Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute in Peterborough is one of 74 schools across Canada that will receive $1 million worth of musical instruments, equipment, and gear under two school funding programs from MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and the Juno Awards.
Since 1997, the MusiCounts Band Aid Program has been providing under-resourced schools with grants to keep school music programs alive. It funds traditional forms of music education like concert and jazz band, choir, Orff ensembles, guitar and ukulele groups, and more.
For the first time this year, the MusiCounts Slaight Family Innovation Fund is also supporting schools with grants from $5,000 to $20,000 for culturally relevant or technology-forward approaches to music education that exist outside of mainstream practice, as well as contemporary music making.
Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute is one of 32 schools across Canada, including nine in Ontario, receiving a total of $320,000 in funding from the MusiCounts Slaight Family Innovation Fund.
Culturally specific programs supported by the fund can include Indigenous drumming, steel pan percussion, African percussion, Métis fiddling, and more. Technology-forward programs can include music production, digital music creation, hip hop and beat making, and more. Contemporary music making can include rock bands and popular music ensembles.
“MusiCounts is thrilled to welcome students back to school and back to music with the investment of $1 million worth of much-needed instruments and gear,” says MusiCounts president Kristy Fletcher in a media release. “As students return to the music classroom, they’ll not only find guitars, drums, horns, and turntables, they’ll also find a safe space in their school where they can connect with their peers, build their confidence, and find their voice.”
MusiCount’s school music funding programs have provided $14.3 million to 1,439 schools in Canada. Applications are now open for MusiCount’s 2025 programs at https://musicounts.ca/smfp.
