WE CAN SING THE TRUTH

Whether or not one was a supporter of Barack Obama in the election, we can now unite to bring about the change our country needs. Much hope was expressed in this campaign: for equality, for compassion, and for shared effort toward a common purpose. To realize these aspirations, we must all find ways we can contribute as artists and as citizens.

I want to share with you a song I wrote that echoes these themes, and dedicate it to President-elect Obama. May he have great success in bringing our hopes into reality.

Music has played a vital role in political movements, and has eloquently expressed feelings of generations, ethnic groups, and eras. Song can unite people in one voice to sing for freedom, for hope, and for change.

This performance of We Can Sing the Truth is by four fabulous faculty members at McNally Smith: Judi Donaghy, voice; Lori Dokken, piano; Charles Fletcher, bass; Dave Schmalenberger, drums. Their performance is outstanding! Thanks, guys.



WE CAN SING THE TRUTH
Words and music by Harry Chalmiers

Let us join our voices everywhere
Let us hear them lifted up in prayer
Sound the harmony, let peace abide
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide

Let us join our hands together at last
Let us heal the bond and keep it fast
When we realize we’re the same inside
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide

Now I lay me down my burden of shame
Take from my shoulders this needless pain
There’s a way to live that’s loving and kind
With an open heart and an open mind

Let us join our spirits, keep us free from fear
Let us lose the greed that led us here
In this present moment, we can testify
We can sing the truth, roll back the tide

© by Harry Chalmiers, 2008

Prepare for Inspiration...

As a graduate student in composition at New England Conservatory, I learned that when structure was clearly and strongly established in a composition from one perspective, coherent and intriguing musical relationships would be found in many additional and unforeseen ways. It is the richness of these corollary structures that lead a work into the realm of true art.

To ask a composer to explain a composition may stimulate an interesting commentary on his/her thought process and intentions. However, once a composition is complete, the composer is just another analyst. A work of art belongs to the world, and can sustain vast interpretations.

To understand and master performance skills, to write or produce music of depth and importance, or to become an entrepreneur in the business of culture – there are many paths that provide structure to the course of music study. Likewise, there are many paths an individual may choose to contribute to the global art of music while sustaining a career in the arts.

A well structured education will create a vastly broader ability to comprehend ideas and opportunities beyond the specific focus of study. Inspiration comes more easily to those well prepared to receive it.

Few schools provide the education one needs to comprehend and enter today’s music industry. McNally Smith is focused on exactly this, while providing solid fundamentals that are essential and timeless in music education and in the liberal arts.