Introducing the 2023 CBC Music Playlist Challenge: what music moves your mood?

"Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift. "Hayloft" by Mother Mother. "Run Away to Mars" by Talk. "About Damn Time" by Lizzo. When you listen to your favourite songs, which ones pick you up, which ones bring you down, and which ones take you to another place and time? 

Most importantly: what music moves your mood?

UPDATE: our winning playlist has been announced.

Congratulations to:

Peter Pitseolak High School in Kinngait, Nunavut (grades 8 and 9)

Check out their winning playlist here.

It's no secret that the last three years have been incredibly challenging for our kids. In Ontario alone, more than half of the students polled expressed feelings of depression and anxiety when thinking about the future. 

Any time I've struggled with my mental health, writing and listening to music has been the best and only real way to pull me out of the dark.- Ottawa musician Talk

It's also no secret that music can help reduce your anxiety and stress. That's why CBC Music has partnered with CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Canada's largest mental health hospital and leading mental health research centre, to create a discussion-based project for teachers, aimed at helping your students improve their mental well-being through music.

Here's how the CBC Music Playlist Challenge works

• Download the CAMH-developed presentation for teachers that will help teachers lead classes' mental-health conversations.

• Students and their teachers will create a 15-song YouTube playlist that answers the question, "What music moves your mood?"

• Teachers will send the YouTube playlist link to [email protected] on or before the deadline of March 30, 2023, at 3 p.m. ET.

• All eligible playlists are posted here: CBC Music Playlist Challenge YouTube channel.

• The playlist must contain at least four Canadian songs, but after that it's up to you! We welcome a playlist with a wide range of emotions — not just pick-me-up songs. The main objective is to be authentic in your song choices as to what music moves your mood.

Prizes

All eligible playlists will be entered into a draw to win a virtual concert with Ottawa singer and TikTok viral sensation Talk, whose stratospheric hit song "Run Away to Mars" has become a worldwide mental-health anthem, racking up more than 110 millions streams to date, and hitting No. 1 on Spotify's viral charts in the U.S.A., Norway, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. 

"Music is the way I process complex thoughts and emotions," Talk shared with CBC Music in a recent interview. "Any time I've struggled with my mental health, writing and listening to music has been the best and only real way to pull me out of the dark."

Talk's out-of-this-world hit has moved millions of fans globally, but what music moves Talk?

"I really love listening to music from my childhood that my parents were playing around the house: Mamas & Papas, Queen, Elton John, Crosby, Stills & Nash," Talk explained. "I also enjoy discovering new artists and good songwriting. Some current favourites are Noah Kahan and Billy Strings."

As an added bonus, CAMH's Dr. Amy Gajaria will lead a virtual discussion on mental health and well-being with the winning class.

The involvement of music in a student's daily life can help them reconnect with their feelings and emotions.- Dr. Amy Gajaria, Child Youth and Family Program Psychiatrist, CAMH

"The involvement of music in a student's daily life can help them reconnect with their feelings and emotions," says Dr. Amy Gajaria, a child, youth and family program psychiatrist from CAMH. "Music can help shift mood and how [students are] feeling, to help improve overall mental health and emotional well-being."

So now it's all up to you: what music moves your mood? Enter today and start crafting your class playlist!

Questions? Email [email protected].

Looking for mental-health resources for youth? Co-developed by youth for youth, these resources from CAMH can be helpful:

• Things you should know about mental health

A resource to help youth identify what a mental-health challenge can feel or look like. Click here to download.

• Youth and mental health 101

This free tutorial was designed to provide youth with information about mental-health challenges and how to seek support if they're struggling. Click here to access the course.

• Youth wellness quest

This resource helps young people experiencing mental-health or substance-use challenges identify the kind of help that is right for them. Click here to start.

• Talk about it

A resource to help youth start a conversation about their own mental health. Click here to download.

• Conversation starter

A resource to help youth start a conversation and be supportive if they're concerned about a friend's mental health. Click here to download.

• Self-care information

A resource providing important information on self-care and examples of activities that can support overall health. Click here to download.

• 6 ways to practise self-care

A resource to help youth discover healthy ways to cope with challenges and stress in their lives. Click here to download.

• Mood foundations package for youth

Mood Foundations is a four-page package that includes a fact sheet on depression, as well as tips on sleep, exercise and healthy eating. Click here to download.

• Depression and autism: a youth-to-youth guide to coping and getting help

Autistic youth designed this package to support the mental health and well-being of autistic individuals. Click here to download.

• Medication and YOUth: a resource for youth by youth

Learn how selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can help reduce the symptoms of depression in young people. Click here to download.