On Monday, May 7th, thousands of students, musicians, parents and community members across Canada will sing together creating the world's largest single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education.  At this time each year, as a testament to the unifying power of music, our country comes together from coast to coast to coast to simultaneously sing the current Music Monday anthem, Sing It Together, written by multiple award-winning songwriters Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas.  

The only nationwide celebration of music that actively engages children and youth in their schools and communities, Music Monday will be observed in many ways across the country: in school classrooms and assemblies, and concerts of community bands and choirs with special events being planned in cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Hosted by CBC host Lucy van Oldenbarneveld and NAC Director of Communications Annabelle Cloutier, this free public concert in the lobby of the recently rejuvenated National Arts Centre includes performances by throat singers Tamara Takpannie and Janice Oolayou, singer-songwriter Céleste Lévis, a brass trio from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and student ensembles from École sécondaire publique De La Salle, and Lisgar Collegiate Institute. The performers will also be joined by Managing Director of the Coalition for Music Education, Patricia Valenteyn, and Ottawa representatives from Youth4Music. Mayor Jim Watson will also proclaim May 7th, 2018, to be Music Monday in Ottawa.

The 14th annual Music Monday celebration will include a massed children's choir of over 350 youth under the direction of Jackie Hawley who will lead the sing-along of the Music Monday anthem Sing It Together. Participating choirs include: the Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa, École élementaire et secondaire publique Maurice-Lapointe, St. George Catholic High School, All Saints Catholic High School, École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion, École élémentaire publique Michaëlle Jean, Queen Elizabeth Public School, Henry Larsen Elementary School, and École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité.

Music Monday is an annual event organized by the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, a national advocacy organization that for 25 years has represented educators, parents, music lovers, industry – and most of all students – to promote and protect quality music programs in schools. Music Monday is the world’s largest single event dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of music education and has inspired similar initiatives in the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Hungary. For more information, please visit musicmonday.ca.

Music Monday is made possible in part by support from the Friends of the NAC Orchestra and the individual and corporate donors of the National Youth and Education Trust, the primary resource for youth and education funding at the National Arts Centre. The NAC is proud to partner with the Coalition for Music Education in Canada for this event.

ABOUT MUSIC MONDAY

Music Monday is a signature program of the Coalition for Music Education.  It is Canada's nationwide celebration of the power of music in our lives, especially our schools.  Music Monday is the only national celebration of music education that actively engages children and youth in their schools and communities. The first Monday in May (this year, May 7, 2018) music makers of all generations and genres gather in their schools and communities to make music, and at the same time during the day we join with one voice, by singing the official Music Monday anthem for a simultaneous nation-wide sing-along.

ABOUT YOUTH4MUSIC

Youth4Music is a network of youth who are passionate about music in their lives - learning, appreciating, creating and making music. Youth4Music provides a platform for youth voices, and leadership opportunities for youth to make a difference for music in their schools and communities.  The program is "for youth - by youth - through music." 

ABOUT THE COALITION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION

Music Monday is an annual initiative of the Coalition for Music Education, an organization made up of parents, students, educators, and business people from varying walks of life who support school music programs and highlight the importance of music education for all young people in Canada. More info: musicmakesus.ca