Allison Titus directs Walter Murray Collegiate's choir program.

September 15 is Music Education Day in Saskatchewan! This week, we celebrate the young musicians in our division and the staff who empower them as artists.

The Walter Murray Collegiate auditorium starts to fill up at 7:45 a.m. - a group of altos in one corner, sopranos on the other side, and a circle of basses and tenors in the middle. Ms. Titus’ choral class is made up of 85 young musicians, and has tripled in size after a brief hiatus a few years ago. They start early so that more students can fit the class into their schedule, and the the current members show their enthusiasm for music by taking on this early morning commitment.

The choir is preparing a performance for the school’s Remembrance Day Ceremony.  As they practice, Ms. Titus shares a piece of wisdom from her musical journey: whenever you hear a piece of feedback given to someone else, try to apply it to yourself as well. As she advises the different voices in the choir, the whole group has the opportunity to learn.

Band teachers Adam Streisel, Cody Appleton, Susan Beaudry and Erin McVittie support the instrument lending program.

At Saskatoon Public Schools’ division office, families lined up over the course of two evenings to borrow one of the thousand band instruments being loaned out this fall. This effort is headed up by Colin Elliot, with 18 band teachers from across the city working to get these instruments into the hands of future virtuosos.

We’re proud to give students the chance to try and practice instruments without a financial commitment. One community member shared that this program allowed her son to try the oboe as a child, despite financial barriers. More recently, he has had the opportunity to play with the Saskatoon Symphony. Music educators make stories like this possible!

Student musicians make significant contributions to their school cultures, whether they’re part of a choir, band, Indigenous drumming circle, or theatre production cast. They can be spotted at pep rallies, parades, sporting events, ceremonies, and more. Today, we celebrate them! We’re grateful to every staff member and student who fills the school halls with music.