News

Today’s young people face a rapidly changing world of work. To learn more about the future of work for young people, Lynn Shaw, an Assistant Dean in Dal Health and the Director School of Occupational Therapy, has studied how we talk about work in songs.

Dr. Shaw studied close to 200 Canadian songs from the 1800s-2014 that mention this topic as a means of examining societal thoughts around this issue at that time. In particular, she studied how these songs depict ideas about work in Canada that might be used to support youth transitions into employment. Dr. Shaw was recently interviewed by a number of local media outlets and gave insight on why youth employment can be a concern for our society, how we can prevent work disparity, and the specific songs she studied that discuss work and work mobility in Canada.

Have a song about work in Canada to submit to Dr. Shaw?

Learn more:

• "Music at work: Halifax university professor researches Canadian work through song" Halifax Metro - July 6, 2017
• "Dalhousie study looks at employment in Canadian music" News 95.7 - July 10, 2017
• Dr. Shaw's interview on CBC Radio One  (hosted with permission from CBC Mainstreet)- July 11
• "Work songs paint past, point to future" Chronicle Herald - July 12, 2017
• "Canadian songs that explore work" Global News Halifax - July 12, 2017
• "Working Songs" CBC Maritime Noon - July 25, 2017