Program Note

Kinetics: From Haze to Blaze 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 a hazy, cloudy beginning and evolving into beat-driven, dark themes.

Kinetics: From Haze to Blaze is a sibling to Kinetics: From Airs to Jams. When I initially began the project, I composed some of the boppy themes with the minor pentatonic scale. While they did sound fun, the character didn’t quite fit the happy nature that the ensemble voted on. Therefore, in the middle of the process, I switched the themes to major. However, I didn’t want to entirely throw away those initial ideas, so I decided to make two versions: a cheerful version in major and a dark version in 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.

The themes journey through four main sections. First, a 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. 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 Haze to Blaze celebrates creativity, community, and the joyful momentum of making music together.