‘True, honest voices': Banff students create song dedicated to G7 Summit leaders
BANFF – The voices of more than 300 Banff Elementary School students rang loud and clear as students performed the official recording of a heartfelt song that will be presented to G7 Summit leaders.
In collaboration with Banff's poet laureate, Heather Jean Jordan, kindergarten to Grade 8 Banff Elementary School students spent a week creating a song that expresses their hopes and concerns for the future to leaders on a global stage.
'They were very excited to share the kind of world they want to see with leaders where they could affect real change,' said Jordan of the Monday (May 5) performance.
Filmed by local videographer Brian White, a final music video showcasing the student's performance will be shared on Canadian Rockies Public School (CRPS) platforms and eventually presented to G7 Summit leaders.
'Something that was very important to me, and I think to the project in general, was that everyone felt like they had a chance to have their voice heard,' said Jordan.
'This song should reflect them.'
With the initial idea of creating a poetry book with each class, the project evolved into an initiative that brought together the entire student body to create one song, according to Jordan.
She then met with each grade, guiding students through the process of writing lyrics, rhyming words, composing music and expressing how they felt about current global challenges.
'I asked them … what things they thought were working in their world, what things they wanted to see change and what things were most important to them.'
Bringing the project to life during election week, many local and global issues were top of mind for students.
'At the end of the week, that's when the kids started going, 'Wait, so Donald Trump is going to hear this? So, the prime minister of Canada is going to hear this?'' said Jordan.
Working with students to discuss themes they wanted incorporated into the song, Jordan said it became clear that wildfires and the environment were issues that hit close to home for many.
On a global scale, students shared concerns about caring for people in other countries and addressing poverty.
'They were thinking globally because they knew they had a chance to have the ear of very powerful leaders,' said Jordan.
Students voted on the song's official title 'A Single Seed,' which references a line from the song: 'The mightiest forest begins with a single seed,' according to Jordan.
As they shared concerns, Jordan also prompted students to come up with possible solutions.
'I was impressed by how open the kids really were. I was asking them questions that speak to the heart, and they shared,' she said.
'We couldn't have written a great song without them really digging deep there.'
Tailoring the process based on the kids' age groups, Jordan tasked younger grades with coming up with rhyming words while older grades would string together entire lines of lyrics.
With Jordan on the piano, students also made all the musical decisions, deciding whether to repeat lyrics or when the song's key should change.
'Heather orchestrated it, but they created it,' said Banff Elementary School teacher Joanne Indovina-Duncan.
Indovina-Duncan hopes the student-led initiative will resonate with the greater community and that the impact of a younger generation's voice will be felt on a broad scale.
'That's the thing when you hear kids singing or speaking. These are true, honest voices. It does strike a chord,' said Indovina-Duncan.
'I don't know what adult could hear that song and not feel something.'
Jordan is hopeful students will also come away from the project having learned that songwriting can be an outlet for them going forward.
'[Kids] are thinking about these big topics, they're not able to be completely ambivalent to it and they do have thoughts, they do have feelings about it,' said Indovina-Duncan.
The G7 Leaders' Summit will be held in Kananaskis Country from June 15-17.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
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