The soccer pitch at Elora Public School is expected to be packed on Monday morning when the entire school takes the field to sing.
The students, staff and any members of the community who want to take part will unite in song to stress the need for the protection of school music programs in Canada.
“Our school will join the nation in song to let the world know that quality music education should be a part of every child’s life, regardless of where they live, and music programs need to be protected and taught by specialist music teachers,” said organizer Michelle Hornett.
She is a teacher at the school, but does not teach music. She has worked for music companies in Toronto and learned about Music Monday and decided to organize one in Elora. Her efforts may produce one of the largest events across the country, as she expects over 1,000 people will take part.
Students and staff will be joined by the Centre Wellington District Secondary School band and choir and special guests, including Elora Festival Artistic Director and renowned conductor and director Noel Edison, Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj, Upper Grand District School Board Director Martha Rogers, and more.
The Coalition for Music Education in Canada launched Music Monday in 2005. The Elora event was lauded by the coalition because it not only has so many people involved, but it also has a plane flying over the school at noon to take video and photos of the community in the formation of the word “sing.”
Last week, Hornett was busy making sure the markings for students’ positions were working and even took aerial photos to show the word “sing.”
Every poster promoting the event is a unique work of art created by a student in the Music Monday art club, which has done close to 100 painted blue birds to advertise the event in the community.
Hornett said the blue birds are widely posted around Elora and more were supposed to go up on the weekend in Fergus but poor weather slowed that effort a little.
The group will perform Sing Sing, by Serena Ryder, who is scheduled to visit Elora later in the summer as part of the Elora Festival. The school plans to send Ryder an aerial photo of their effort and to request she include Sing Sing in her set list. The coalition has featured the Elora event, calling it “inspirational.” Plans for the event can be seen at www.weallneedmusic.ca or www.musicmonday.ca.
