Each year, CBC Music in association with MusiCounts — the charity of the Juno Awards — launches a contest to engage music classes across the country with Canadian music. It’s called the Canadian Music Class Challenge.
Edmonton-born pop star Ruth B, full name Ruth Berhe, graduated from Ross Sheppard High School, on the northern edge of her city, back in 2013. About a year and a half later, while she was attending MacEwan University in her hometown, Ruth B started posting snippets of her original, Peter Pan-inspired song "Lost Boy" on Vine. It became a viral smash, and the completed song soon became a bonafide international hit single.
Earlier this year, Ruth B won the Juno Award for breakout artist of the year.
"Lost Boy" was one of the most popular songs in the 2017 Canadian Music Challenge. One of the classes to sign up to perform it is the choir from none other than Ross Sheppard High, Ruth B's old school.
The singer kindly agreed to pay a special visit to the class, and you can see the results above. Special thanks to Ruth B, and to music teacher Gerhard Kruschke, principal Rick Paulitsch, and to everyone in the Senior Choir at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton for making this video possible.
Registration for the 2018 Canadian Music Class Challenge begins in the fall. Check out the 2018 song list here.
More to explore:
The fairytale story behind Ruth B's viral hit "Lost Boy"