Johnny Reid
Image Credit: johnnyreid.com
January 25, 2016 - 9:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - Johnny Reid will have some local students backing him up at his upcoming Kamloops concert.
The Brocklehurst Middle School Music Department is sending 20 members of its choir to help sing one of Reid’s biggest songs.
“They’re singing the chorus in Today I'm Gonna Try and Change The World,” music teacher Jarrett Schill says. “A couple of them didn’t know who he was. When they realized, they had heard the song they were like ‘Oh! It’s this guy!’”
The choir will sing in about 10 concerts this school year, but this one is little different.
“It’s an awesome experience for the kids to see what it’s like to sing in a professional setting,” Schill says.
The opportunity was organized through MusiCounts, a charity which helps underfunded music programs get equipment through grants. Reid is a big supporter of the charity, which is associated with the Junos.
Schill says the middle school received one of these grants a couple years ago. Now the students get to see where the money came from.
“The kids are actively giving back. They were recipients of the new equipment,” Schill says. “It’s a full circle. They knew they got the money, but didn’t see who donated it. Now they understand how it works.”
As part of Reid’s current tour, a dollar from each ticket will be going to MusicCounts for future grants.
“Music education is super important in our public schools,” says Schill. “Like physical education is important for our body, music is important for our mental capacity and the art form.”
Johnny Reid will be at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016