The Q Centre is going to be loud – in the best possible way – for about an hour on Monday morning.
For the 10th straight year, students across the country, including about 2,400 from nine elementary schools in the Sooke School District, will celebrate Music Monday.
“The idea is that we celebrate music together as a nation,” said Maureen Garry, David Cameron elementary music teacher and president of the Sooke Music Teachers’ Association.
“We will sing the same song, at the same time, with all the other students in all the other participating communities right across the country.”
This year’s Music Monday song is entitled “We Are One,” written by 16-year-old Connor Ross of Caledon, Ont. The song was selected from more than 200 submissions to the Music Monday Anthem Search, which launched last September. The lyrics and music were then distributed to the participating communities to learn before the event.
The Sooke School District participants will also be performing two African songs, “Funga Alafia,” and “Kaye Kaye,” as well as “You Can Dance, You Can Sing,” “United We Sing,” and what Garry called, “a Rock and Roll version of ‘Frere Jacques,’ which should be enough to get people out to it and hear what that sounds like.”
Garry expects only about 30 or 40 of the approximately 2,400 participants at the Colwood event to actually be playing instruments – they’ll be mainly percussion, to help the singers keep the rhythm – because the vocal aspect should take priority.
“It’s the one instrument that everyone has,” she said. That levels the playing field in a way and allows for anyone of any skill level to participate, making it very inclusive, reflecting the goal of the event.
“It’s about people coming together to celebrate the importance of music in everyone’s lives, in our schools and within our communities.”
The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:45 a.m., but Garry wants attendees to know there may be a delay.
“It will begin when all of the students arrive,” she said with a chuckle. “The logistics of getting 2,400 elementary school kids from nine schools is complicated, so we’re saying 9:45, but it could be a bit later than that and will go for about an hour.”
For more information on Music Monday or to hear Ross’ recording of “We Are One,” go online and check out musicmonday.ca.
mdavies@goldstreamgazette.com