Typically the last few days of an elementary school year feature more play than learning, however, a Grade 4 class at Ecole Percy Pegler School spent a portion of their final week just rapping.
The students recorded a rap song and shot a music video as a tribute to a group of historical Albertans characterized as mavericks, people who changed the path of the province for the better. The song is a take on “Calgary: We’re Not Just Cowboys” by hip hop performer Dan Bennet who records under his stage name, Transit. Bennet’s song praises Calgary’s live music scene and features a vocal appearance by Jann Arden.
Using facebook, Percy Pegler teacher Karen McWhirter reached out to Bennet and asked him to be a part of the classes’ musical history project.
“He said he’d be honoured,” McWhirter said of Bennet’s response.
It turned out teaching rap music to children was something the performer was well versed in.
“I have done a lot of stuff kind of similar to this,” Bennet said. “My mom is a teacher so when I was a young rapper she would try to get me to come into her classroom and teach poetry and stuff like that. I also do a hip hop program at the Boys and Girls Club.”
He and fellow Calgary musician, Connor James, came out to work with the Percy Pegler Grade 4 students on June 20.
“Connor took half the kids and wrote a verse and Dan took the other half and wrote a verse then we put them all together,” McWhirter said.
The rhyming lyrics incorporated explanations of the historical impact of such notable Albertans as rancher John Ware and Major General Sam Steele of the Northwest Mounted Police. Bennet explained he and James counted on the children to provide the information on the people mentioned in the song while the recording artists just helped them craft their knowledge into catchy lyrics.
For their mavericks songs, Transit said he allowed the children to use the backing music track from his “Calgary: We’re Not Just Cowboys” single.
“I own the rights to that song,” the rapper said. “So it wasn’t anything where I was upset that they wanted to use it. I was flattered. It was a cool thing. They didn’t want to use it for publicity or any of that stuff. It was meant for education so I had no problem letting them use the track.”
While Bennet was only able to work with the students once, James came back a few times to aid in the songwriting, recording and shooting of the video. He even sang part of the class’s finished song.
James, who just released his first album “We Don’t Know”, said his elementary school song collaborators inspired him.
“It was really cool to see young kids taking such an interest in their province and the history of their province,” he said. “I know when I was in Grade 4 I know I didn’t get to do anything nearly that cool, let alone record a rap song about it.”
The students enjoyed their musical experience as well. Class member Savannah Anderson said she enjoyed putting together the video.
“It was really fun to use the green screen because we didn’t know what was actually going to show behind us in the video,” she said.
Her Grade 4 classmate, Krystal Anne, was more into working with James and Bennet on their song’s lyrics.
“It was really great because they helped us rhyme,” she said. “I know more rhyming words now.”
The finished video can be seen on-line at www.percypegler.fsd38.ab.ca
