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Bands came into favour in Canadian schools at the beginning of the 20th century. Educators, parents, and civic leaders recognized early the worth of the band as an adjunct to school games, dances, and other events. They also saw in it an attractive music-teaching device and an excellent means of building co-operative and coordinated behaviour and stimulating school spirit. More recently, bands have become accepted as vehicles for international cultural and educational exchange. Many Canadian school bands have undertaken international tours, winning awards and recognition.
Historical Background
For the first half of the 20th century, school bands functioned mostly as extracurricular performing organizations. They often were dependent for members upon students who had lessons with private teachers or training from the Salvation Army or other community organizations with a strong interest in music.
Several youth bands were formed outside the school systems in the early part of the century. One or two may be mentioned as examples. Captain John Slatter organized a Toronto Cadet Band, and his brother, Henry Arthur Slatter, tutored and directed the Boys' Band of New Westminster ca. 1919–28. Arthur Delamont formed the Kitsilano Boys' Band of Vancouver in 1928. The Winnipeg Sea Cadet Band under William Cramp toured Ontario in 1941 as part of a Navy League recruiting program.
Post-War Period
After the Second World War, the youth band movement took on new life. A nationwide groundswell of interest in instrumental instruction in schools was reflected by the degree program in school music established at the University of Toronto in 1946. Techniques for group instruction introduced into the program by Robert Rosevear did much to refine and systematize youth band teaching methods generally. Educators in the other provinces also showed a new concern with instrumental training and applied new ingenuities to the solving of its problems. The efforts of these educators were opportune, coming as they did at a time when there was a growing demand for ensembles in which young musicians could participate; hundreds of such ensembles were formed.
The 1970s saw a proliferation of university performance programs particularly for wind and percussion performers as well as teacher training programs in classroom band instruction. During the late 1980s, several universities introduced dual degree programs that combined the requirements of performance and teaching degrees.
With the increased availability of highly trained instructors, the school band movement prospered throughout the 1980s. By the early 1990s, there were some 5,000 teacher/band directors across the country, many responsible for band programs for 350 students or more. In 1978, the Canadian Band Association and the CNE jointly sponsored the National Youth Band of Canada, which brought outstanding young performers from across the country to perform in Toronto under the baton of Martin Boundy and guest conductors during the CBA national convention. Although intended to become an annual or biennial entity, the band was not convened again until 1991 at the Canadian Music Educators Association convention in Vancouver.
In 1985, Canada Youth on Tour, a federally registered non-profit organization was established to provide “Canada's outstanding student players with an opportunity to perform the finest concert band literature in an organization of musical excellence while showcasing the cultural achievements of Canada's youth on the ‘international stage.’” On the basis of Canada-wide auditions, the organization selected some 50 performers annually for a month-long European performance tour. A variety of summer band camps have also flourished across the country, most privately sponsored, though some funded by provincial governments responding to the perceived training needs of band instructors and students alike.
MusiCounts Education Programs
MusiCounts is a charitable music education program that was founded by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) in 1989. Since 1997, it has funded the purchase of band instruments for select schools. The instruments are then delivered to the school by a prominent member of the Canadian music industry (e.g., Alanis Morissette, Jann Arden, Susan Aglukark.)
In 2005, MusicCounts established the Teacher of the Year Award. In 2008, it created the Fred Sherratt Award, which grants $1,000 cash scholarships to 12 graduates of post-secondary music programs. In 2013, MusiCounts teamed with TD Bank to provide instruments and equipment to community centres, after-school programs and other non-profit organizations across Canada.
See also Youth Orchestras; Barrie Central Collegiate Band; MusicFest Canada; School Music; Music Education.
