Gilbert Paterson Middle School's 2022 Rock Band Show. (Photo: Lethbridge School Division)

By Nadia Kearl

Gilbert Paterson Middle School rock band program revived thanks to grant

Sep 12, 2024 | 9:57 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Gilbert Paterson Middle School was at risk of completely losing its rock band program because of insufficient funds. However, MusiCounts gave away one million dollars in funding to 74 schools in Canada through their MusiCounts Band-Aid Program and the MusiCounts Slaight Family Foundation Innovation Fund.

The Gilbert Paterson Middle School was a recipient of the MusiCounts Slaight Family Foundation Innovation Fund, enabling their rock band program to stay alive.

The provided funding helps with things such as instruments, equipment, and gear for music programs.

Tanner Bexson, director of the Gilbert Paterson Middle School rock band program, shares what it means to him to have this program be able to continue running,

“The program wouldn’t really exist at all for a little while here if we didn’t have some help financially. So in terms of this program, we were at the tipping point. It was kind of an existential thing in a sense where we either have this stuff or we don’t [equipment] and if we don’t we’re done,” says Bexson.

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The MusiCounts Band-Aid Program has been ​​around since 1997 and has been providing grants to schools that don’t have the proper resources to keep their music programs afloat.

However, this year will be the first year of investment through the MusiCounts Slaight Family Innovation Fund stream, which is said to support schools with up to $20,000 for modern and culturally relevant programming.

For more information on the MusiCounts Charity and what schools were recipients of their grants, you can visit their website.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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