Yorkton alumni mourn loss of choral program
Some members of Saskatchewan’s choral community are reeling after the elimination of choral as a credit course at Yorkton Regional High School for the upcoming school year, but division administrators say they haven’t given up on the program.
With only eight students signed up, the course was eliminated due to low enrolment. Now, one former choir member is asking those who benefited from the class to write their MLAs, MPs and the Minister of Education to express their concern.
“The programs there were so strong and it’s well known across the province that Yorkton Regional High School was a leader in music,” said Emily Coupal, an educator and singer with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers.
“Being able to be in, and share in, those programs were so influential in my decision to continue into music education.”
Coupal said alongside the academic benefits of the program she also made numerous friends through her involvement.
“When you’re in a band or in a choir, everybody is participating and everybody participates to the overall sound, the overall finished product,” she said. “You could be a new student, a new immigrant, and come to the choir classroom and feel welcome and safe.”
Coupal said low enrolment is a sign more needs to be done to encourage students to take up choral.
“How come we’re not bolstering up those programs and educating the youth about what they can experience in high school?” she asked.
Quintin Robertson, acting director of education for the Good Spirit School Division said while choral has been eliminated as a credit option this year, by no means is it gone for good.
He said low enrolment is likely due to the school offering a variety of programs, ranging from debate club to robotics, and the school administration made its decision based on student interest.
“School administrators are constantly faced with challenging decisions and they have to be good stewards of provincial money and good stewards of the funds that are given to them,” he said. “So they were forced to make a decision on how to allocate those funds and allocate their staff.”
Robertson said he the drop in choral class enrolment indicates a shift that’s happening right across the province.
“Society is changing and I think kids’ interests are changing,” he said.
While the choral class has been eliminated this year, Robertson said other extracurricular options are available through the school’s music department.
“The folks at the regional (level) aren’t giving up on this,” he said, noting administrative staff are in the process of bringing forward proposals on how to reinvigorate the community’s interest in choral.
Kathy Stokes, president of the Saskatchewan Choral Federation, said while the loss of the program this year is a “concern,” she’s hopeful it can make a comeback in the future.
“There’s a sense of heritage in the school; they have had strong music programs in the past, and I think with some encouragement and with some promoting of the program, I really think it could be resurrected.”
Robertson said when students are asked to make course selections for the 2017-18 school year, choral as a credit course will be among their options. If enough students choose it, the course will be offered again, he said.