The Governor General of Canada’s visit to her homeland has been making headlines since May, and is a pretty big deal for Nunavik! But that’s not what this story is about.

This story is about how a school welcomed Mary Simon with great fanfare. Better yet, this story is about young Inuit drums players.

For a while now, I have wanted to cover the music classes at Jaanimmarik School, since the MusiCounts grant was given to the school in 2021. This has long peaked my interest…. It wasn’t hard for me to get in touch with Sarah Russell, the school’s music teacher, but setting up an interview with Sarah and some of her students was a whole different ballgame. The COVID-19 pandemic had prevented us from meeting until…

Interviewer: Hi everyone! Can you hear me well? 

I was able to get in touch with Sarah and three of her students on May 10, 2022 – the day after the Governor General visited their community. Little did I know that this was just one of many surprises.

Interviewer: So, I have seen the photos on Facebook recently. I noticed that the Governor General, Mary Simon visited your school yesterday. Yeah? And did you welcome her with a music performance—

Students: YES!! 

Their excitement was sincere and palpable. What started as a timid conversation over the phone quickly changed when events from the previous day were brought up.

To give you a bit of context, Andrew, Jessie and Victor are grade 5 students. Under Sarah’s instruction, they are learning to play the ukulele, the piano, the RAV drum and the Inuit drum. Music classes are mandatory for grade 4, 5, and 6 students at Jaanimmarik School and, the young musicians I met greatly appreciate them.

Interviewer: So, how did it go? How was your performance? 

Student: Oh, it went well. 

Interviewer: I guess you prepared a lot for this event? Was it stressful? 

Student: No, it wasn’t, it wasn’t stressful. And it was fun, it was very fun. 

Sarah Russell: And did we prepare a lot for it? 

Students: No, no, no, not that much. 

Sarah Russell: So, I should tell you something… For the Inuit drums, it was supposed to be a different class playing for the Governor General. We had been practicing with that class a lot. But then, that class was closed yesterday as the teacher was absent… So, I came to Andrew, Victor and Jessie’s class and said “I have a last-minute challenge for you. I need you to practice this right now. We need to do it today”. And they really stepped up and learned it quickly. They did it all and they did it like pros. It was really powerful! 

Students: In only one day!

I was astounded. To be able to perform during this official event, on such short notice and in front of the Governor General, to top it off! It blew my mind. Especially because being able to perform under pressure isn’t the only thing required for such a feat. In this case, mutual trust between the students and the teacher was essential.

What’s next for these students now that they’re hooked on music, you may be wondering? They’ll be able to continue their music lessons in grade 6 and maybe – just maybe – new music classes will be available again once they reach secondary 3. In any case, my only wish for these young musicians is to keep the flame alive.

As their teacher Sarah said prior to our meeting, “music classes can provide healthy coping mechanisms and a sense of belonging. For Nunavimmiut, it’s also an opportunity to connect with their culture, and to explore sound in a mindful and creative way.”

Although the conversation was initially about music classes, my focus quickly shifted to the students themselves. As we talked about how they experience playing an instrument, the importance of being able to share and express themselves was repeated many times. “I feel liberated when playing music,” one of them cheerfully said.

I started the interview thinking I would shed light on the music classes at Jaanimmarik, and in the process, I discovered that this group of young Inuit drum players had been shining all along.

Andrew, Jessie and Victor, you’re awe-inspiring!