Canadian gleeks invade Toronto for Show Choir Canada’s National Championships
Lower those slushies folks, it's cool to be in a glee club now!
This weekend, glee clubs from across Canada will participate in the 2nd annual Show Choir Canada National Championships at The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in downtown Toronto.
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Competing for a chance to win $20,000 in Yamaha products, one week scholarships to the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and of course, bragging rights, the top 13 choirs will begin the competition starting with tomorrow's preliminary round.
"Honestly, the way I look at it is not that we have to beat the competition but beat ourselves last year," Merik Williams, a 17-year-old student from last year's winning school, The Wexford School of the Arts, said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "I feel like with every show we become closer, so this glee opportunity was another opportunity for us to become more of a family."
The act of participating in a glee club goes beyond the benefits of making friends and engaging in school spirit. Torri Webster, a 14-year-old Grade 10 student at Wexford, also thinks that the things students learn in glee club will continue to benefit them in future.
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"You just learn so much discipline and it just comes in handy later on in life," Webster said. "It doesn't matter if you pursue it or not. Those things will help you and it will get you far."
Juno Award-winning artist, Shawn Desman, will host this year's competition and thinks that activities like this are essential for students, saying, "I'm one for supporting the arts [and] I think that the arts are important for schools." Adding, "An important thing for kids is to be able to express themselves and what better way to do that than through dancing or singing? I think it's just so important and this show, Show Choir Canada, is all about that. "
Check out last year's winning club from The Wexford School of the Arts performing a medley of songs from the popular musical "Rent" featured below and visit the competition's website for more information.
The Wexford School of the Arts — "Rent"
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