Dancing Songs [HL:8753904]

This set of pieces by Alice Parker to poetry by Nancy Wood was commissioned by the American Composers Forum for the ChoralQuest program allowing middle school choirs to discover music of varying moods and rhythms. The first in the set, “What I Am I Must Become” creates a thoughtful quiet mood through four riddle-like statements. “Song Woman” celebrates the voices and lives of women through cheerful, lighter motion and the final song “When Trouble Comes to Me” gives voice to the young men, gathering up their energy and strength and offering a positive outlet for their emotion. Free interdisciplinary curriculum for the piece is available for download at choralquest.com.

ChoralQuest®, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for middle-level choir, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series is designed to breathe new life into the available repertoire for choral students in middle school and junior high. At the heart of this program are new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Based on the success of ACF's decade-long BandQuest® program, ChoralQuest has a residency component in which the composer works collaboratively with a middle school as they create their new piece. Visit www.choralquest.org to learn more about this innovative series, and email choralquest@composersforum.org to request a free downloadable audio catalog.