The sound of music filled the air in Ottawa yesterday as mote than 350 students from city schools gathered on the steps of Parliament Hill to celebrate Music on Monday.
At the same time, more than 700,000 of their peers from coast to coast assembled in their own school grounds or communities to do the same thing.
Music Monday is an annual event put on by the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, whose mission is to raise understanding and awareness of the importance of the role of music in Canadian culture. The idea behind Music Monday is that if someone were to open their front door or walk down the street on the first Monday of the month of May, the air would be filled with singing.
Organizers said 2,000 schools from every province and territory across Canada registered for the event, including 58 schools from the Ottawa area.
“I think music education is very important, particularly when we have political forces saying that music is a frill,” said Boris Brott, principal youth and family conductor for the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Brott conducted the concert on Parliament Hill.
“We’re up here today so that we can be undeniably in the face of politicians to make them recognize the importance of music and music education, because it’s not just about entertainment,” he said.
“(Music Monday) is a really good initiative to make music a more important part of the school curriculum,” said Canterbury High School student and Music Monday participant Kaitlyn Pyett, 16. “It’s really great for kids to have creativity options.”
