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, over 15,000 students from more than 1,000 music classes signed up from every province and territory to learn and perform their best version of a Canadian song on every instrument imaginable.
The most popular song choices for 2018 were "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, "Stay" by Alessia Cara, "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell and "What I Wouldn't Do" by Serena Ryder.
You can imagine how challenging it was to choose the top 10 finalists in each category, and you can check them out below. Our celebrity judges now have the difficult task of choosing the winning class in each category. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 18, on CBC Radio One and CBC Music. Each winning class will receive $5,000 in new musical instruments, and a beautiful plaque for the trophy case.
Until then, enjoy our 2018 top 10s — congratulations to all the classes that made it, and thank you to all the teachers, musicians and schools that have taken part in the 2018 Canadian Music Class Challenge.
Category 1: Elementary Instrumental
- Campus View Elementary, Victoria, B.C. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Cloverdale Traditional School, Victoria, B.C. (“What I Wouldn’t Do”). Watch their video.
- Cross Canada Fiddle, Nanaimo, B.C. (“I Went to the Market”). Watch their video.
- École Capitol Hill, Burnaby, B.C. (“Hallelujah”). Watch their video.
- École James Nisbet Community School, Winnipeg, Man. (“What I Wouldn’t Do”). Watch their video.
- Hartman Public School, Aurora, Ont. (“Hallelujah”). Watch their video.
- Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School, Peterborough, Ont. (“Giants”). Watch their video.
- Martha Jane Norris Elementary, Surrey, B.C. ("Mummer's Dance"). Watch their video.
- Victory School, Winnipeg, Man. (“If I Had $1,000,000 Dollars”). Watch their video.
- Wye Elementary School, Sherwood Park, Alta. (“Must Be Santa”). Watch their video.
Category 2: Elementary Vocal
- Agnes Davidson, Lethbridge, Alta. (“Mon Pays" / "Hallelujah”/"Big Yellow Taxi"). Watch their video.
- Birch Cliff Public School, Scarborough, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do"/"Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Byron Somerset Public School, London, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do"). Watch their video.
- École Honoré Mercier, Montreal, Que. ("People's Champ"). Watch their video.
- Leahurst College, Kingston, Ont. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
- Master’s Academy, Calgary, Alb. (“Mummer’s Dance”). Watch their video.
- Newcastle Public School, Newcastle, Ontario ("Carry It On"). Watch their video.
- Primrose Elementary School, Mulmur, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Strive Studios Music School, Grimsby, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do"). Watch their video.
- WT Townshend Public School Junior Choir, Kitchener, Ont. (“The Unforgotten”). Watch their video.
Category 3: Junior High Instrumental
- Acadia Junior High School, Winnipeg, Man. ("Charmed Life"). Watch their video.
- Colborne Public School, Colbourne, Ont. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
- Centre scolaire de la Rive Sud, Cookville, N.S. ("C Okay"). Watch their video.
- Cross Canada Fiddle's Fiddelium, Nanaimo, B.C. ("Takin' Care of Business"). Watch this video.
- Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary, Vancouver, B.C. ("Knocking at the Door"). Watch their video.
- École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette, Kanata, Ont. ("Mummer's Dance"). Watch their video.
- École Broxton Park, Spruce Grove, Alta. (“Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Faywood & Welcoming Steelband, Toronto, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Queen Charlotte Intermediate School, Charlottetown, P.E.I. (“Hallelujah”). Watch their video.
- Rawlinson Community School, York, Ont. ("Charmed Life"). Watch their video.
Category 4: Junior High Vocal
- Arbutus Global Middle School, Victoria, B.C. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Barrhaven Music Academy, Ottawa, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do"/"There's Nothing Holding Me Back"/"Stay"). Watch their video.
- Barrhaven Music Academy, Ottawa, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Collège Saint-Maurice, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
- Monsignor Fee Otterson Junior High School, Edmonton, Alta. ("What I Wouldn't Do"). Watch their video.
- Queen Charlotte Intermediate School, Charlottetown, P.E.I. ("Life is a Highway"). Watch their video.
- Mildenhall Montessori School, Etobicoke, Ont. ('Weighty Ghost"/"What I Wouldn't Do"). Watch their video.
- Richard Scott CES, Markham, Ont. ("There's Nothing Holding Me Back"/"Giants"). Watch their video.
- Sir William Osler, Dundas, Ont. (“Hallelujah”). Watch their video.
- St. Paul's Catholic School, Alliston, Ont. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
Category 5: High School Instrumental
- Canadian Youth Chinese Orchestra, Markham, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Central Elgin Collegiate Institute, St. Thomas, Ont. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
- Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario, Ottawa, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- George McDougall High School, Airdrie, Alta. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- New Westminster Secondary, New Wesminster, B.C. ("Big Yellow Taxi"). Watch their video.
- Orchard Park Secondary School, Stoney Creek, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- R.S. McLaughlin C.V.I., Oshawa, Ont. ("Life is a Highway"). Watch their video.
- Sound Wave Handbell Choir, Burnaby, B.C. ("Hallelujah") Watch their video.
- St. Bonaventure’s College, St. John's, N.L. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
- Windsor Secondary School, North Vancouver, B.C. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
Category 6: High School Vocal
- All Saints Catholic Secondary School, Whitby, Ont. ("Weighty Ghost"). Watch their video.
- Eastwood Collegiate, Kitchener, Ont. ("What I Wouldn’t Do"). Watch their video.
- Gladstone Secondary, Vancouver, B.C. ("Charmed Life"). Watch their video.
- J. Percy Page High School, Edmonton, Alta. ("Weighty Ghost"). Watch their video.
- Mayfield Secondary School, Caledon, Ont. ("Stay"). Watch their video.
- Sir William Mulock Secondary School, Newmarket, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do" by Enter a Cappella). Watch their video.
- Sir William Mulock Secondary School, Newmarket, Ont. ("There's Nothing Holdin Me Back" by Rezonance). Watch their video.
- St. Martin Catholic School, Mississauga, Ont. ("What I Wouldn't Do"/"Big Yellow Taxi"/"Giants"). Watch their video.
- Sturgeon Composite High School, Edmonton, Alta. ("Knocking at the Door"). Watch their video.
- White Pines, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. ("Hallelujah"). Watch their video.
Category 7: MusiCounts Passion Prize
- Algonquin Public School, Woodstock, Ont. (“Carry it On”). Watch their video.
- Calgary Arts Academy, Calgary, Alta. ("People’s Champ"). Watch their video.
- Chemainus Elementary, Chemainus, B.C (“Giants”). Watch their video.
- Cresthaven Public School, Toronto, Ont. ("Life is a Highway"). Watch their video.
- Doncrest Public School, Richmond Hill, Ont. ("Big Yellow Taxi"). Watch their video.
- Douglas Park School, Regina, Sask. ("Giants). Watch their video.
- Nakoda School, Morley, Alta. (“Stay”). Watch their video.
- Ranch Park Elementary, Coquitlam, B.C. (“What I Wouldn’t Do"/"Carry it On"). Watch their video.
- South Nelson Elementary School, Nelson, B.C. (“Big Yellow Taxi”). Watch their video.
- Toniata Public School, Brockville, Ont. ("Must be Santa"). Watch their video.
Questions? Please email us: musicclass@cbc.ca.
Related:
Watch all the entries to the 2018 Canadian Music Class Challenge
Meet the judges of the 2018 Canadian Music Class Challenge
Frequently Asked Questions (prizes, rules, categories, and more)
Watch Lights shock a music class performing her song "Giants"
What is the Canadian Music Class Challenge?
Need new instruments for your class? Check out the Band-Aid program