The Inuksuk Drum Dancers hit the road earlier this month where they got the chance to join Susan Aglukark for a special reason.

Ten members of the group were in Toronto from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7 to provide background vocals for a new song called Igvit (For You). It's a song Aglukark said she wrote several years ago, but rediscovered it last year and felt it was time to put a melody behind it.

Mary Piercey-Lewis, choral director for the group, accompanied the young singers to Toronto, sais Aglukark reached out early last year to see if the group could be a part of it.

"We worked hard to get some funding for it to be able to make it happen," she said.

Aglukark said the song was originally just some writings, a one-stanza short poem, as she described it.

But it was the discovery of the graves in Kelowna, B.C. that gave her the impetus to put a melody behind it.

"Last year, we were working on other pieces of music and I found it," she said. "A melody came very easily, so I realized maybe it's a song."

She said Chad Irschick, who collaborates with Aglukark, mentioned having youth involved was critical to making it complete.

"He immediately understood the piece of writing, and where we started to think about children's contribution," she said. "Voices and sounds of children being part of this project, the children's voices throughout will be heard, responding to the song, and to the whole story."

Piercey-Lewis said she was told the song's producer wanted voices sounding like angels of young children who had died at residential school.

"The sounds that they created, which were mimicking Inuktitut vowel sounds, are going to sound like the voices of vulnerable young people," she said. "(Susan) wanted the first time itSA国际影视传媒檚 released to have Inuit voices on it because it will be in Inuktitut and English."

As the vocals were being recorded, Piercey-Lewis called the sound powerful.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think the songSA国际影视传媒檚 going to be a real break-your-heart, tear-jerker," she said. "Susan wanted the very last voice to not be hers or the music, but to be a young childSA国际影视传媒檚 voice, the voice of the young people who died. I think the song is going to speak to the terrible history of residential school (and) that will also have this look to the future for hope and strength for our young people and the resiliency of Inuit and Indigenous people."

As for the singers themselves, Naja Ejesiak described it as amazing. 

"It was an amazing experience to record with Susan in her studio in Toronto," she said. "I think this was a different experience because we were representing angels for the lost children, so I think it was pretty meaningful to be able to do that.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think it's a really meaningful and educational experience, getting to learn the vision behind the song, and the recording process,SA国际影视传媒� added Jaia Healey-Akearok. SA国际影视传媒淚 think it was different because this song is going to be shared across Canada, and everyone should know the meaning of the song and why it was made. Music can be used as a way to share lots of emotions, memories, and thoughts with a lot of people.SA国际影视传媒�

The trip was also a chance for the group to take in some musical performances, such as seeing The Lion King and Come From Away, as well as taking in a concert with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and touring the Toronto School of Music.

SA国际影视传媒淚 wanted it to be educational," said Piercey-Lewis. "It was culturally rich and good for music education.SA国际影视传媒�

The goal for Aglukark is to have the song translated into other Indigenous languages and turn it into a national project.

"The hope is, pending funding, that we will expand the invitation to those respective areas to contribute a verse in their language. That's the goal," she said."