Key takeaways:
- The Western Manitoba Youth Choir hopes that its new music will brighten people’s days while raising awareness about mental health.
- Michelle Chyzyk, the year’s conductor, said that despite the tight schedule, the group could accomplish a lot.
The Western Manitoba Youth Choir hopes that its new music will brighten people’s days while emphasizing mental health.
The organization’s 41st year was approaching in 2021, and they were unsure what they would accomplish given the ongoing pandemic.
Following some discussions, the group decided on a four-day spread out over two months to record music and videos to accompany the songs.
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Michelle Chyzyk, the year’s conductor, said that despite the tight schedule, the group could accomplish a lot.
“In four days, we accomplished a lot. It included a lot of variety, such as preparing the music, learning the music, and then audio recording and doing some video projects. “Chyzyk is a word that comes to mind.
The group recorded five music videos and a documentary piece interviewing the students over those four days, with each video and song focusing on mental health.
“The devastation that teenagers faced during this pandemic was heartbreaking. We decided to make that a bit of a focus to talk about their feelings because loneliness, depression, and anxiety were at an all-time high.”
It was important for the music to have that focus, according to Chyzyk, because teenagers matter.
“We wanted them to know that they were seen, heard and that they are beautiful in their own right.”
Four videos have been released so far, with two more sets to be released in the coming days.
“We thought it was something worth celebrating,” Chyzyk said. “So many people have given up, and we were in such a hopeless situation, but we’re proud of how we turned it around and made something cool happen.”
The group’s hope for next year is to have a more normal schedule, which usually includes a small tour of western Manitoba, according to Chyzyk.
Source: CTV News
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