‘Oh, corona!’: Kid writes coronavirus musical
Goal is to help people who are sick
Staying busy while practising physical distancing isn't always easy.
But 10-year-old Kennedy Coates has found a unique way to beat her boredom.
“Self-isolation, it’s only Day 3, and it’s driving me crazy.” - Kennedy Coates
The young singer, from Toronto, is writing a musical — about the coronavirus.
“It gives us one way to tell people about it,” she said.
Watch Kennedy perform one of her songs:
Light-hearted lyrics
Coronavirus: The Musical, as Kennedy calls it, is about a man who is scared because he catches the virus.
Through her upbeat tempos and light-hearted lyrics, she hopes the songs will help cheer up anyone battling the illness (in real life).
“This musical is to help them,” she told CBC Kids News.
But her musical isn’t just about getting sick, it’s about practicing #PhysicalDistancing, too.
That idea is illustrated in multiple songs, including one where she sings, “I’m sorry that I have to go, but I know that you have it, though, oh, corona!”
Watch Kennedy and her mom, Petergail Williams, sing about self-isolation:
Family pitching in
So far, Kennedy’s written four songs, a couple of which have been shared on her mom’s Instagram page.
After writing the songs, her mom helped her film them with the help of her brother, Karsten, as the videographer.
Kennedy and her brother, Karsten, have been getting along ‘pretty well’ since they’ve both been off school. (Submitted by Petergail Williams)
It’s not just about spreading information, Kennedy said, it’s also about bringing joy during a stressful time.
And so far, it’s working.
She said after sharing her songs with her friends, they told her it made them laugh and brightened their days.
‘Don’t think of bad things’
Kennedy’s no rookie when it comes to writing and performing.
The young singer-songwriter has been creating music since she was five years old.
Kennedy has been singing and songwriting since she was young and hopes to create more music in the future. (Submitted by Petergail Williams)
Now that she’s not in school, she said, she’s trying to keep herself as busy as possible.
That means working on the musical while also spending time with her family and her dog.
And she has similar advice for other young people stuck at home because of COVID-19: “I would say just have fun,” Kennedy said.
“Don’t think of bad things. Just think of the best, and spend time with your family.”
With files from CBC Radio's The Current
