music is always meaningful. In a world where everything is increasingly confronting, music is calming.” He also writes, “The more music you put into a school, the more amazing things come out of it.”
Let’s turn to the B.C. Curriculum Overview. Quoted directly from the Ministry website:
“British Columbia has one of the best education systems in the world….To maintain high achievement, British Columbia must transform its education system to one that better engages students in their own learning and fosters the skills and competencies students will need to succeed. One focus for this transformation is a curriculum that enables and supports increasingly personalized learning, through quality teaching and learning, flexibility and choice, and high standards.”
Eliminating music education at any level is senseless and harmful. It is lazy and contradictory to the world-class education system B.C. prides itself on. It is a backwards move in preparing students for a rapidly changing world.
I find it hard to believe that you can’t do better. Find a solution that considers the big picture and the long-term benefits for the thousands of students involved in band. Think of your students and preserve the humanizing parts of their education.
Finally, listening to your stakeholders and constituents is your job as elected officials and senior leaders in your districts. I have heard from many colleagues and friends in all four of your districts that they were blindsided by these proposed cuts. Your communities deserve ample time to organize and let their voices be heard about the quality of education they expect in your districts. Please work with your MLAs and Ministry of Education contacts to advocate for adequate funding and real leadership, rather than bureaucratic routines and red tape.
Christin Reardon-MacLellan, Coalition for Music Education in Canada
