Bigger than that tour

Reyven MacMullen
Standard School Jr Reporter

 

Standard School held an event concerning Anti-bullying Awareness on March 5. We had the incredible honour of having Ryan Laird – an enormously talented country music singer – pass through Standard School on his tour to spread awareness of anti-bullying.
Not only did he share his story regarding his life and his bullying experience, but he also involved the kids in singing, dancing and sharing their own stories about their strength and courage of facing their bullies. After the concert and a Meet ‘n’ Greet, two Grade 12 girls – Cheyenne Pennington and Reyven MacMullen – had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan. He talked about growing up on a farm outside of Fergus, Ont., not having much to do other than write songs about the struggles he was going through due to bullying.
After performing a song at his school’s talent show, about a girl he liked, another girl by the name of Ashley persistently bullied him, telling him that he would never become a musician, that he should just quit now.
Instead of discouraging him, he used music as an outlet, pouring his emotions into his song writing. This eventually led him to meeting with a local producer who took him under his wing, at the age of 13. His mom acted as his manager, giving Ryan the opportunity to perform at local events, and ultimately at the age of 19 he set out on the long journey to Nashville, Tenn. to further his career as a musician.
Eleven years later, his sister-in-law, a Child and Youth counsellor, gave him the idea to embark on a nation-wide tour to spread awareness about the effects of bullying, and educate kids on what they should do if he or she is being bullied – in which he called the Bigger Than That Tour.
We asked Ryan what he would like to tell the youths of today and his response was “to figure out what your dream is in life, and when you figure that out, don’t let anyone stop you from making that dream happen, because you’re bigger than that.”
From all of Standard School, we thank you Ryan for coming to our school and performing for us, sharing your story, inspiring us to become better individuals, and giving those who are struggling a helping hand.