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IQALUIT - Iqalummiut are singing the praises of the recently formed Inuksuk High School choir, which gave their second performance last week at the music society's coffeehouse.

The youth were met by enthusiastic applause, particularly following their finale of Quviasuliqpunga, a traditional song that originated from the Tununiq area near Iglulik.

Ashley Nutarariaq gets into the spirit of the music as she performs with the Inuksuk High School choir. - Carolyn Sloan/NNSL photo

Student Crystal Mullin began the piece with a solo.

"I was shaking like crazy!" she said afterwards. "(The applause) was so cool!"

Choir member Christine Tootoo also performed a solo during their rendition of the Bob Dylan classic Blowin' in the Wind, which was accompanied by several students from the guitar class.

"It was my second time doing it so I wasn't as nervous as before," she said.

Both young women said being in the choir has been a real boost for their self-confidence.

For student Charlie Awa, the choir has provided him with the opportunity to return to a tradition he learned at a young age.

With the Inuktitut pieces, he and several of the other choir members perform on the drum.

"I used to do drum dancing when I was a kid," said Awa. "I haven't drummed for six years. It feels really good."

Formed mid-September of this year, the choir's first performance was at the school's Remembrance Day ceremony, where they wore their bright red amautiit for the first time.

The traditional clothing was made by the sewing club specifically for the students to wear when they sing.

The choir's next performance will be the Iqaluit Music Society's Christmas concert on Dec. 8.

"Oh, my gosh! I think they're fantastic. I can't believe how far they've come," said music teacher and choir director Mary Piercey, who is in her first year at Inuksuk.

Originally from Newfoundland, she previously spent four years teaching music in Arviat, where she helped bring traditional music back into the schools.

"In Arviat, when I first started there, the mandate from the DEA was to bring traditional music into the school because the elders felt as though traditional music was being lost and the best place to bring it back would be at school," she said. "So I was asked specifically to meet with elders and to facilitate the interaction between elders and youth."

Along the same lines, Piercey was inspired to start the choir in Iqaluit.

As she has been researching Inuit music for a PhD, she already had a good collection of songs for the students to work on. It's turned out to be a learning exercise in more ways than one.

"There are some (students) that have strong Inuktitut language, some that have weaker, and there was not very much happening musically, with Inuit music, not just traditional, but contemporary as well, after school," she said.

Percy said she started the choir "so that the kids can build their self-esteem, just to get a greater sense of their own Inuit identity. It's really worked out well because ... I use my stronger Inuit speakers to read the text to the whole group and then they repeat. So what's happening is that the weaker Inuktitut speakers are learning from their peers and then they're singing songs in Inuktitut."

In the last couple months, the choir has bonded as a group and attracted several new members as well.

"The group's fantastic. They've really gelled together," said Piercey. "Their success out in the community and their performances are drawing new students to join. I think they're really feeling good about themselves."