Advertisement Megan Baumler recalled the early morning in her poem, and Kelsie Olson wrote about her favorite color — blue — in hers. Laura Nebeck wrote about how material things are not important. Justin Weilandt described the difficulty of writing a poem.
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The La Crosse Chamber Chorale’s Words to Music winning poets (back L-R) Justin Weilandt, Laura Nebeck. (Front L-R) Erin Brenner and Megan Baumler.
Erik Daily |
Alex Mickelson wrote his verse about the food chain: “The bird eats the worm, the cat eats the bird, the wolf eats the cat, the hunter shoots the wolf, and the hunter dies of natural causes.”
About his poem, Mickelson said, “That’s how life goes down.”
The six La Crosse students were winners in this year’s La Crosse Chamber Chorale Words to Music Project. They had their poems set to music by La Crosse area composers and will get a chance to hear the chorale perform the works in concerts Saturday and Sunday.
The students wrote the poetry last year while they were eighth-graders. The contest drew 154 poems. The theme was “My Favorite Things.”
Chris Frye, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse music professor, said he was so overwhelmed by the creative content that he couldn’t pick just one poem to compose for.
“I chose three poems that immediately brought musical ideas to mind,” Frye said.
He said he chose “Poetry” by Weilandt, a Central freshman, because it describes the struggles of the creative process and has some obvious musical references.
“Free Verse” by Baumler, a Central freshman, is “an extremely beautiful and luxuriant description of the transition from night to day,” he said. “Food Chain” is a clever poem and simply seemed to have the music already imbedded in it, Frye said.
Baumler said her poem is about what she sees in early morning when she goes hunting for deer: “The first rays of light bounce across the hills as the birds begin to sing sweetly in the trees. The moon is fading and the day anew as life begins to wake from night’s soothing spell.”
Gary Walth, UW-L director of choral studies, said he was attracted to the “Blue” poem by Olson, a Central freshman, because it introduces a simple concept in an almost abstract setting which contains its own rhythm and symmetry.
“Its pace reminded me of a blues/jazz tune,” Walth said.
Brenner, a Central freshman, wrote about her view of a sand castle and its life with tides. “It’s really natural and peaceful,” she said.
Patrick O’Shea, director of choirs at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn., said he found the sand castle poem creative and charming and wrote a piece for choir, oboe and piano.
“There’s an innocence with sand castles creating a world where nothing is wrong with it, an ideal world until the tide comes in,” O’Shea said.
Even though Nebeck, a Logan freshman, wrote about life being the most important thing. “In the end, I’m happy with what I have,” Nebeck said.
The poem was set to music by A. Eric Heukeshoven, a composer and teacher at Saint. Mary’s University.
“We see the depth of talent in these sample of poems, and I love the challenge of putting them to music,” he said.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: La Crosse Chamber Chorale’s “My Favorite Things” concert featuring winners of the Words to Music Project
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, First Lutheran Church, Onalaska, Wis.; and 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 9, English Lutheran Church, La Crosse
TICKETS: $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, $8 for students; call (608) 780-6107 or e-mail chamberchorale@ centurytel.net.
Poetry
Words by Justin Weilandt, Longfellow Middle School
Music by Christopher Frye
Writing
Poetry
Can
Get
Rough
You
Break
Lead
And
Tear
Paper
Many
May
Not
Succeed
But
To
Those
Who
Do
Remember
To
Keep
One
For
Thee
Food Chain
Poetry by Alex Mickelson, Longfellow Middle School
Music by Christopher Frye
The bird eats the worm,
The cat eats the bird,
The wolf eats the cat,
The hunter shoots the wolf,
And the Hunter dies of natural
causes.
Free Verse
Poetry by Megan Baumler, Longfellow Middle School
Music by Christopher Frye
The first rays of light bounce across the hills
As the birds begin to sing sweetly in the trees
The moon is fading and the day anew
As life begins to wake from nights soothing spell.
Sand Castle
Words by Erin Brenner, Lincoln Middle School
Music by Patrick O'Shea
Wet and gritty with sand
A single child's hands
Shape the many grains
To form a castle
A stick reigns as queen
And the moat holds the ravine
And the king almighty
Is a stone that shines brightly
Of war, dwellers ask what is it?
Of peace, they say we live it
And all was well
Until the tide came in
New sand filled the ravine
Strong walls failed the queen
The hands returned & put the sand in place
And all was well in the kingdom
Another wave came upon them
It's intent to all but drown them
The sand slid
And the flag was almost lost
Again came the hands
And re-mounded the sand
The flag
Was returned to its place
The mother thought to herself;
The sun is long gone!
It will soon be dawn
It is time my child was ailed to her bed
With tears streaming down her face
The child left this place
The wave of the tide already
Looming, ominous
The wave conquered the sand
For this time there was no hand
The remenant was a patch of sand like every other
And a child's small flag upon the water
Blue
Poetry by Kelsie Olson, Longfellow Middle School
Music by Gary Walth
The color blue
Is so many things
It's rain
Water
Snow
The sky
How would we live without the color blue?
It's blue jeans
Crayons
Sadness
Butterflies
How would we live without the color blue?
It's our flag
Clothing
Flowers
Serenity
Oh how the rainbow would be so bare
Things, Things, Things You Love
Poetry by Laura Nebeck, Lincoln Middle School
Music by A. Eric Heukeshoven
Things, things, things you
love
What I love, W what I
love
Not
Afternoons
Books
Cookies
Or
Diamonds
Yes, yes, yes
No Not
Earrings
Fudge
Games
Or
Hamsters
Then, Then, Then
No Not
Internet
Jewelry
Kittens
Or
Lilies
O, O, O
No Not
Money
Nights
Oceans
Or
Popcorn
I see, I see, I see
No Not
Quilts
Roses
Sports
Or
Treasure
And, And, And
No Not
Umbrellas
Videos
Wind
Or
Xylophones
Ok, Ok, Ok
No Not
Yams
Or
Zippers
No, No, No
What Than
LIFE, Life is what I love
and everything it holds
