Music Monday And Youth4Music Music Education Programs Receive NAMM Foundation Grants

By Aaron Brophy 9/12/16 | www.samaritanmag.com

Scott Helman at the 2016 Music Monday event — photo credit: Music Monday
Two valuable Canadian music education programs are amongst the beneficiaries splitting $600,000 in the latest round of grants from NAMM Foundation, set up by the music products trade association to support active participation in music making through scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.

The Coalition For Music Education's Music Monday and Youth4Music programs are the ones splitting the recently released NAMM funds. Other international NAMM Foundation grant recipients included Brazil's Associação Nacional da Indústria da Música, the Australian Music Association (AMA), the U.K.'s Music For All and France's Orchestre a L’Ecole. American recipients included The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOPF).

Founded in 2006, The NAMM Foundation "represents the generosity and philanthropy of the music products industry," it states on its web site. " A supporting organization of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants, the NAMM Foundation is funded through trade association activities and donations."

"The Coalition for Music Education continues to advance access to music education, and through their work, they are providing meaningful music making experiences" NAMM executive director Mary Luehrsen said in a press release. "We are honored to support their mission and to help advance the opportunity for all people to enjoy the pleasure of music making."

Music Monday, which first began in 2005, is a simultaneous nationwide concert performance of an original song written by a Canadian artist where hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and music makers participate in performing the song at the same time. This year's Music Monday took place on May 2. In Toronto a special event was held at City Hall featuring appearances by Scott Helman, Sharon & Bram and the Canadian Brass. The likes of Serena Ryder, DALA, Chris Tait, Luke Doucet, Col. Chris Hadfield and Ed Robertson have written Music Monday songs in past years. According to the Coalition for Music Education, Music Monday is the world’s largest single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education.

Youth4Music, meanwhile, is a program meant to activate youths to stand up for the importance of music and music education in their lives. The Youth4Music manifesto encourages "learning, creating, making and valuing music in Canada" and challenges musicians, politicians, principals, Directors and Ministers and parents to stand along with young people who want music education to be part of their lives.

Founded in 1992 the Coalition For Music Education represents more than 20 music education organizations with the shared goal of improving the state of music education in Canada. The organization's mission statement is to "raise the awareness and understanding of the role that music education plays in Canadian culture, and to promote the benefits that music education brings to young people." In addition to Music Monday and Youth4Music, the coalition also run the Women's Empowerment Through Music Program which supports social change, the Principals Of Music Award, which honours school principals across Canada who effectively integrate music into their schools, and the NUFSICISUM awards, which celebrate "students who have made a special positive impact in their school music program."

Watch a Music Monday 2015 highlight video:

 

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