THUNDER BAY – Music class is one of Madison Newman’s favourite parts of school.
With high school on the horizon next year, the Grade 8 student, says she's happy to have classes in elementary school that introduces her to music so she can make an informed decision if it’s something she wants to pursue. “Music is one of those classes everybody likes and it’s really fun,” Madison said. “It’s a great class to have because then you have more open opportunities.”
Along with nearly 300 of her Westmount Public School classmates, Madison participated in the Music Monday celebration on Monday.
Students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 gathered outside the school to sing a group rendition of famed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s “Is Somebody Singing,” a song that he recorded on the International Space Station.
Nearly 700,000 students from 2,000 schools across Canada participated in the mass sing-along, which took place at noon.
The Music Monday tradition was created in 2005 by the Coalition for Music Education in Canada to highlight the importance of providing the subject in schools.
This was the second straight year the south side school had taken part in the movement, with “Is Somebody Singing” being chosen as the song once again.
Grade 8 student Ashley Neill says the excitement and continuity from last year carried over. “I think it really made a big difference because the kids were more excited about it because they knew the song really well and knew the dance moves from last year,” Ashley said.
Westmount music teacher Krysta Dowdell says the message of the song encourages students to look past their local group and think about the impact of being a part of a larger movement.. “The song in itself is about being in one world with no borders,” Dowdell said. “We’re all here together and it lets them see what that’s all about when they’re singing the same song with other people it doesn’t matter where you live or where you’re from, it’s about coming together as a bigger group and stressing the importance of music in our culture.”
Students at Woodcrest Public School also participated and they were joined by local musicians Glenn Jennings and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra percussionist Jean Francois.
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