Program Note

Kinetics: From Airs to Jams was composed for the students at Minersville Elementary School in Minersville, PA. All components of the piece were driven by interactions with the students, from the character to the style, tempos, and beyond. During the creative process, students played through early sketches, experimented with tempo, articulation, and dynamics, and voted on their favorite themes — making this not just a piece written for them, but with them.

Before I wrote a note of music, I gathered ideas from the students through mood boards, listening sessions, and surveys that guided the musical choices. As a result, the students opted for alternating sections of slow, smooth music and stretches of quick, fun, pop-influenced music. Built around the idea of movement and transformation, the piece journeys through musical contrasts — beginning with smooth, slow “airs” and evolving into joyful, fun “jams.” The title itself reflects this motion: a shift from sweet, lyrical melodies to groovy rhythms and energetic combinations of the main themes.

This work is the sibling piece to Kinetic: From Haze to Blaze, a spin-off  converted to minor!

I wanted to tie the title of the piece to another subject the kids study in school. When I asked the kids, it was clear that science and math were among their favorites! When comparing the composition with a variety of topics, I decided to incorporate “kinetic.” Kinetic energy is the energy an object has when it’s moving. In the piece, the individual themes change character according to the energy made by the tempo and surrounding layers.

I also wanted the title to reflect the transitions from lyrical to boppy sections. For the lyrical sections, due to their folk-like qualities, I decided to use “air,” referring to a genre of music from the 16th and 17th centuries that were lyrical and could have folk-like characteristics. “Air” serves a dual purpose: I also imagine the melodies in these sections gliding through clouds.

The themes journey through four main sections. First, the opening is loosely evocative of an “air.” This cloudy opening features a dialogue of floating melodies exchanged between the flutes, trumpets, and low instruments while the clarinets and alto saxophones repeat a drone. After the opening, the piece progresses through a series of fun themes that sound like a jam session.

In the second section, the percussion sets the beat, and choirs of instruments introduce the main theme. This theme is related to the opening material by beginning with leaping a Perfect 5th. As the percussion gradually adds more motion, the melodies transform, and new accompaniment patterns join in. Soon, three layers combine: a variation of the main theme, the drone pattern from the opening, and a bouncy repeated pattern that resembles atoms bouncing. The layers wind down to a brief, calm version of the main theme before driving into an energetic closing.

Kinetics: From Airs to Jams celebrates creativity, community, and the joyful momentum of making music together.