Music Education in the Congrégation de Notre-Dame: interview with Sister Marcelle Corneille

ister Marcelle Corneille relates, as she experienced it, the renewal of music education at the Congrégation de Notre-Dame.

When religious communities were contributing to music education in their colleges, the Congrégation sent Sister Corneille to Toronto to take a new course in Orff’s music pedagogy. At the same time, she became initiated into the fundamental principles of the development of musical aptitudes in children according to Maurice Martenot of France.

In the 1960’s, during the Quiet Revolution which fostered music education for everyone, l’École normale de musique of the Congrégation became a centre for research in music education.

In conclusion, Sister Corneille recalls how in December 1980, at the invitation of a colleague from Toronto, she set up the Quebec chapter of the Music for Children – Carl Orff Canada organization. She is delighted that there are still Quebec members today; she sees it as a very good way of broadening perspectives and of rubbing shoulders with people from different cultural backgrounds.