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Forests of Song: Building Environmental Stewardship through Choral Singing
Forests of Song: Building Environmental Stewardship through Choral Singing

become native to the places they already inhabit.” 3 2) Poetry
It turns out that music is a potent tool in defi ning place Good poetry is, of course, often the root of our reper-
for individuals. Whether conscious or not, you cannot help toire choices. For ecological writing, the early transcenden-
but feel rooted in the western American frontier when lis- talists helped us conceptualize place and being. Emerson,
tening to Copland’s Rodeo, or sense the vast glacial expanse Thoreau, Whitman, and others helped reform the nature
of Iceland with Sigur Rós’ music in your ears. It is more paradigm as haven rather than hazard. They inspired a
than just place and protection though. cultural embrace of wilderness as a refuge—in German,
Music and nature cross over in meaningful ways that Zufl ucht—literally a place we fl ee to.
help us perceive beauty more deeply, connect with greater Pioneering conservationist E.O. Wilson taught that
compassion, and live more thoughtfully. As choir directors, “mankind…is the poetic species. The symbols of art, mu-
we can create opportunities in the natural world that will sic, and language freight power well beyond their outward
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both help the environment and enrich singers’ lives. Here and literal meanings.” This power ignites the wonder we

are a few ideas to get you started. feel at the confluence of music and words. Thoughtfully
selected texts can help choirs connect to nature and capture
its energy.
Which nature poems inspire you or ground you to a
Five Ways to Help Choirs place? Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Stars is a particularly moving set-
Connect with the Earth ting of Sara Teasdale’s descriptive work with wonderful
starlight sonorities coming from singing bowls or crystal
1) Place glasses. One of my recent favorites is Jake Runestad’s Come
Music tells the stories of our homes, both in the folk tra- to the Woods, which deftly tells the story of John Muir’s ad-
dition and through modern invention. In some forms these venture taking in a Yosemite windstorm atop a towering
are literal tales; our folk songs tell local stories that root us Douglas fi r tree.
in communities and place. Performing these songs helps de-
velop a cultural identity woven around natural areas that 3) Listening
feel like home. In a conversation with artist Shon Henderson, he ex-
Other forms are more abstract, as when modern com- plained that when artists observe nature, they notice the

posers paint sonic images of landscapes and light. Nordic finest details—the mechanics of a wing, the texture of bark.
composers have set especially excellent examples here with They develop wonder and fascination for it, and come to
an apt musical language for natural expression. Expanded, understand and respect its intricate beauty and inner work-
static harmonic movement overlaid with simple melodies ings over time as they (artists) strive to reproduce it on a
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often represents our movement through wild spaces. Ola canvas. This process can be the same for musicians but
Gjeilo’s Tundra is a beautiful example, transporting listen- with our ears instead of our eyes. Learning how to actively
ers to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau of his native listen to natural areas can foster deeper care for and un-
Norway. Iceland’s Jón Leifs similarly depicts a drawn-out derstanding of our surroundings. Take your choir into wild
sunset in Sólsetursljóð with patient descending triads weav- spaces and have them engage in listening activities.
ing their way around barren pedal points thus evoking the A tracker once taught me a powerful exercise: to fi nd a
open regions of the North. quiet place and carefully listen in each direction. Sit for a
These are simple ways to help your choir develop a more moment to let the environment return to its natural state.
intentional sense of place. Providing background and im- Begin listening to the north as you stretch your ears and
agery while rehearsing or in concert can also help singers focus on the details. Do you hear wind rustling the grass or
and audience members connect to the landscape. Are there a distant brook? Then listen to the south. Can you hear the
local songs that are native to you, or could you commission deer’s careful footsteps or a hare scampering around? Next,
one? Could your choir write one together? listen to the east. How far can you hear? Can you stretch
it farther? Then to the west. Does the wind sound diff erent
there, or are there birds calling? Finally, connect the sounds

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