Music Notebook #3 – Back to the basics

Back to the basics

In this third Music Notebook, we return to the origins of the Éveil musical program, which is currently being implemented in the Carrefour’s Centres de la petite enfance. The history of this project is marked by rich encounters and fruitful collaborations. Sometimes, all it takes is a tiny spark, a single note, for a melody to unfold, and then a whole symphony.

To better understand the origins of the Éveil musical en CPE program, we gathered the testimony of Nicole, whom the little ones simply call Nicole. She is one of the two driving forces behind the project, along with her colleague Anne-Marie, both affiliated with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. You will often come across her in the Centres de la petite enfance, where she leads Éveil musical sessions or offers coaching to educators.

In this issue, we also discover the organizations that helped create the program, as well as some of the benefits of Éveil musical.

Crescendo: the right meetings at the right time

Nicole explains that the foundations of the Éveil musical project date back to the summer of 2021. The Sudbury Symphony Orchestra (SSO) commissioned a study to draw up a portrait of music education in the Sudbury region, in Ontario and in Canada. The research revealed a significant decline in the provision of music education in schools. This is particularly alarming, as the benefits of early musical stimulation are well documented, but it also puts a lot of pressure on community organizations and the private sector to compensate for the decline in music education.

Interested by this issue, Anne-Marie from SSO, is deepening her knowledge of Éveil musical. On a personal level, her pregnancy made her want to equip herself further, so that the little child about to enter her life could fully enjoy music. It was at this point that she discovered the work of Dr. Jonathan Bolduc, from the Faculty of Music at Université Laval in Quebec City, who runs the Mus-Alpha laboratory.

An Éveil musical program is developed for kindergarten classes by Dr. Bolduc and his team, in collaboration with the Conservatory of the Symphony Orchestra and the Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon.

In November 2021, Nicole is hired to implement this innovative program. A pilot project is launched in Conseil Nouvelon francophone schools in and around Sudbury.

In April 2022, Nicole and Anne-Marie attend an open house at Greater Sudbury’s brand-new Place des Arts. There they met Marie Le Floch, then coordinator of CPE Place des tout-petits. She asked them if there was an Éveil musical program for early childhood centers? It didn’t take long for the idea to take root.

A few meetings later, involving the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, Carrefour francophone de Sudbury, Dr. Jonathan Bolduc and others, and the project was launched.

An Éveil musical program aimed specifically at preschoolers was developed by the SSO in consultation with Dr. Bolduc and his team. It was first presented as a pilot project at Place des tout-petits. This enabled us to make minor adjustments, but above all to confirm the children’s keen interest and enthusiasm. This initial phase quickly snowballed.

Since then, Éveil musical parent-child activities have also been offered on various occasions. An Éveil musical training program for educators has been developed. As you know, this program is currently being implemented in the Carrefour’s early childhood centres. This passion for music is truly contagious!

See you soon for a summer edition of the Music Notebook!