Maple Ridge Elementary choir performs Indigenous language song for national contest

The choir club at Maple Ridge Elementary put on their best performance for a national music contest held by the CBC.

There are more than 70 submissions in their category, but according to the students, their chances of winning are pretty high.

“We’ve definitely got a shot,” said Grade 4 student Addison. “It’s just 50/50. Probably something like that.”

Max, who is in Grade 2, agreed with those odds.

“It’s just some people were coughing a lot and they were going a bit too fast,” he explained, and that brought their odds down to 50/50.

The contest, organized by CBC Music in association with Juno Awards charity MusiCounts, challenges music classes and choirs across the country to learn a Canadian song from a pre-approved list.

The Maple Ridge Elementary choir chose Yohahí:yo (The Good Road) by Shawnee Kish.

“It’s a song in Mohawk, an Indigenous language, and I chose it because that’s one of [the] goals of our school,” said Alliette Mora, the school’s fine arts teacher. “We want to really learn more about Indigenous culture… and I thought it was a great opportunity.”

The song features lyrics in both English and Mohawk. Each line is first sung in English and then repeated in Mohawk, teaching students the language as they sing along.

“It was tough because it’s not a language that you know yet,” explained Grade 4 student Mya.

But with some practice, it became easier to sing in both languages.

“Once you sing it like once or twice, you kind of start to get the hang of it,” said Max.

“It was fun,” added Zoey, who is in Grade 4. “I thought it was different because most people just sing in English but we sang in two different languages.”

When the choir felt confident in their performance, they recorded it and submitted their video for judging.

“They did awesome, they’re so dedicated,” said Mora. “They come every week without a miss and they’re always so happy to just come and sing with their friends.”

Judges will evaluate submissions in 11 categories ranging from primary vocal to senior instrumental. The top 10 in each category will be announced on Dec. 9, 2024, and winners will be announced on Dec. 16, 2024. Prizes include gold-record plaques and gift certificates to purchase new musical instruments.

Watch Maple Ridge Elementary’s contest submission: