Music Monday happened five days early in Vankleek Hill.
On Thursday, May 2, students from the four Vankleek Hill schools: St. Jude Catholic Elementary School, Pleasant Corners Public School (PCPS), École élémentaire catholique St-Grégoire, and Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute (VCI) gathered at St. Jude School for the local version of Music Monday, a day to celebrate the importance of music education in schools.
Music Monday is an annual event coordinated by the Coalition for Music Education; the first such event took place in 2005. The official Monday was May 6, but the Vankleek Hill schools celebrated “Music Thursday” on May 2. Local piano teacher Ian Hepburn is the organizational inspiration behind the event along with the music teachers at each school. The students spent the first part of the day in various training and practice sessions, and in the afternoon, assembled for a concert. St-Gregoire, St. Jude, and PCPS provided vocals, guitarists, ukuleles, and xylophones, while VCI and PCPS also supplied some powerful brass, bass, and drums. The repertoire included songs by Queen and Chicago—two bands that were around long before the performers were born!
St. Jude and PCPS students performing at the Music Monday concert. Photo: James Morgan
St-Grégoire students singing. Photo: James Morgan
