FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Organized by the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, Music Monday is a national event celebrating the importance of music in our lives, and especially in our schools. This annual celebration began in 2005 and has occurred every year since, in communities throughout Canada, and beyond.  Music Monday events happen in schools, community centres, concert halls, parks and more, all across the country.   At 12:30 pm ET on Music Monday, we join together in song, with hundreds of thousands of us singing (and playing) the Music Monday anthem together to demonstrate the power of music to connect and unite.

With thousands of unique celebrations taking place throughout Canada, the benefits and opportunities gained through participation Music Monday are immense:

  • Music Monday is a chance for children and youth to advocate for their own education.
  • It’s an opportunity for them to feel connected to something bigger than themselves.
  • The collective singing of the anthem allows Canadians of all ages and skill sets to unite through song.
  • Exploring the Celebration Map is an interactive way to learn about Canada, while checking out the thousands of schools and communities celebrating Music Monday.
  • Attending a Spotlight or Regional Celebration is a chance to discover different types of music, hear new concepts and ideas, and meet other students with similar interests.
  • Planning a youth-led Music Monday event allows young people to develop leadership skills, and take ownership for the celebration.
  • Music Monday provides educators with extensive resources to enrich your music classroom for months

We would like all schools and organizations to register online! The higher our registration numbers, the more powerful the statement we can make about the importance of quality music education for all children. Registration unlocks valuable resources like anthem sheet music, translations, learning guides, activity booklets,  and recordings. It’s also the best way to stay up to date with program news and announcements. You can register here!

Once you have registered for Music Monday, you will be emailed a link to the Music Monday downloads area where you will find arrangements for flex band, strings, guitar, ukulele and more.  You will also find vocal charts for choirs, backing tracks, singalong videos, and much more.

Although this would be ideal, it is not always possible. Beginner band arrangements need to be in Bb or Eb, while beginner strings must be in D or G.  For our 2026 anthem we have two sets of arrangements, with one set being all in the same key.

Due to copyright laws surrounding the current anthem, we cannot recommend the use of unauthorized arrangements. We are working hard to make official arrangements available for a number of ensembles and grade levels, as well as lead sheets with chord symbols, that can be useful for a variety of instruments and settings. We recognize that teachers might need to make small adjustments to voicing or instrumentation, but hope that these will be minimal, and maintain the integrity of the piece.

We recognize that scheduling difficulties may arise, so we encourage you to celebrate Music Monday throughout the month of May! Big or small, any event that raises awareness about the importance of music in Canadian classrooms, and makes a meaningful impact in your school or community is a Music Monday celebration. Regardless of when you celebrate, please make sure to register your event!

We encourage everyone to perform the anthem as part of your Music Monday celebration. In doing so, you will be joining forces with hundreds of thousands of Canadians as we raise our voices and instruments in support of music education. If you ensemble isn’t able to perform the piece, consider incorporating the anthem in a different way. You could play the music video as participants enter the space, or sing along with the audio recording for a more casual “performance.” While anthem use isn’t mandatory, we encourage it whenever possible, as this shared experience contributes to a feeling of unity and community.

We encourage everyone across the country to perform the anthem together, as it helps draw media awareness and attention to our cause. However, we realize it might not always be possible.

  • Host your own Music Monday event
  • Contact a local school board to see if there is a celebration where you can volunteer your time and skills
  • Feel free to reach out to us at Info@coalitioncanada.ca to talk about your event planning.   We also feature events in our press campaign so we would love to hear from you!

There are lots of ways you can celebrate Music Monday! Start by speaking to your music teacher to see if there is anything planned but not yet announced. If not, ask them (or another staff member) to support you in running a student-led Music Monday Celebration. You could arrange a livestream viewing, plan a lunch hour musical activity, or organize rehearsals and perform the anthem at 12:30 EDT. Whatever you plan, make sure to talk about why music and music education are important to you and your peers. If you have questions about Music Monday you can contact info@coalitioncanada.ca, and if you’d like to learn about youth leadership opportunities, check out our MusicNext program.

This is up to you, but the sooner you can begin rehearsing and sharing the Music Monday Anthem, the better prepared you will be.

We always encourage our participants to reach out to invite the media and their elected officials to attend their Music Monday event.
Here at the Coalition for Music Education, we run a professional media campaign to support Music Monday so we can shine a spotlight on the importance of music education.  We always like to feature events from across Canada, so please reach out to us at info@coalitioncanada.ca to let us know if you’d like your event to be featured.

What you can do:

  • Write a short article about your event and send it to your local newspaper, radio and television station
  • Use social media to engage with the media. Share articles, tweet at relevant organizations, post photos, etc. Don’t forget to tag us in your posts and to use the hashtags #MusicMonday and #TogetherinHarmony
  • Contact your school board’s public relations team and ask for support
  • Send us photos and video of your event that we can share

You can check who is registered on the Music Monday Map to see who else is celebrating in your area. Get in touch with local music organizations such as your provincial music educators’ association, band associations, choral federations, as well as local amateur and professional bands, orchestras and choirs. Contact your local school board to see what else is happening in your district.

  • Reach out to us to see if there is a large event in your area that you can attend
  • Invite a local musician to come work with your students to prepare a Music Monday activity. Invite parents, grandparents or community members with a background in music who might be able to help out
  • When you register and visit our Downloads section, you will find many resources.  There are plenty of materials to guide you in music activities, sing-along videos, and simplified vocal videos that are suitable for beginners.  On Music Monday we will release lots of video content you can watch with your students, and its easy to sing along with us using our Karaoke Video.  These resources are easy to use and a great place to start!
REGISTRATION OPENING SOON!