Whither Music Education in Canada‪?‬

Seeing and hearing one of our compatriots basking in applause before audiences in London, Berlin, or New York is bound to warm the hearts of Canadian lovers of classical music. But we should be asking ourselves how much credit this country can legitimately take for the success of "our" artists. The history of music education in Canada has been a quirky and uncertain one, and the future will be much the same if we do not take measure of what we expect from ourselves as a musical nation. EVERY OTHER YEAR, the CBC National Competition for Young Performers takes to the airwaves, offering cash prizes and public exposure to classical musicians in their twenties and early thirties from across the country. While many music competitions around the world are restricted to specific instruments--the piano or the violin, for example--the CBC Competition's categories change from event to event: this year's competition, held in May in Calgary, was open to singers and players of brass or woodwind instruments only. The policy of rotating musical categories lends a refreshing variety to the proceedings. Yet no matter what kind of musicians are featured in the competition, one factor seems to remain much the same from year to year.