The end of my city’s elementary music program
In 2016, the Vancouver School Board cut the band and strings music programs from all elementary schools across the district as the result of budget cuts. This was done in attempt to save about $400,000 from an expected $24 million shortfall in the budget.
I am a graduating Computer Science student at the University of British Columbia, who grew up heavily involved in the music ensembles at both General Wolfe Elementary and Lord Byng Secondary. What the VSB doesn’t realize is that music programs do a lot more than just teaching a new skill. With this article, I hope to give insight on how much impact music in a child’s life can bring, using my own life as an example.
Transcending socioeconomic borders
Music has no borders, and in my case, it allowed me to attend the top ranking public high school in BC as a cross-boundary student. In Vancouver, students are given lowest priority for admission to high schools outside of their catchment neighbourhood, with the exception of those accepted into mini schools. Most Vancouver high schools offer a specialized “mini” program focussing on different areas such as sports, International Baccalaureate (IB), leadership, accelerated learning, and more. Each mini school had their own admission process, and to get into Lord Byng’s Arts program (“Byng Arts”), I had to prepare a clarinet audition of two contrasting pieces.
Lord Byng Secondary is located on the affluent turf of Vancouver’s West Point Grey neighbourhood, boasting beach parks, mountain views, and an endless spread of greenery. Private music lessons in Vancouver cost an average of $50/hour, with instruments ranging anywhere between $500–$5000. These prices are unaffordable for many families, creating a high barrier of entry for children who want to learn music. With elementary band programs, students can access music education for free at their own school (parents won’t need to drive to private after-school lessons) and rent instruments during the year at little to no cost. I never had any private clarinet lessons growing up, but I am thankful for my elementary school’s band program for teaching me the ropes of clarinet playing, making it possible for me to audition for programs like Byng Arts.
Paving paths in and out of the arts
At General Wolfe Elementary, my band teacher, Mr. Peter Findlay, also happened to be the school’s computer teacher. Unlike the rest of my classes where I would rotate through different homeroom teachers each year, Mr. Findlay was my computer and band teacher for almost half of my elementary school experience. In his class, we learned typing and played math games, many of which he developed himself through his company Duet Software.
At the time, I thought that Mr. Findlay must have been super smart to be able to write his own games with code, and did not think much further. I’ve come to realize now that this was my first glimpse of the possibilities of computer science, and little did I know that I would pursue this very field 5 years later.
In my five years at Byng Arts, I used my elementary school music knowledge as a foundation to try out other art forms. By the end of high school, I was taking on major roles in the school’s chamber choir, jazz band, and wind ensembles, having learned different instruments for each of them. I was given opportunities to play at numerous music festivals around the province and internationally, including in a cathedral in Paris. From the hundreds of 7:00AM rehearsals and coaching from wonderful educators like Dr. Scott MacLennan and Ms. Lisa Lan-Ledingham, I was taught the importance of patience, practice, and self discipline.
Fostering communities
Even in the techisphere that I live in today, I can use my previous experiences in music to build up communities wherever I go. At my first tech internship at Copperleaf Technologies, I was given the opportunity to start my own a cappella group and created friendships with coworkers I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise. Earlier this month, I ran an a cappella workshop at cmd-f, Vancouver’s largest all-female* hackathon, to help attendees take a break from coding and learn how to sing together.
Music (and other art groups) brings together a special type of camaraderie that I’ve never experienced in any other team engagement before. It is in these groups where we learn to truly support each other and breathe in the same wavelength, both literally and figuratively. The Night of Bands district showcase was an event I looked forward to every year, as it was one of the only opportunities where I could watch other Vancouver high school bands perform and meet fellow music students from around the district. Many of my musicmates are still close friends with me today, and have went on to pursue all sorts of fields in schools around the world.
Mourning the end
Although I am no longer playing in any bands today, music always finds a way into my life one way or another. I’ve enrolled in UBC’s Women’s Choir to fulfill arts electives requirements. I’ve bonded with hacker community members from around the world through talking about a cappella groups and singing along to Broadway musical soundtracks. On weekends, I give back to the community by playing piano at my local senior home.
To learn that the Vancouver School Board no longer valued the importance of music education in elementary school broke my heart in a number of levels. Children should not need to pay for private lessons or attend a private school to learn music. To my music teachers: Mr. Findlay, Ms. Lan, and Dr. MacLennan, thank you for being my inspirations for so many years and for shaping me into the person I am today. And to the VSB, I strongly urge you to reconsider bringing back the music program so that future generations will have access to the same life changing experience I had when I was in elementary school.
Read more about the state of VSB’s elementary band and strings program:
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