Canadian Music Class Challenge 2020: national finalists revealed

The Canadian Music Class Challenge is CBC Music's salute to music education in this country. In association with MusiCounts, every year we invite music instructors to teach their students a Canadian song from our pre-approved list.

This year, in a year like no other, teachers and students from every province and territory signed up to safely learn and perform their best version of a Canadian song on every instrument imaginable — and in every social distancing scenario imaginable.

You can imagine how challenging it was for us choose the top finalists in each category this year, an emotional one where everyone was dedicated to keeping music education alive more than ever before.

Our celebrity judges now have the difficult task of choosing the winning class in each category.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 15. 

Until then, enjoy our 2020 finalists — and congratulations to all the classes that made it, and thank you to all the teachers, musicians and schools that have taken part in the very challenging 2020 Canadian Music Class Challenge.

Category 2: Primary Vocal (kindergarten to Grade 3) 

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Aspengrove School, Vancouver ("Like a Flower to the Sun").
• Charles Bowman Public School, Bowmanville, Ont. ("Crabbuckit"). 
• Coldstream Elementary, Vernon, B.C. ("Seed in the Ground").
• Humbercrest Public School, York, Ont. ("Seed in the Ground"). 
• Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Cornerbrook, N.L. ("Call me Maybe").
• McKenzie Jr. Choir, Victoria ("Like a Flower to the Sun," "Hold On," "We're all in This Together"). 
• Selwyn House School, Westmount, Que. ("L'amour a pris son temps").
• St. Michaels University School, Victoria ("Seed in the Ground").
• Trillium Learn @ Home Elementary School, Kawartha Lakes, Ont. ("Call me Maybe").  
• Westminster Public School, Brockville, Ont. ("Seed in the Ground").

Watch the videos below.

Category 3: Elementary Instrumental (Grades 4-6)

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Capitol Hill Elementary, Burnaby, B.C. ("Call me Maybe").
• Colborne Public School, Colborne, Ont. ("Seed in the Ground").
• Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary, Vancouver ("Dirt").
• Dr. E. W. Coffin School, Calgary ("Robots," "You're Still the One").   
• Grandview Heights, Edmonton ("Crabbuckit"​).
• St. Martha School, Calgary ("Sunrise").            
• Sunnybrook School, Toronto ("Call me Maybe"). 
• Suzuki Charter School, Edmonton ("Crabbuckit").             
• Victoria West Elementary School, Victoria ("Crabbuckit").
• Victory School, Winnipeg ("Hymn to Freedom").

Watch the videos below.

Category 4: Elementary Vocal (Grades 4-6)

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Bastion Elementary, Salmon Arm, B.C. ("Seed in the Ground").
• Bristol Road Middle School, Mississauga, Ont. ("Seed in the Ground").
• Capitol Hill Elementary, Burnaby, B.C. ("Seed in the Ground"). 
• Chemainus Elementary, Chemainus, B.C. ("October").
• Chris Saunders Memorial Elementary, Quispamsis, N.B. ("We're all in This Together").   
• Halton East Cyber Singers, Virtual East Elementary, Burlington, Ont. ("Like a Flower to the Sun").
• Kamloops School of the Arts, Kamloops, B.C. ("Crabbuckit").
• McKenzie Elementary Choir, Victoria, B.C. ("Seed in the Ground," "Call me Maybe," "Crabbuckit").
• Nelson Rural School, Miramichi, N.B. ("Like a Flower to the Sun"). 
• Terry Fox Elementary School, Pierrefonds, Que. ("We're all in This Together").

Category 5: Junior Instrumental (Grades 7-10)

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Annapolis West Education Centre Music Project, Annapolis Royal, N.S. ("Crabbuckit").
• Bristol Road Middle School, Mississauga, Ont. ("Oqiton").
• Colborne Public School, Colborne, Ont. ("Call me Maybe").  
• Cross Canada Fiddle, Nanaimo, B.C. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary, Vancouver ("Like a Flower to the Sun"). 
• Immanuel Christian School, Charlottetown ("Crabbuckit").
• John Napier Burnett, Richmond, B.C. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• St. Joseph High School, Etobicoke, Ont. ("Seed in the Ground").
• Sistema, St. John's High School, Winnipeg ("Hymn to Freedom").
• St. Michaels University School, Victoria ("Crabbuckit").

Watch the videos below.

Category 6: Junior Vocal (Grades 7-10)

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Arbutus Global Middle School, Victoria ("Crabbuckit").
• Calgary Arts Academy, Calgary ("Crabbuckit").
• Calgary Arts Academy, Calgary ("Everything You've Done Wrong").
• Musical Futures Class, College Avenue Secondary School, Woodstock, Ont. ("Robots"). 
• L Odyssée Projet, Quebec City ("We're all in This Together"). 
• OLMP Catholic School, Camrose, Alta. ("Crabbuckit").
• Oyster Pond Academy, Halifax ("Hand in my Pocket"). 
• St. Joseph Catholic Elementary, Oshawa, Ont. ("We Find Love").  
• St. Paul's Glee, Alliston, Ont. ("Crabbuckit"). 
• Windermere Secondary, Vancouver ("Hymn to Freedom").

Watch the videos below.

Category 7: Senior Instrumental (Grades 11-12)

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• Austin O'Brien High, Edmonton ("Crabbuckit").
• Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, Toronto ("Sun Rise").
• Cobequid Ed. Centre, Truro, N.S. ("Everything You've Done Wrong").
• F.H. Collins Secondary School, Whitehorse, Yukon ("Hymn to Freedom").
• Korah Collegiate, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. ("Crabbuckit").
• Musquodoboit Rural High, Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. ("Crabbuckit").
• Oak Ridge Percussion, Colborne, Ont. ("Crabbuckit").
• Orchard Park Secondary, Stoney Creek, Ont. ("Hand in my Pocket"). 
• Old Scona Academic, Edmonton ("Crabbuckit"). 
• Sir Winston Churchill High, Calgary ("Crabbuckit," "We're all in This Together").

Watch the videos below.

Category 8: Senior Vocal (Grades 11-12) 

First prize: $3,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.
Second prize: plaque.
Third prize: plaque.

Finalists:

• All Saints Catholic Secondary, Whitby, Ont. ("Hand in my Pocket").
• Gladstone Secondary Choir, Vancouver ("Hymn to Freedom").
• Holy Heart Chamber Choir, St. John's, N.L. ("Sing you Home").
• Langley Fine Arts School, Fort Langley, B.C. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• Laura Secord Secondary, St. Catharine's, Ont. ("Sing you Home").
• Marion Graham Collegiate Music Department, Saskatoon ("Crabbuckit").
• Mayfield Magnetics, Caldeon, Ont. ("We Find Love").
• Mount Baker Secondary, Cranbrook, B.C. ("Crabbuckit").
• Sir William Mulock Secondary, Newmarket, Ont. ("These Hands").
• St. Theresa of Lisieux, Richmond Hill, Ont. ("We Find Love").

Watch the videos below.

Category 9: Auditioned Music Class 

First prize: $1,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.

Finalists:

• All Saints Catholic Secondary, Whitby, Ont. ("Hand in my Pocket").
• Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, Toronto ("Sun Rise").
• Holy Heart Chamber Choir, St. John's, N.L.  ("Sing you Home").
• Laura Secord Secondary, St. Catharine's, Ont. ("Sing you Home").
• Mayfield Magnetics, Caledon, Ont. ("We Find Love").
• Mount Baker Secondary School, Cranbrook, B.C. ("Crabbuckit").
• Sir William Mulock Secondary, Newmarket, Ont. ("These Hands").
• St. Paul's Glee, Alliston, Ont. ("Crabbuckit").

Watch the videos below.

Category 10: Community Music Class

First prize: $1,000 in new musical instruments and a plaque.

Finalists:

• Barrhaven Music Academy, Ottawa ("Crabbuckit").
• Cross Canada Fiddle's Fiddelium, Nanaimo, B.C. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• Fraser Campbell Music School, Victoria ("October").
• Jennifer Benson Music Studio & Unison Music Studio, St. John's, N.L. ("Crabbuckit").
• Marcato Community Band, Richmond, B.C. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• North Shore Celtic Ensemble, North Vancouver ("Hymn to Freedom").
• St. Martin Children's Strings Society, Edmonton ("Crabbuckit").
• Sistema, St. John's High School, Winnipeg, Man. ("Hymn to Freedom").
• 6 Problems, Strive Studios Music School, Grimsby, Ont. (22 song medley)
• For Broken Hearts, Strive Studios Music School, Grimsby, Ont. ("Hand in my Pocket").

Watch the videos below.

Good luck to all of these amazing music classes, and to all the others who registered and participated!

Questions? Please email us: musicclass@cbc.ca.