Drumlites & Suicide Prevention

The high school bass drums got colourful additions on September 24.  I bought LED RGB strips from Drumlite and carefully installed them during my prep time.  The lights can be programmed with a wireless remote to display many colours and flash in a variety of patterns.  The only thing that surprised me was the battery pack requires 8 double A batteries. 

I took my time because this was my first time doing such an installation.  I followed the instructions, removing a drum head and placing the strips in two equally spaced parallel lines.  I used masking tape first.  When I was satisfied with their placement, I removed strips of paper on the back of the LED lights, exposing the sticky adhesive.  I pasted the strips to the wooden drum and then removed the masking tape.  I kept the masking tape on the black electrical wire.  The battery pack is attached on the outside of the drum, stuck to a Velcro strip.  The strip also has sticky adhesive on the back so that it can be pasted to the drum.  I then placed the drum head back on and screwed it in place.  I repeated the process on the second bass drum. 

I closed the curtains and turned off the lights in my classroom before testing the LED strips.  Thankfully, they worked and the bass drums lit up in various colours.  The upcoming Halloween concert was going to be brighter than before.  Drumlite also sells LED RGB strips for snare drums & quad toms but I didn’t have the necessary budget.  There’s always next year.

The bass drums received priority because there doesn’t exist bass drum mallets that light up when you’re playing.  (Future business idea?)  At last year’s Halloween concert, my bass drummers couldn’t play their drums with the LED sticks I bought because they would damage the drum heads.  It was a challenge for them to play the written music with the gym lights turned off.  Fitting the bass drums with interior lighting is my way of providing a visually appealing alternative.  My goal is to have all the drums fitted with LED lights.  Future performances will be fantastic!  If I was given the budget to buy LED stick figure suits, the results will be out of this world!  One step at a time.

The atmosphere of September 27 was more sombre.  A suicide prevention workshop, organized by the territory’s mental health services, was held at the community hall.  The workshop was primarily designed for students but community members were allowed to attend.

The year of 2019 has not been kind to the people of Arctic Bay.  The community has suffered from several suicides, the passing of elders, and tragic fatal accidents.  I don’t know the exact number of funerals that have been held, but it feels like a lot and too much.  I have refrained from mentioning these tragedies in previous posts out of respect for the victims, their families, and community members.  There’re already enough negative stories in the news.  Mental health teams from out of town have visited the community but that’s only a short-term solution.  The territorial government needs to invest more resources in community mental health services.

The morning of September 27 was spent helping students prepare anti-suicide posters.  The workshop was hosting a poster contest for cash prizes.  I helped several high school students research positive messages, ideas, and symbols they could use for their posters.

Everyone arrived at the community hall at 1:30pm to tape the posters to the walls and find seats.  The seating arrangements were similar to a community feast, arranged in a hollow square.  An assortment of snacks & drinks was prepared for attendees.  The menu consisted of cupcakes, crackers, macaroni mix, nacho chips, hot dogs, cheese, pickles, juice boxes, and bottled water.  I took pictures of the posters on display before taking my seat at the back of the hall.

Dodgeball.

The workshop began at 2pm with a welcome address by an elder.  There were several elders in attendance.  Reverend Leah May continued with a short speech explaining what suicide is and how to recognize the warning signs in individuals.  She then divided the participants into two groups and got them to play a game of dodgeball.  I forget whether this was to give everyone a break from the serious talk or if this had something to do with the topic.  Either way, the people who participated had fun playing the game.  No one was hurt.

            

May brought everyone together and had them sit close to the stage.  She continued the workshop by explaining how everyone can help each other when things are tough and people need support.  She also reviewed the warning signs and listed a few groups of people that students can go to for help (ex: parents, elders, teachers, friends).

            

The last activity was a candlelight vigil for all the people who lost their lives to suicide.  Everyone stood in a circle, holding small lit candles.  May said a prayer, followed by a one minute of silence.  People were then instructed to hug or shake the hands of the people around them and then place their candles at the front of the stage.  The workshop was at an end.

            

People lined up for food.  I stood back and took more photographs.  I was glad the 90-minute workshop happened because the community needed it.  Too many people are suffering in silence and need to know that they’re not alone.  This workshop and others before it are breaking the taboo of talking openly about suicide.  They won’t solve the problem overnight, but they’re steps in the right direction.

One of the winning posters.

The judging of the posters occurred while everyone was eating.  The winners were announced by a small panel of judges and were awarded gift certificates to the local Co-op.  The door prizes were then given out by raffle.  Everyone was dismissed at 3:45pm. 

            

Kamatsiaqtut – Nunavut Helpline: 1-800-265-3333.