I Live In Music Traditional Print

This is a chamber music piece that will bridge the gap between your language arts department and your elementary school feeder programs. It is based on the children's book "I Live In Music" by the famous American Poet Ntozake Shange. Most elementary school libraries have this book, however if you need to order it you can find it on our educational materials page. The concept is that the poem was written first and then the illustrations (paintings) were inspired by the words. This piece was a reaction to both! So... the narrator (school principal, guest music teacher, superintendent or a student...) reads this wonderful work of children's literature while the sextet plays the underscoring. It takes a bit of practice working on the timings between the narrator and the musicians, however after a few play-throughs it becomes very easy and effective. This piece has delighted audiences for years. A strong bass clarinet player is a must for this piece as the bcl leads most of the grooves together along with the drummer. (most effective if drummer uses brushes or one thin hot rod and a brush) Programatic in nature the piece also works well without a narrator, however it is best to read this wonderful book and to show these wonderful paintings to everyone.