Williams Lake band and music students joined professional and amateur musicians and singers Monday morning for a momentous cross-Canada music event called Music Monday, May 6.
The event was held in support of music in schools and included the nation-wide singing and playing of one song at 10:30 a.m.
The song Is Somebody Singing was co-written by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson.
The song was commissioned by CBCMusic.ca and the Coalition for Music Education to celebrate music education in schools across Canada.
The song premiered on Feb. 8 across CBC platforms with Hadfield performing on the International Space Station and Robertson and the Barenaked Ladies performing on Earth.
On Music Monday in School District 27 students, amateurs and professional musicians came together at the Cariboo Memorial Complex Monday morning to perform the song in Rink 1 starting with a concert and the singing/playing of Is Somebody Singing at 10:30 a.m.
Whether a choir, soloist, drum group, band group, ukulele group, guitar group, recorder group or oher musical entry people across Canada joined in playing the song all at the same time.
Elementary and secondary students were bused to the complex for the event which was co-ordinated by Williams Lake Secondary School band instructor Laura Eilers.
“There will be approximately 350 students in total, with others coming from groups such as the Williams Lake Community Band,” Eilers said in preparing for the event Friday.
All of the secondary and elementary school music programs in Williams Lake, and from 100 Mile House were to be represented.
After everyone played and sang Is Somebody Singing, each group performed a piece on their own.
“It will be an event not to be missed,” Eilers said earlier.
“It is not often that students from across the district get to play and sing together, so this is the opportunity for students to hear what other schools are doing, and perhaps be inspired and continue playing right through high school.”
WLSS host a Fine Arts Night on June 6 to raise funds for art programs and student scholarships.