Psychology-focused media outlets and parenting magazines have been shouting from the proverbial rooftops for ages: music can improve your kid’s IQ, their ability to perform under pressure, and their skills in language, mathematics, and time management. Music, they would have it seem, can be the magic tool to unlock a life of intelligence, ease, and productivity. While some of these claims may be true (though perhaps overstated in some cases), there is another reason to champion music as a critical component of a young person’s education.

Music is awesome.

Cultivating musicality, whether through listening, study, or creation, holds standalone merit. Many adults will extol the virtues of music or describe music’s pride of place in their lives. Why not actively fill that well of joy and foster that lifelong love from a young age? This is why MusiCounts fights for kids’ access to music class; there are so many reasons to support music education, and loving music is one of the most important.

Not every child who steps into a music classroom will grow up to be Justin Bieber, Kaytranada, or Lindsay Ell. Though the options are plentiful, not every kid will pursue one of the broad range of career possibilities the music industry has to offer. It is, however, a desirable outcome for a student to take part in music class and leave with nothing but a love for music. Let’s pave the way towards the vast landscape of possibilities: a rich emotional and intellectual life, a love for the arts and creativity, and the joy music brings us all.

Though we know the benefits, it will take a strong community of music education champions to sustain its meaningful presence in Canadian schools. Funding for the arts has been in steady decline, and many music educators are left making do with crumbling and unusable instrument inventories that are expected to serve ever-growing class sizes. The MusiCounts Band Aid Program acts as a lifeline for music education by investing between $5,000 and $15,000 into the schools across Canada for whom music class is most in jeopardy.

Each year, MusiCounts receives hundreds of requests for support. We hear from teachers across the country doing their best to make the magic of music class happen despite unplayable instruments, insufficient inventories that must be passed between students during class time, or quite literally no instruments at all. Despite MusiCounts’ investment of approximately $1M annually, we are only able to support about 1 in four schools that need our help.

To keep the joy alive, we need your support. Making a contribution to the MusiCounts Band Aid Program - no matter the size - helps us support and revitalize music education nationwide by investing much-needed funds for the purchase of instruments, equipment, software, and more. Let’s work together to make sure that all kids in Canada have access to music, and ultimately, to joy.