Canadian Music Being Used for Education

Magic Lantern Media Inc. and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame are collaborating to create an educational service that uses Canadian music for learning.

Using music created by Canadians through the history of the country, the bilingual www.EducatingThroughMusic.com will launch later in 2013, in time for integration into the 2013-’14 school year lesson-plans.

EducatingThroughMusic.com will be an education resource tool for teachers to make use of Canadian music in their lesson plans, not only toward their efforts in music education, but for use with many other subjects where music style and lyrics have relevance.

Music is a powerful educational tool that students readily embrace, and Canadian music often tells the story of our nation, its regions and its people. Students are more engaged using mediums they enjoy.

In addition, the website will be an “educational theatre” for any student desiring to have music in their life as a career, hobby or simply for enjoyment. With a focus on students in grades 7 to 10, the site will feature lesson plans based on Canadian music and video content, with additional resources such as photos, essays/articles, biographies, contextual history and student activities.

“Plato said ‘Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education’ and having lesson-plans that are made more engaging with Canadian music will enable teachers to provide relevance for subjects such as Canadian and World History, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Geography,” said Doug Connolly, President of Magic Lantern Media. “The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees represent an amazing resource that provides tremendous connections to many subjects dealing with Canada, our history and culture.”

“Canada’s music tells the story of Canada’s history and culture, and in many ways reflects the soul of the nation,” said Lisa Gaglia, manager of Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. “The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is pleased to support this educational initiative as part of our goal to educate the public about Canada’s songwriting and music heritage. This is an exciting opportunity to engage future generations in understanding and valuing Canadian music and songwriting.”