Materials
chorus (SAA)
percussion
(at least 4 players):
rainstick, sandblocks, bass drum, claves
piano (played by a music teacher)
band (optional): trumpet, trombone, flute, Bb clarinet, Eb alto sax string
orchestra (optional): violin I, violin II, viola,
cello
All parts (except for piano) are playable by elementary
school students in their first year of musical study.
About
This piece was written for the fourth grade band, chorus, and orchestra of Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia. I am grateful to all of the students of the Collegiate Lower School for their suggestions and advice for this piece; I have used many of their ideas about melodies, rhythms, themes, sounds, and form while writing this work. Special thanks also to Lois Jecklin for her iniative and support for this project, and to the Collegiate Lower School music teachers, Beth Tracy and Patsy Hallett, for their dedication and enthusiasm for the project.
The text of the piece is adapted from the poem which closes Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book.
Performance History
- Collegiate School Band, Chorus, and Orchestra, May 2001, Richmond, VA.
- Children’s Museum at La Habra, June 2006 (exhibition), La Habra, CA.