Wasse Abin High School

City News Article
Headline: Toronto musicians help Aboriginal students on Manitoulin Island create hope with song.

10/10/2014 2:09 PM Toronto Staff

Link to Drowning (Lyric Video)

A song is inspiring hope for a group of Aboriginal students from Ontario. As part of their music business class at Wasse Abin High School on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island, the students wrote a song and lent their voices to the track, titled “Drowning.” When Toronto-based musician Jason “Human Kebab” Parsons and his bandmate Ashley Buchholz first heard the song, they instantly felt its power. “The lyrical content was clearly autobiographical. It was so real,” Parsons said. “They were writing very raw and original ideas, because of the way they lived their lives, ways that Ash and I will never experience.”

The song, written by Shayne May and Taylor May, speaks to students feeling they are “drowning” in a cycle of unemployment, addiction, violence and emotional distress, using references like “another empty bottle,” “choking on the same old tears,” and “dead ends by the plenty.” “A path that is so unclear, have no will to move along. Giving in to your own fear, can’t tell what’s right or wrong,” the lyrics state. “You’re so close to drowning, I wish I could come save you. On a ship that’s sinking, with nothing to hold on to.” As part of the class, Parsons and Buchholz, part of the musical group USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker), visited the school for a day-long session last January, providing advice on the composition and teaching the students about life in the music business. Now in its second year at the high school, the music business class is run in collaboration with Toronto music label Coalition Music, and funded by Rogers Media as part of the company’s Diversity Initiative. The goal of the class is to help students to cultivate their musical gifts and use that talent to create better opportunities. It not only teaches them the creative aspects of making music, but also the business side of it.

“There’s very few job opportunities, and this is a way where kids can take their musical interests and talents and perhaps create self-employment for themselves,” Jason Thibault, head of the business department at the high school, in a video that explains the project, said.

“That leads hand-in-hand to trying to break that cycle of poverty.”

From a performance in the school gymnasium in January, the students and USS reunited in Coalition’s Toronto studios in June to record the song. Band member Buchholz, who is originally from Markham, also fined tuned the song’s arrangement and composition, and produced it with fellow artist Dave Henriques. Buchholz also sang alongside the students. “It’s the original heart of the song brought into a big studio format,” Parsons said. “The subject is heavy, but they’re delivering it in such an easy way for people to hear it and get it.” Watch a video below about the class and the collaborative project, or click here for to view it on your mobile device. The art for the video was created by fellow student Moira Shawana. “Drowning” will be available on iTunes Oct. 21. Link to Video of Coalition Music Diversity Initiative 2014 Sponsored by Rogers

Shayne May's Tumblr
A video of Ash singing with the students was posted on Shayne May's Tumblr account.