BloomingSongs is a local collaboration between musicians and composers with a special focus on childhood music education, will record two songs with the IU Children’s Choir’s “Chambers” singing group on Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church.
They will record “It Takes a Village” and “What Do You Hear Chiquilla?” according to a BloomingSongs press release. "It Takes a Village,” text from an African proverb, was composed by IU’s African-American Choral Ensemble’s Raymond Wise to emphasize the power of community.
With text by Alejandra Martinez and music by Lauren Bernofsky, "What Do You Hear Chiquilla?” expresses the beauty of nature’s voices, including birds, wind, sun and stars, according to the release.
“The Chambers choir sounds amazing and these recordings will end up going into the hands of music teachers, families and early childhood teachers throughout Southern Indiana, all free and accessible to anyone with internet,” project director Maggie Olivo said in an email.
The IU Jacobs School of Music’s Musical Beginnings program serves families with children 5 years of age and younger. Jacobs started BloomingSongs so local families would have access to quality music, customized to the developmental needs of younger children, according to the release.
Musicians perform interactive concerts in schools, provide teacher-training workshops to music teachers and early childhood specialists and give free access to songs and accompanying activities on the Musical Beginnings website.
Performers are drawn from IU Children’s Choir, Reimagining Opera for Kids’ singers and instrumentalists, Maria Izzo Walker, Martinez, Dexter Griffin and the Vera String Quartet.
Directed by Olivo, Musical Beginnings instructors include certified early childhood music specialists.
BloomingSongs composers include jazz musician Monika Herzig, IU AACE Director Wise, Middle Eastern musical composer and performer Dena El Saffar, master gyil player Bernard Woma, Bernofsky, David Farrell, Molly Kien, Eric Lindsay and director, anthropologist and pianist Alfredo Minetti.
Martinez, author of ”What Do You Hear Chiquilla?" and visual artist Haran Kim are BloomingSongs artistic contributors.
Hannah Alani
