Codie Prevost and Stephen Maguire are on a mission to put an end to bullying. To achieve that goal, the two musicians are touring schools to perform and spread the message. They recently made a stop in Yorkton at M.C. Knoll school.
The duo played for over 900 Yorkton students, as well as doing classroom sessions and talking to the students. Prevost says that it has been an incredible experience, and Maguire says that having a conversation with the kids about these issues has been the most important part, especially getting the message out to the older students who the younger ones look up to.
"It's funny how it works, because the older students in this school are going to be the youngest very quickly when they move out. They're a shark in a goldfish bowl, but are going to be a goldfish soon.
Maguire and Prevost were both involved in the Imagine No Bullying campaign since April, with a concert in Saskatoon with the Studio XII Music and Dance Company. After that initial concert, a combination of a positive response and a desire to keep spreading the message inspired the artists to get together for a tour
"I grew up in Saskatchewan in a small town, and bullying was everywhere, and it's terrible to see when you turn on the news and there's another case of bullying, another young person takes their own life. To be able to try to help in a positive way to make things better is what we're after," Prevost says.
"I'm getting sick and tired of seeing news and print and online reports of kids just losing their lives. It's been horrendous these past three, four, five weeks," Maguire adds.
The duo also wrote the song "Let Love Conquer All" for the tour, and they say it was an easy process to combine their different ideas into one piece of music. Prevost says his part of the writing process began with a chorus idea at 4 a.m. one morning, and Maguire says that they were both on the same page, wanting to bring an anthem for the tour that could connect the themes of the day and reach out to kids that are feeling the pressures of student life.
Maguire says that bringing along a representative of the Canadian Red Cross is another important part of the program. He says that as musicians they can entertain, but the Red Cross have people with real experience and knowledge in how to deal with bullying issues.
"To me when you have a microphone in your hand you have a responsibility. It was important to us that we entertain, we play songs, we get the message across but we let the Red Cross do their work as well... They know what they're doing, and we just want to kick the door open," Maguire says.
The reception in Yorkton, the second stop on the school tour, has been positive, and both artists are excited about reaching schools across the province.
"It has been so positive, just an awesome day, great vibe, and we're so excited about the tour," Maguire concludes.
