Robb Nash is a Winnipeg-based recording artist and the former lead singer of Live on Arrival.
He’s teamed up with Impact Society, a Canadian non-profit that helps tweens and teens develop self-awareness, confidence and character with a 12-week program called Heroes.
On Tuesday he brought his rock music based message, complete with backing band and videos, to more than 100 Gr. 5 to 8 students at G.H. Dawe School in Red Deer.
When Nash was 17 he was pronounced dead from head injuries in a traffic accident, but he recovered and says his second chance at life led to his touring across Canada and performing in schools, as well as jails and addiction treatment centres.
“We been touring for 23 months now and performed in front of over 700,000 students,” he said. “The left side of my head is all titanium (from his accident) and I feel I’ve been given a second chance in life and wanted to do something special with it. What better way to influence people than through music. Kids have to deal with so many issues today: addictions, abuse, bullying and such, and we write songs (sometimes the kids help) about what they are dealing with.
“Our message is that life is all about making the right choices.”
Nash says it took him a long time to realize that the most important thing in life is doing something that matters and finding a personal vision in life. He tells his audience, between satires of a Lady Gaga song, voicing Gollum from Lord of the Rings and his own songs, that they can learn from the choices, good and bad that other people make; that they don’t have to go through an accident or traumatic event to realize that they all have a special purpose in life.
He closes with a song called Walls Come Down that “Teaches kids about knocking down the walls that keep people out and really allows their true selves to show … and is a reminder of all they have to offer.”
In short his message is “Life is about choices and you have to make the right choices”
Jack Toth, president and CEO of Impact Society, which sponsors the Heroes program, said “It’s really a ripple effect. When youth start to see their own possible greatness they respect themselves more, and they respect others as well. It makes for a dramatic change in school environments, families and communities.”
acryderman@reddeerexpress.com
