New instruments in hand, Canadian students and educators sing the praises of music class

Tiny fingers pressed against fretboards and brows furrowed in concentration, students at Blacks Harbour School have been practicing Jingle Bells on brand new ukuleles this fall, gearing up for their holiday concert. Those treasured instruments — joined by new drums, guitars and more — have been a delight for the rural New Brunswick students as well as their teacher, Sara Lafferty.

Before the trove from music charity MusiCounts arrived, the class relied on a few of Lafferty's personal instruments. Some were relics dating from when staffers were students, and others were low-cost adaptations, including hardware store dowels and mats from a discount store used for drumming.

Though buoyed by the opportunity in her new collection, Lafferty's priority is still the same: making music class a joyful space where students are smiling when they enter and still smiling when they leave.

"Music teaches more than just music," she said. "For a lot of kids, it's a class where they can have fun and be happy and not have to worry about any of the other things that are happening in their lives." 

A lack of funding and enough instruments for every student remain perennial challenges for music teachers in Canadian schools. Yet they're also contending with issues left over from the pandemic, like instruments deteriorated from lack of use and, due to COVID-19 restrictions, scores of kids who've never experienced regular music education. 

Still, students, teachers and supporters are raising their voices in a familiar refrain this season: singing the praises of music in the classroom and how it enriches students' lives.

According to Lafferty, this year's holiday concert marks the first time in her decade at the school when students will have more than a few handbells to accompany their singing. 

"A large number of our students are low income. Most of the fundraising the school does or that our community partners do, it goes towards food security and clothing," she explained.

"There's not a lot of opportunities in this area — we're very rural — so for music, they can't really get much exposure to music and instruments in their hands unless it's here at the school." 

MusiCounts, a national charity, has delivered more than $16 million of instruments, equipment and related support to thousands of Canadian school music programs over the past 25 years, yet it's a fraction of what's needed, according to president Kristy Fletcher.

"We aren't even scratching the surface at this point. We receive between 500 and 600 applications a year from school music programs. Currently, we can help about one out of every five of those who apply," she said, noting she's received applications from educators "teaching drums on buckets" from Home Depot.

Fletcher's goal is to get "instruments into the hands of the kids that need them most," because music programs offer so much for students. 

"Playing music helps improve cognitive abilities ... It helps improve grades within math and within reading," she said. 

"We also know that music helps with mental health issues, depression, anxiety. It gives a place of comfort within the school. It gives students a place to build and form connections. It serves so many purposes."