Bars are closed and venues are shutting their doors.
But that’s not stopping NWT musicians from having their voices heard amid the COVID-19 crisis.
In a bid to spread awareness, more than half a dozen artists in the territory have submitted half-a-minute jingles as a part of an initiative, dubbed the Radio Ad Writing Contest, led by Music NWT — an effort to drive home the importance of social distancing as health measures ramp up in response to the novel coronavirus.
Trevor Sinclair is the president of Music NWT.
After being approached by the GNWT about ways to get important messages out to NWT residents, he suggested creating a contest that would let artists in the territory display their talent — while emphasizing the need to practise social distancing.
“Let’s keep it short and punchy so people will receive the message,” Sinclair, a musician himself, told NNSL Media.
“There's a lot of people sitting at home with not much to do — whether you’re a new, emerging or established artist,” said Sinclair.
“I love that we have kids and families that don’t normally do this throwing something out there,” he added.
So far, the response has been “amazing,” said Sinclair. As of Friday, musicians’ videos posted to the Music NWT Facebook page have racked up over 17,000 views, stretching across the globe, he said.
“Right now you don’t get to go out to a bar to listen to your favourite band or go down to the Snowcastle to listen to the new bands. So this is another way to get music out into the world and keep our musicians engaged and contributing to the community,” said Sinclair.
“We can still be a community, we can still create, we can still share, support musicians and musicians can support the community.
“Musicians have a lot to contribute to the community — we have great ways of sending out messages, and music is something that impacts everybody,” he continued.
Sinclair stressed that the initiative wouldn't be possible without the support of the GNWT and other committed sponsors.
The first place winner will receive $1,000, the runner-up will get $600, and the third-place winner will pocket $500, said Sinclair. A $400 prize will be dolled out to an honourable mention.
Grace Clark is on of the many musicians who have submitted songs.
“I wanted to participate in this contest because it’s important to support Music NWT and I think this is a great idea to bring everyone together and connect everyone in this time during this time amid the pandemic,” said Clark.
“My family and I wrote together because we’re all isolating together and so it’s about including everyone: Elders, our grandparents, our aunties or cousins. including those with compromised immune system."
Watch her video here: