Canadian content in elementary and secondary school music curricula

The research team provides a summary of their long-term national research project which examines the Canadian content of school music curricula. A preliminary study in 1997-8 surveyed 13 Ontario school music teachers and found that 34.6% of music used in these classrooms was Canadian. Music materials were categorized by type (e.g., pieces, music books, films, recordings, kits, etc.) and pieces of music were categorized by length, language (where applicable), and use of folk material. While the priority given to Canadian music by these teachers is clear, the small number of teachers surveyed made the findings inconclusive. In 1998-9, the project will be expanded to survey teachers across Canada, and will also widen in scope, focusing on curriculum documents, policy statements, and in-service teacher education programs. Such an in-service program (run by choral conductor Doreen Rao in North York, Ontario) is described in this article, as are several composer collaborations. The article concludes by posing questions regarding the future role of the Canadian Music Educators’ Association (CMEA) and local MEAs in advocating for Canadian music in schools