National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Statement | September 30, 2021

To mark Truth and Reconciliation Day, the Schulich School of Music would like to highlight the work of one of our graduate students in musicology, Linda Pearse. This video explores the performance she developed in collaboration with Wolastoq and Mi’kmaq musicians, as a way of finding bridges between different cultures, different ways of listening and making music.

The School of Music acknowledges that we have barely begun to undertake the process of reconciliation. We are now working to recognize how, as an institution, we are accountable and benefit from the colonial legacies of Canada. In doing so, we strive to create spaces for Indigenous students, teachers and researchers to find a meaningful place and voice in our School.

As a first step in initiating these conversations, the Chair of our Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Lloyd Whitesell, has accepted an invitation from Prof. Dylan Robinson, a Stó:lō music scholar teaching at Queen’s University, to participate as a “witness” along with leaders from other music schools across Turtle Island (‘Canada’). In ongoing meetings, witnesses will share the challenges they are facing in seeking to transform their programs, and discuss how to be publicly accountable for what is taking place at their institutions.

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday which gives the public a chance to recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm that residential schools have caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.

View the Events and Programming section here to learn about events McGill is holding for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.