Understory
FALL 2018 – SPRING 2019
Understory, for unison voices, piano and optional percussion, was commissioned by Chesterbrook Elementary in McClean, VA. I worked with the 5th-6th grade choir throughout their school year via multiple Skype sessions to write the song with them, showing them my personal process for composing music. We were able to have conversations about what they wanted the song to be like, and I could edit it in real-time as they watched my computer screen in their classroom.
Students presented their ideas to me regarding what they wanted to the song to be like. They asked me to make the song "fun" and "upbeat", and they requested that the text be about "nature/outdoors" and "overcoming sadness".
On May 1, 2019 during their Spring choir concert, they were able to premiere the new piece of music that they helped create. It was truly a special experience for all of us to collaborate in this way.
Program Note:
Understory is sung from the point of view of a tree in the rainforest. This tree longs to be tall like so many of the other trees because living in the rainforest is quite competitive. When a large tree falls at the end of its life, a gap in the uppermost layer of the rainforest (the canopy) is formed. Sunlight comes through this gap and reaches the rainforest floor allowing the smaller plants to grow rapidly until the gap is closed. Inevitably, many of the plants are left in the lower layer of the rainforest (the understory) where very few animals live, and where less than 2% of the sunlight reaches the ground.
As the tree in the understory wishes to reach the canopy where all of the wildlife is and where much of the sunlight can be absorbed, it realizes that there are also many negative aspects to living as a tree up in the canopy. The sun can be so hot that the leaves at the very top of the tallest trees can actually burn. Animals seem to take advantage of the tallest trees with their own safety and well-being in mind. Since it rains so often, the wet soil can cause the biggest trees to fall from lack of stability.
This little tree finally realizes that the understory is actually a good place to be, and it thankfully celebrates at the fact that “The understory is my story.” I believe we each have an understory and a canopy in our own lives. May we consider that the canopy is never as good as it seems, and that our understory might very well be someone else’s canopy.
Understory is sung from the point of view of a tree in the rainforest. This tree longs to be tall like so many of the other trees because living in the rainforest is quite competitive. When a large tree falls at the end of its life, a gap in the uppermost layer of the rainforest (the canopy) is formed. Sunlight comes through this gap and reaches the rainforest floor allowing the smaller plants to grow rapidly until the gap is closed. Inevitably, many of the plants are left in the lower layer of the rainforest (the understory) where very few animals live, and where less than 2% of the sunlight reaches the ground.
As the tree in the understory wishes to reach the canopy where all of the wildlife is and where much of the sunlight can be absorbed, it realizes that there are also many negative aspects to living as a tree up in the canopy. The sun can be so hot that the leaves at the very top of the tallest trees can actually burn. Animals seem to take advantage of the tallest trees with their own safety and well-being in mind. Since it rains so often, the wet soil can cause the biggest trees to fall from lack of stability.
This little tree finally realizes that the understory is actually a good place to be, and it thankfully celebrates at the fact that “The understory is my story.” I believe we each have an understory and a canopy in our own lives. May we consider that the canopy is never as good as it seems, and that our understory might very well be someone else’s canopy.
Are you interested in collaborating with me to make some music? Send me an email, I'd love to hear from you!
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