Singing For Love has returned from Attawapiskat!
Hope was the topic the youth chose to write about. Their song reveals their depth of thought and experience with hope, sometimes realized and sometimes lost—and the power to go forward in either case.
Immersed in a remote community facing many challenges, the kids we met are talented and determined to face the future. Music already plays a big role in their lives. They learn piano and guitar at school, take part in traditional ceremonies in and out of school and use a wide variety of tools and resources to accomplish it. We saw kids practising with YouTube tutorials and cellphone apps.
Our curriculum focused on inspiration and imagination. We watched clips from RUMBLE—The Indians Who Rocked the World and other indigenous voices and talked about the people and issues they encountered. With emotions primed, we sat down to play and write words and music. This is what came out:
