School project? How about releasing a Christian rock CD?

Music students from eight Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) secondary schools celebrated recently the launch of their CD, which was recorded as part of the Rock dans l'âme (Rock and Soul) project.

The album, a compilation of their work, became a reality through a new CSCNO cultural identity initiative that saw participants compose and record Christian rock music under the guidance of musician Jean-Guy “Chuck” Labelle.

Students from the following schools composed and recorded the following songs as part of the project : Libéré (ÉSC Trillium, Chapleau); Dans les souliers du Génie (ÉS Saint-Joseph, Wawa); Jeune pour toujours (ÉS Notre-Dame-du-Sault, Sault Ste. Marie; À l’intérieur de moi (ÉSC Jeunesse-Nord, Blind River); La foi dans mon cœur (ÉSC Champlain, Chelmsford); Voyage à l’infini (ÉSC l’Horizon, Val Caron); Rock dans l’âme (ÉS du Sacré-Cœur, Sudbury); and Choisis l’amour (Collège Notre-Dame, Sudbury).

Coached by Labelle, the students took part in the composition of the lyrics and music of their original songs about Christian leadership and then in their recording.

Their work will be shared with all CSCNO schools and other French-language Catholic school boards in Ontario this fall to support various cultural and pastoral initiatives.

The purpose of the project was to broaden the students’ francophone Catholic cultural space, develop the technical skill sets associated with musical recording and engineering.

The Rock and Soul initiative also encouraged the development of creative abilities for composing lyrics and music through a dynamic and fun-learning experience. While discovering the work and cultural contributions of Labelle, the students were able to incorporate the spirituality of the Christian faith into their works.

In addition, they raised the level of their collaborative spirit in what became a very creative group project.

The Rock dans l'âme (Rock and Soul) project is partly funded by the Ontario Arts Council.