Burnaby students rally as band classes face elimination

On any given day in Burnaby elementary schools, the sound of clarinet squeaks and trumpet blasts echo through quiet hallways. For many grade seven students, it’s more than just music, it’s their first step into their musical journey. Now, the program that helps them play their first notes is at risk of being silenced. 

The Burnaby School District’s proposed 2025 budget includes a controversial measure to eliminate grade seven band across all 41 elementary schools. District leaders say that general music will remain, but for students, families, educators and concerned community members, the proposed cuts threaten far more than instruments; they threaten a source of joy, community, and creativity that lasts for a lifetime.

The current grade seven elementary program provides free musical training to students. Every year, over 1000 students across Burnaby participate in grade seven band, and for many, this introduction to music can lead toward joining high school ensembles and pursuing music long term. The Burnaby School District describes the program as a way for “Students [to] get to hone their musical skills in new ways plus become part of a close-knit community and form friendships which can last a life-time.” 

Grade 11 flute and saxophone player Calen Khouri told us that “When I started music in grade seven, it was a way for me to include myself with the rest of my friends, and form new friends along the way, because playing an instrument is like a superpower. It lets me express all my feelings and emotions and convey [them] through a cool instrument. And band for me wasn’t just a little class in grade seven; it was what I looked forward to the entire week and it was the main highlight of my grade seven year.” 

The district assures that while it proposes to cut the elementary band program, if carried out, general music education will continue at each school. This could include choir, ukulele, and recorders.  

While general music education is a strong building block in elementary schools, the grade seven band program offers a different kind of musical learning to youth. Band puts professional musicians in front of students and real instruments in their hands.  

17-year-old saxophone player Thomas Chen emphasized the unique value of the program. “You don’t get to learn an instrument to as high of a level as you do in grade seven band up to that point in elementary school and I feel that it leads into many opportunities in high school as well as outside of school,” Chen told 8forty. “Every grade seven should have the opportunity to have that experience.” 

In 2022, the district considered cutting the grade seven program but dipped into their 10-million-dollar reserve fund to preserve it. Now, elementary band faces a similar fate, but the district is in an even tighter financial position with a reserve fund of only 40 thousand dollars.  

According to the Burnaby School district’s preliminary budget report, the proposed solution to the tight financial situation saves the board 4.30 FTE (Full time equivalent) positions, or $515,528. Currently, the district employs five full-time band teachers who travel between multiple schools to teach. In addition, some schools provide the elementary band program through their regular music teachers, or a part time teacher. Consequently, removing the grade seven band option would alter or completely remove the jobs of at least 14 music teachers, according to the school district website. 

The employment of many aspiring music educators is also at risk. Grade 11 student Dheven Atwal is one of those people. “Since grade seven, I’ve only gotten more and more interested in music as a whole. The funny thing is that I would’ve never known about band if I didn’t start in grade seven. I had an amazing teacher,” Atwal told 8forty. “I want to become a music teacher in the future. But if there’s no band program, I can’t really share my passion with other people.” 

In late April, Byrne Creek Community School students, joined by others across the district, held a community celebration and peaceful protest outside the Burnaby School District office. They say that the purpose of the event was to “show how band builds community, joy, and lifelong relationships.”  

At the recent event, a 30-piece band of students, educators, and local musicians played music together to show their support for the issue. Campaigners also held up “Honk for grade 7 band” signs facing the busy streets and received many positive responses from cars passing by. Around the area, a small crowd formed as young kids and parents listened and danced to the music. 

A single mom whose son is in grade 5 said, “It’s awesome for him because seriously, first of all I’d rather him be interested in participating in music at school than be on the iPad all day, I mean it’s good for them. [And] I’m a single mom, I can’t afford to give him lessons, so I mean the program is awesome.”  

Connor Lum is an education representative for Long & McQuade, a Canadian Musical instrument retailer that offers music lessons and actively supports music advocacy. He shared his thoughts on the impact of music education and how it shaped his life. “I started band in grade seven, same as these guys, and I think it’s very important to me because I don’t know what I’d be doing if I didn’t do music and start in grade seven,” Lum said. “I’m really proud to still be involved in the community, especially in the Vancouver and Burnaby community and to this day I still play my saxophone every day.” 

Students at Alpha Secondary School ran a petition asking concerned community members to submit a short paragraph detailing the positive experience of band. Carlton Hui, who is the co-chair of his school’s music council says, “We’ve recently launched an online form that collects responses from everyone, basically telling them to write a personal testimonial about how grade seven band inspired them.” 

When the program was being considered for budget cuts in 2022, a group of students that included Carlton at the time ran a similar petition to that of this year, but they only gathered 18 responses. This year, the online form is gaining more traction, as Carlton describes “Up until today (April 29th), we’ve collected over 250 responses which I believe is amazing because it really proves how much people care about this program.”  

The submissions have been put in a 79-page document which was sent to the district and included these personal responses from anonymous supporters. 

One post-secondary music student wrote “As a student who was bullied throughout elementary school, band was a safe haven for me. The music room provided me a space away from other students during lunch and recess to do what I most enjoyed: practicing my bass clarinet. Today I am a working musician as well as a Teacher Candidate at UBC within the music cohort.” 

Another band alumni who recently graduated wrote, “The grade 7 program in school saved me from self-harm and feeling like I was alone in the world. All of my closest friends were made there. It was a safe space to be a kid and use music as a way to express all the complexity of growing up as a depressed teenager.” 

A parent of a band student shared how the program helped her daughter. “My child is on the spectrum… She didn’t really connect with new people. She was almost painfully quiet. One day, she came home from school full of energy, and told me about her afternoon in the band room, where she and others had been hanging out and laughing so hard that they cried.  She said, ‘Mom, these people understand me. I don’t have to explain myself and I don’t have to pretend to be someone else!’ By Grade 12 she was taking active leadership roles through band, and she had deep connections within the school community. She is now pursuing a music education degree. It’s worth noting that she didn’t want to take Grade 7 band, but she signed up because it seemed the thing to do. Without that experience, I doubt she would have had the confidence to enrol in band for Grade 8. I am so grateful.” 

A concerned SD41 peer urged the district to “Think about the children who have no real home, the ones who need a family, the ones who have and will find that family in the band program.” 

While community members have spoken out, local celebrities have also made their position on the issue clear through social media. On April 25^th, Burnaby-born singer Michael Bublé shared a story on his Instagram in collaboration with local musicians Sarah McLachlan and bbno$ in support of music programs in the province. Bublé’s children currently attend Seaforth Elementary, one of the 41 schools that would be affected by the new policy. In the post, they shared their view on the value that these programs had on the next generation of musicians, and it had the caption “Music education is a saviour and a safe space to many of BC’s young students. Let’s keep music in schools!” 

For supporters of grade seven band, the fight to save the program isn’t just about preserving a class, it’s about protecting a place where students find identity, purpose, and belonging that last a lifetime. Many of those who spoke to 8forty for this article or who participated in the petition describe it as their first real spark of passion, the place they find their people, and the start of something bigger than themselves.  

“Nobody thinks grade seven band is important or that it deserves the money or attention from the school board,” one student said. “But there are thousands of students who love music just like I do because of it. I will fight for this program with my heart and soul. It’s just something I can’t imagine not having in my life.” 

Image Credit: Laurie Lind