The situation:

Bayview Secondary School has made the decision to fully remove Repertoire [AMR1/2/3/4] (after-school band) as a course for the year of 2025-2026. 

This decision was made by the School’s administrative team due to a lack of allotted courses provided by the York Region District School Board. 

Bayview Secondary School is one of three schools in the board to have an “enrolment cap” due to lack of sufficient space to accommodate further enrolment growth. As a result, the York Region District School Board decided to approve fewer “sections” (courses) than what students requested. 

According to the administration, in order to fulfill students’ needs for math courses, they have made the decision to axe Repertoire as a course, because “Repertoire isn’t a mandatory course. It runs after school, not during the day.” and that they “can’t use up a section when they need it to fulfil their requirements”. This decision to remove the four repertoire sections impacts over 250 students.

How will Bayview Secondary School be impacted by this decision?

1. It will severely cripple the school’s largest consistent department
2. Students will never be given the opportunity to participate in a band
3. Grade 11/12 IB students who can only take repertoire cannot be part of the department

The school will lose:

• The largest team in the school
• Students’ opportunity for a strong 12M credit (and prerequisites to make that happen)
• Performances at Fall Coffeehouse and Spring Spotlight
• Performances for Winter and Spring Concert and Mackenzie Health Benefit Concert
• Performances at Remembrance Day
• Representation at the Ontario Band Association Provincial Festival (4 groups this year)
• Representation at the Ontario Band Association Small Ensemble Festival (4 ensembles this year)
• Bayview representation at MusicFest Nationals (3 groups earning 2 golds, 1 silver, and 2 Certificates of Excellence in the Clinic)
• Bayview representation at local, provincial, and national honour ensembles. 
• With fewer music courses, students do not get the support to prepare for auditions below and not everyone can afford private lessons. 
• Local honour ensembles:
  
  • 14 Bayview students in Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra ensembles, the most of any single GTA school. 
• Provincial honour ensembles:
  • Ontario Provincial Honour Band 2024 had 3 BSS music students.
• National honour ensemble:
  • Jack Long Honour Band had 1 Bayview music student, the only current student from any Richmond Hill area school
• Collaborations with composers
  
  • EKR Hammell
  • Cait Nishimura
  • Peter Meechan
• Workshops with professional conductors and members of the Bayview community
  
  • Colin Clarke (TYWO, RCM, recently appointed to the Order of Canada)
  • Dr. Gillian McKay (University of Toronto)
  • Dr. Jeff Reynolds (University of Toronto)
  • Dr. Colleen Richardson (University of Western Ontario)
  • David Lum (York University)
  • Dr. Leah McGray (Laurier University)
  • Jonathan Wong (Tyndale University and BSS grad)