Editor:
We, the music teachers of School District No. 46, would like to acknowledge the widespread community support for music in our schools and to congratulate the school board for its commitment to music education.
There are numerous community organizations including the Pender Harbour Blues Society, the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Performing Arts, the Coast Recital Society and the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival, which are generous with their support of music in SD46.
We would especially like to thank two community organizations for their strong, ongoing support — the Creek Big Band and the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra Association.
Both groups provide free clinicians to school band programs, donate bursaries to our grads, help with the annual SD46 secondary school band camp, and mentor student musicians. The Creek Big Band has donated a large number of high school jazz band charts. In addition, its members recently donated their time to play at a dance, raising $5,000 for the Elphinstone school band travel fund.
We know music enhances cognitive, affective and physical development and that it simply makes life better.
Sara Douglas, Tom Kellough, Jen MacInnes, Kathleen Matkin-Leander and Carolyn Mitchell, Music Local Specialist Association, SD46
