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Cree-Dene musician Sherryl Sewepagaham put her skills as a composer and educator to the test by crafting a new song for this edition of the CBC Music Class Challenge, powered by MusiCounts.
WATCH | How to sing miteh (Heart):
Sewepagaham composed mitêh (Heart) while reflecting on the “disconnection of love and kindness we sometimes feel with others” as well as the “disconnection we may feel within ourselves, our heart connection.”
The choir at W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ont., learned Sewepagaham’s song and CBC Music captured the experience by taking cameras inside the school for a new mini documentary, Beyond Sight, about its music program.
“It’s an iconic program, formed by giants,” said the school’s principal Dan Maggiacomo. Notable alums include Jeff Healy, a Juno-winning and Grammy-nominated rock guitarist.
“A lot of these students may or may not become professional musicians, but what I hope for them is that they develop a love of music and a love of choral singing that they can continue in the rest of their life once they leave this school,” said Elise Brisson, elementary and vocal music teacher.
At the 18 minute mark, you can see the students sing mitêh (Heart) while rehearsing as a choir, and at the end of the film they perform the song in full in the school auditorium.
WATCH | The documentary Beyond Sight:
This documentary was made possible with a grant from AccessCBC.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
