74 Schools Across Canada To Receive $1 Million In Music Program Grants via National Charity MusiCounts

TORONTO, Sept. 3, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada's leading music education charity, MusiCounts, is thrilled to announce that 74 schools across Canada will receive $1 million worth of musical instruments, equipment, and gear via its school funding programs — the MusiCounts Band Aid Program and the MusiCounts Slaight Family Foundation Innovation Fund.

Since 1997, the MusiCounts Band Aid Program has been providing under-resourced schools with grants to keep school music programs alive. This is the first year of investment through the MusiCounts Slaight Family Innovation Fund stream, which supports schools with up to $20,000 for culturally-relevant or technology-forward programming. While MusiCounts has been supporting these types of programs for decades, this new funding stream will empower the success of approaches to music education that exist outside of mainstream practice, including Indigenous drumming, steel pan percussion, Hip Hop, and music production.

As students arrive back in the classroom, school music education across the country is in a critical state of disrepair. Many school music programs are under-resourced as they try to adapt to the evolving needs and interests of students. 58 of the 2024 MusiCounts School Funding recipient schools identified that the success of their program hinges on receiving a MusiCounts grant. Though MusiCounts is proud of the positive impact it makes in schools across the country, it's only able to support about 1 in every 5 schools that applied for help this year.

"MusiCounts is thrilled to welcome students back to school and back to music with the investment of $1 million worth of much-needed instruments and gear," said Kristy Fletcher, President of MusiCounts. "As students return to the music classroom, they'll not only find guitars, drums, horns, and turntables, they'll also find a safe space in their school where they can connect with their peers, build their confidence, and find their voice. Congratulations to all of the MusiCounts School Music Program Recipients!"

Prior to MusiCounts funding, Gilbert Paterson Middle School in Lethbridge, AB was only able to accommodate a third of students in their music programs due to insufficient inventory and broken instruments. Now with MusiCounts' support the school is able to expand an existing rock band program to ensure all interested students have access.

At Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto, ON, much of the school's population identifies as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color). The school hosted a workshop exploring Hip Hop culture and music. While there was tremendous student interest, the school wasn't able to further develop culturally-relevant programming like this without additional funding. With the MusiCounts grant, the school is introducing a new DJ and Hip Hop program to feed kids' interest.

To learn more about MusiCounts, or to donate in support of the charity's school funding programs, please visit musicounts.ca.

2024 MusiCounts School Funding Recipients

MusiCounts Band Aid Program

AB
C. Ian McLaren School - Diamond Valley, AB
Cold Lake Junior High School - Cold Lake, AB
Joey Moss School - Edmonton, AB
Robina Baker Elementary School - Devon, AB

BC
Chief Dan George Middle School - Abbotsford, BC
Eagleview Elementary School - Port Hardy, BC
H.D. Stafford Middle School - Langley, BC
Nakusp Elementary School - Nakusp, BC
Port Hardy Secondary School - Port Hardy, BC
Tatla Lake Elementary Jr. Secondary School - Tatla Lake, BC

MB
Riverview School - Brandon, MB

NB
École Communautaire Ernest-Lang - Saint-François de Madawaska, NB
École Étoile de l'Acadie - Rogersville, NB
École Mgr-Matthieu-Mazerolle - Rivière-Verte, NB
École Terre des Jeunes - Paquetville, NB
Fundy Shores School - Dipper Harbour, NB
Havelock School - Havelock, NB

NL
Bay d'Espoir Academy - St. Alban's, NL

NS
Cusack Elementary - Sydney, NS
John Martin Junior High School - Dartmouth, NS
Sherwood Park Education Centre - Sydney, NS

NT
Diamond Jenness Secondary School - Hay River, NT

ON
Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School - Sarnia, ON
Assumption College School - Brantford, ON
Ford City Public School - Windsor, ON
George Peck Public School - Toronto, ON
Hodgson Middle School - Toronto, ON
John McCrae Public School - Scarborough, ON
Kilbride Public School - Burlington, ON
Mount Hope Elementary School - Mount Hope, ON
Pape Avenue Junior Public School - Toronto, ON
Thousand Islands Secondary School - Brockville, ON
St. Marcellus Catholic School - Etobicoke, ON
St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School - Hamilton, ON
Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute - Thunder Bay, ON
W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind - Brantford, ON *CBC Music Class Challenge Passion Prize
York Street Public School - Ottawa, ON

QC
Dorset Elementary School - Baie d'Urfe, QC
École du Bon-Pasteur - Cap-Santé, QC
École Paul-De Maricourt - Longueuil, QC

SK
Dr. George Ferguson Elementary School, Glen Elm Community School, Henry Braun School, Judge Bryant Elementary School, (Johnson Area Band Program) - Regina, SK
Sturgis Composite School - Sturgis, SK

MusiCounts Slaight Family Foundation Innovation Fund

AB
Chief Big Belly Middle School - Tsuut'ina Nation, AB
Gilbert Paterson Middle School - Lethbridge, AB
Nakoda Elementary School - Morley, AB

BC
École Elementaire K.B. Woodward - Surrey, BC
École Glenmore Elementary School - Kelowna, BC
Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School - North Vancouver, BC

MB
Jack River School - Norway House, MB
Kisemattawa Kiskinwahamakewikamik - Shamattawa, MB
Thunderbird School - South Indian Lake, MB

NB
Chief Harold Sappier Memorial Elementary School - Fredericton, NB
Dr. Losier Middle School - Miramichi, NB

NL
Gander Collegiate - Gander, NL
St. Michael's Elementary School - Stephenville Crossing, NL

NS
Auburn Drive High School - Cole Harbour, NS

NT
Chief Albert Wright School - Tulita, NT
École St. Joseph School - Yellowknife, NT

ON
Alexander Stirling Public School - Scarborough, ON
Jarvis Collegiate Institute - Toronto, ON
Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute - Peterborough, ON
Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School - Mississauga, ON
Norman Johnston Secondary Alternate Program - Ottawa, ON
Moosonee Public School - Moosonee, ON
Sir Ernest MacMillan Public School - Burlington, ON
Stephen Lewis Secondary School - Vaughan, ON
Winchester Junior and Senior Public School - Toronto, ON

QC
Chelsea Elementary School - Chelsea, QC
École Horizon-Soleil - Saint-Jérôme, QC
École Mikizicec - Kitcisakik, QC
Yeshiva Gedola Montreal - Montreal, QC

SK
Bert Fox Community High School - Fort Qu'Appelle, SK
Maverick School - Swift Current, SK
Seven Stones Community School - Regina, SK

About MusiCounts: 
MusiCounts is Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS and the JUNO Awards. MusiCounts' vision is to ensure that all youth in Canada have access to music education through their schools and communities. This vision is realized through grant programs that invest directly into schools and communities across Canada that put musical instruments into the hands of kids who need them the most. Additionally, MusiCounts creates educational resources for teachers and students; empowers young people to pursue music as a career; and celebrates teachers, artists, and philanthropists who champion music education. Since 1997 MusiCounts has awarded over $18,000,000 in support of music education in Canada.

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Jamie Crawford
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Strut Entertainment
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Ashley Sperling
Director, Marketing and Brand Partnerships
Strut Entertainment
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SOURCE MusiCounts