They should be core.  The United States has figured this out, now it's time for Alberta to catch up.

But Alberta Education needs to hear this from you, Alberta students and parents.

As a music teacher and pedagogue, my research has helped reaffirm the link between music and what it means to be human.  Too often people equate music to "making you smarter", namely referring to a since-debunked study that linked math results to music.  Others say music should be appreciated on it's own value and merits.  Some say music is a form of expression, a "universal language".  Some people say great music is literature created by masters and should stand the test of time.

I say very differently.  I say music is no object.  It is an action.  To music is to engage in listening, performing, responding and collaborating in music.  To music is to share with one another something that makes each one of us unique; our musical "tastes" are just as unique from one person to the next as is our DNA.  What this means is that our ability to music is essential to our humanness.

Education on the whole has as its fundamental purpose the development of humans, becoming more fully human, to serve their fellow humans in love and respect as contributing members of society.  Everything built into the curriculum is an objective that formulates the development of something that only humans can do; write poetry (sometimes in multiple languages), solve complex quadratic equations, harness solar energy, collaborate respectfully within a society of like- and unlike-minded people, sink a free-throw consistently, make chicken cordon bleu, assemble a car engine, sell and trade, rationally defend a system of beliefs ...

And music.

And act.  And art.  And dance.

Music Education is where I work most, and it has as its fundamental purpose the development of all students as lifelong musickers, people who more fully realize what it means to be uniquely human.  Whether you are a religious person or not (although it meshes perfectly with Christianity and most other mainstream religions), there is no higher purpose than to become more fully human, more fully you (to the glory of God).

Only humans can music.  To suggest that music, or any of the arts, is not core is to suggest that it is not essential to our humanness.  Therefore music must be core.

But you, as parents of students in music, already know this.  Alberta Education needs to hear it themselves.

This is why I'm asking you to fill out the Online Curriculum Survey, to share the merits, the challenges, and the needs of our curriculum right now.  This is your chance to have your voice heard.

I think you know a big part of what I'm going to say.  Now it's up to you.

Hello all you wonderful Senior High Music Parents!

First, if you're looking for information about the Silent Auction Fundraiser, please click here, there is a separate blog about that.

Second, we are in desperate need of fundraising.  At this point, without additional assistance from you as families, we are looking at price tags for the Disneyland trip that will be very difficult for families to manage.  We need you to fundraise.

The HRCFAPA has forwarded on an idea that you can undertake if you want.  It is the Farm to School fundraiser, and it appears as though it would not require a significant time investment, but you could make a huge dent in the fundraising through it.  Bundles of fresh Canadian-Grown vegetables are sold at a fraction of the price it would cost at a grocery store, yet we still get 50% of the profits.  To me it's a no-brainer.

If you are interested in helping, you need to contact me immediately.  We have to sign on to this fundraiser this week, or it's a no-go.  The HRCFAPA are already at capacity for the activities they can muster, but if you want to pay less for Disneyland, here is your chance to make that happen.

Also, our Christmas Concert will be taking place on December 7.  The plan is to have a wine and cheese ... scratch that, it's a Catholic school and we don't have a liquor license, so ... an Eggnog and Christmas Cookies introduction time so people can bid on the Silent Auction items before the music begins.  This Eggnog and Christmas Cookies time will start at 6 PM, and the music will start at 7 PM.  An enterprising parent can take this project on, and turn it into a Disneyland fundraiser as well.  Please let me know if you are interested.

If you have other fundraising ideas, please let me know that you are taking them on.  We need all the help we can get.

Thanks!
Joel Windsor

Hello all you wonderful Fine Arts People!

We are just over a month away from our Christmas Concert on December 7.  That means gearing up for the Silent Auction portion of our fundraising activities.

Click on this link to download and print off a copy of the Donation Request Letter.  We are asking that each family arrange for one item to be donated to the Silent Auction.  This does not mean you buy an item yourself to donate (unless you want to), but rather that you seek out donations from businesses and organizations in the Foothills (which includes Longview, Nanton, Okotoks, Black Diamond, etc.).

It would be preferable for your students to be the ones going to these groups and asking, rather than you as a parent asking on their behalf.  Donors are far more willing to donate if they make a direct connection with the program by way of the students, because they see the connection between their donation and the results from it.

Once you receive a donation, please bring it into the school, where we will hold on to your donations and track them.  You can find a track page of the currently accepted donations here.  We are asking you to have all donations in the school by the end of Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews.

Thank you for your work in supporting our program.  If you have any questions, email me at jwindsor@redeemer.ab.ca.

Peace,
Joel Windsor