Old Yale Road Elementary receives grant from MusiCounts Band Aid Program

The music program at Old Yale Road Elementary is getting a boost thanks to a grant worth $12,000 from the Canadian music education charity MusiCounts.

Old Yale Road is among 32 schools from across Canada receiving a total of $362,500 in grants from the MusiCounts Band Aid Program, which provides under-resourced schools with grants for musical instruments, equipment and resources.

While other elementary schools in the district typically have a designated music class through Grade 4, music teacher Kevin Withers noted Old Yale Road Elementary teaches music from kindergarten through Grade 7, which presents considerable benefit to the school’s entire student body.

“Having that opportunity to extend and elaborate on that core music education and really getting to work with students and see them grow, you can build upon what you did last year with them,” he said. “I find being at an inner-city school, students are really appreciative of the opportunities to play instruments and put on performances because it’s something they don’t get outside of school.

“They’re really enthusiastic and enjoy being a part of something within the school.”

The grant is earmarked to update some existing instruments and buy sets of ukuleles and guitars, but Withers said he also wants to use some of the money for a schoolwide project that will also serve as a learning opportunity around Indigenous culture.

“I’m also hoping to involve the whole school in a project to build Indigenous drums,” he said, adding they would get assistance from Indigenous community members and Aboriginal Learning staff. “It’s not just about music, it’s learning about different cultures and experiencing some of the truth and reconciliation firsthand by participating in building drums and learning songs and sharing that First Nations knowledge.”

With new instruments on the way, principal Joe Leibovitch emphasized the importance of music classes for students, saying the drums, guitars and other instruments afforded by the grant will have a positive impact beyond the classroom.

“A lot of our kids only feel confident at school when they’re good at something, so the more access points we have to build their confidence, the better,” said Leibovitch. “This helps these kids be exposed to different things that they regularly wouldn’t get at an inner-city school, and in turn, connects them to the school more and lets them experience success.”

Last year, Prince Charles Elementary and Kwantlen Park Secondary received grants from MusiCounts.