Music Monday brings message of reconciliation to Cape Breton
Hundreds of students gathered in the gymnasium at Shipyard Elementary School in Sydney, N.S., for Music Monday - and this year's music came with a message.
"Our program today was built around the theme of reconciliation,” said Kelli Brewer, arts education consultant for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education.
Two of Monday's performers were Emma Stevens and Devon Paul, a well-known singer and rapper – respectively - from Eskasoni First Nation.
"Being as focused as I was on music as a kid, music class was a really big thing for me,” Paul said. “To have people come in and do something like this, would have really inspired me at a lot earlier age."
The Mi'kmaq performers were joined by the Cape Breton Orchestra. Organizers say the idea was to show how people of different cultures could be united through song.
"The message that we hope students take home today is that music is a powerful avenue to express stories, to communicate truth and to have other people respond by listening and learning and then we all move forward together,” Brewer said.
Organizers said more than 1,000 students from across the Centre for Education took part in Music Monday festivities during three separate shows while more watched via webstream.
Some students may not have fully understood the theme of reconciliation, but said music already plays a part in their lives through theatre or their school band.
"I like the melody. I like all the different notes you can play, and how you can make it feel,” said Ella MacNeil, a Grade 5 student at Tompkins Elementary in Reserve Mines, N.S.
As students and the musicians came together for a final number - called We Are One - Paul had one more message for the children.
"That anything is possible,” he said. “Doesn't matter where you're from, who you are, it doesn't matter as long as you put your heart and soul into it you can do anything in this world."
Monday also marked the 20th anniversary of Music Monday celebrations across Canada.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
'Decades-long fight': MPs unanimously pass 'anti-scab' legislation
A bill that would ban federal employers from using replacement workers or 'scabs' during lockouts or strikes passed the House of Commons unanimously on Monday.
Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a 'tragic mistake' had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.
81-year-old arrested after police say he terrorized a California neighbourhood with a slingshot
An 81-year-old man who investigators say terrorized a Southern California neighbourhood for years with a slingshot has been arrested, police said.
Mike Tyson had medical issue on cross-country flight
Boxing legend Mike Tyson required medical attention after experiencing an 'ulcer flare up' toward the end of a cross-country flight Sunday, his representatives confirmed to the New York Post.