The Hills of Aberfeldy

The Hills of Aberfeldy (Arr. for Ensemble by Jim Clements)

Seeds of ChangeCopyright © 2021, 2024 Alphasongs LLC (ASCAP) all rights reserved.Music and Lyrics by Matthew L. Kearns (ASCAP)www.Alphasongs.netNotesThe rhythm of my life required changes. I came to a traumatic time where it was necessary to make some decisions about changing from past associations to new directions and new associations. I’ve been finding direction through composing lyrical and musical ideas to score. This was one of many seeds of change that I consciously planted in the spring of 2019 when I started putting notes to score, discovering I could compose. This song comes to me two years later looking back to time it became clear how some relationships could not continue. Relationships with the family I grew up with and the musical family I was with, had strong dysfunctional elements and unconscious negative biases against me. Many others in those groups never showing regard toward me, even enabling the bullying against me and my family. After positive mental health care came into the picture, it finally became clear how much I needed to break from these relationships that were wounding me again and again. Knowing these separations would be traumatic, I made very deliberate conscious changes in my life, planting the Seeds of Change. One of the seeds I planted was a very conscious effort to embrace my musical ideas and grow my abilities to really compose them into songs. I planted other seeds as well, continuing my mental health care resuming my transcendental meditation practice, working on my musicianship, better focus on work, strengthening relationships with those friends and family who accepted me, losing weight, quitting tobacco, etc. My life is on a journey to a better place. The lyrics reflect this new harvest of better ideas, changes and looking forward to cultivating positive changes from the seeds of change that I plant. The lyrical structure of the song is somewhat freeform, in that it has an interlude and refrain that repeat itself, anchoring the story of the song, written in four parts. I wanted the music to be at a nice walking rhythmic tempo reflecting the desire to put my life on a more even keel, so to speak. The tenor and bass parts provide this rhythmic steadiness throughout the piece but with many interesting subtle variations. The soprano and mezzo-soprano parts carry most of the lyrics, but there are moments of texture where these parts step aside to let the alto part take the lead. The song concludes in this 3 part harmony mode (alto, tenor, bass) to a gentle, simple ending, keeping the persistent rhythm maintained throughout the song. Performance Notes This piece is scored for small to medium vocal ensemble. There is a part written for hand claps. These clapping parts are intended to be a starting point for adding rhythmic emphasis. The percussive parts are intended to emphasize rhythms and enhance timing. These are optional and could be left out. On the other hand, I would encourage adding the written clapping parts. For more creativity, improvisational beatboxing can enhance rhythms even more. Have fun with it.  Audio tracks generated with Cantamus software

Seeds of Change - Music and Lyrics by Matthew L.Kearns

Somewhere Under the RainbowCopyright ©2024 Alphasongs LLC (ASCAP), Lyrics by Kai Cofer (ASCAP), Music by Matthew L. Kearns (ASCAP) - www.Alphasongs.netFrom: The Process, a play by Kai Cofer. Notes:Later in Scene Two of Act One of musical, the Process, another office worker named Liz gets a message from the boss, Mr. Goldman. She is surprised to find out the company is sending her to Seattle, a place she has never visited before. She begins to dream about her new destination as we go into this song, As a Seattle native, myself, I was thrilled to work on these lyrics as an introduction to the new musical I’m working on with Kai Cofer. His lyrics capture the highlights of the city and what it’s known for. In fact, I worked in an office for three years located right at the north end of the Pike Place Market and the song raises wonderful memories of those days, wandering through the produce and fish markets and that famous original coffee shop, at lunch, looking out at ships coming in and out of Elliot Bay. In Kai’s lyrical work, he is often thinking about an existing song with his original lyrics. Lyrically, Somewhere Under the Rainbow was written with the melody of the Wizard of Oz classic, Somewhere Over the Rainbow in mind. Musically, I wanted to give the original classic a brief tribute, using the same first five notes but in a different rhythm. From there, the song moves into its own distinct verses and interludes. In the middle of the song, we have two sections called The Market and The Coffee which are different than the verses. They paint a musical picture of Liz as she ponders traveling to Pike Place Market to enjoy the sights and the coffee. It’s a wonderful picture I remember fondly. Finally, we go back to the third verse and conclusion as Liz laments, “The Emerald city’s always green. It really must be seen.” And I do concur. Performance Notes:This piece is scored for small to medium vocal ensemble. The theatre performance will generally have one person per part. There is also a part written for hand claps. The clapping parts are a starting point for adding rhythmic emphasis. The hand rhythm part is optional but could also be incorporated into improvisational beatboxing to enhance rhythmic emphasis even more. Have fun with it. Audio tracks generated with Cantamus software

Somewhere Under The Rainbow - Lyrics by Kai Cofer, Music by Matthew L. Kearns

I Love You So- The Walters cover

This song was commissioned by the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery playlist project. [Link to the full playlist coming Autumn 2024!]

I love a song that asks a question. This one asks three.

I hope you don't just sing these questions; I hope you and your community are continually experimenting towards the answers together. 

Lyrics: (I've updated the call and echo section slightly since this recording: Let's tell the story, Let's learn the story, Let's live the story...)

What would being in right relationship look like
With this land?

What's the old story? (What's the old story....)
Extraction and greed...
But let's tell the story...
Of Reciprocity...
Reciprocity...

What would being in right relationship look like
With these hands? (lower harmony)

What's the old story? (What's the old story....)
Extraction and greed... 
But let's learn the story...
Of Mutuality...
Mutuality...

What would being in right relationship look like
With the people on whose land we stand? (higher harmony)

What's the old story? (What's the old story....)
Extraction and greed... 
But let's live the story...
Of Interdependency...
Interdependency...


Teaching notes for songleaders: If you decide not to teach the harmonies that's fine! I would still teach all three questions and tell folx they can sing them right on top of one another. 


Thanks to Conie, Doe, Kat, Emily, and Katrin for singing with me (and to Doe for finessing the end of the call and echo section!)

Right Relationship

This song was commissioned by the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery playlist project. [Link to the full playlist coming Autumn 2024!]

As I sat with the idea of what it means to dismantle white supremacy, to dismantle extractive domination systems of people over planet, to dismantle toxic theology, I was struck by how much there is to unlearn about how we live and work and relate to each other and our world.

There are so many old stories that we need to uproot, compost, and replace with healthier stories. 

As we try to figure out how to make the way together, "towards what's true" acknowledges that messy past histories don't always agree with each other, and the future way is foggy, but we want to keep working to get as close as we can. 

We cannot be scared away by complex, messy, painful pasts and our present any longer. 
And the growth as we grieve, process, and heal together will be beautiful. 

Lyrics:
We have so much unlearning to do
We have so much unlearning to do
We commit to learning towards what's true
We have so much unlearning to do

We have so much more listening to do...
We have so much confessing to do...
We have so much more grieving to do...
We have so much repenting to do...
We have so much more growing to do...
We have so much repairing to do...
We have so much more healing to do...
We have so much more loving to do...


Teaching notes for songleaders: Commit when you say "commit" :) and don't be afraid to lean in to the syncopation on "towards what's true."
I would always start teaching this song with "unlearning" and end with "loving;" zip in whatever other verbs you and your community need as you work towards truth together.

As we were recording it, we realized: It's a work song. It has the rhythm of an old digging song to get work into your body. It's a song to help you along as you go do the work. 

Thanks to Conie, Doe, Emily, and Katrin for singing with me and curating this set of verbs together.

Unlearning

Jag fick svamp

Brontë Land (a cappella)

Hugo Boss In-Store 2024 LIVE Mix

This is the sixth single and track off of my album, Doomsday. This is an original song, that is written and recorded by Calyx Kre/Calyx Kreations Music Label. 

This single talks about the possible romantic encounter that happened in 2023, but also dealing with my trauma and anxiety when I worked in the band. Basically, feeling afraid and wanting to explore the possibilities of a romantic connection at the same time.

Apocalypse (A Cappella Version)

I write songs for community singing. They're songs for the streets, to keep us going in the struggle for justice, songs to remind us another world is possible and carry us through to liberation. I hope you'll find some friends and sing these together.

GOLD available now: http://radi.al/KingsSingersGold

The King’s Singers were officially born on May 1st 1968, formed by six recently-graduated choral scholars from King’s College, Cambridge. Their vocal line-up was (by chance) two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has never wavered from this formation since. 2018 marks the 50th birthday of the group, and to celebrate, The King’s Singers are presenting their anniversary season: GOLD. Everything in this GOLD season, from triple-album to book and concert tour, celebrates the amazing musical heritage of The King’s Singers, and also looks at the bright future of vocal music in all its forms.

What really distinguished the group in its early years was its musical diversity. The King’s Singers were a weekly fixture on prime-time television, celebrating popular music never usually touched by choral ensembles, and their unique British charm, combined with their musical craft, captured audiences’ hearts the world over. The group has consistently been welcomed on the world’s great stages throughout its history – from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Opera House in Sydney or New York’s Carnegie Hall – as well as being ambassadors for musical excellence across the globe. Two Grammy® Awards, an Emmy® Award, and a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame sit among the numerous accolades bestowed upon the group. 

This love of diversity has always fuelled The King’s Singers’ commitment to creating new music. A panoply of commissioned works by many of the supreme composers of our times – including Sir John Tavener, Toru Takemitsu, John Rutter, Luciano Berio, Nico Muhly, György Ligeti and Eric Whitacre – sits alongside countless bespoke arrangements in the group’s extensive repertoire. The group is determined to spread the joy of ensemble singing, and leads workshops and residential courses all over the world each season.

The world may have changed a lot in the fifty years since the original King’s Singers came together, but today’s group is still charged by the same lifeblood – one that wants to radiate the joy singing brings every day, and that wants to give life to audiences with their virtuosity and vision for an exciting musical future.

www.Alphasongs.net - Everything about me and my music is there.

Recent Blog Posts
https://www.alphasongs.net/post/singing-together-this-fall

https://www.alphasongs.net/post/preview-sing-it-forward

https://www.alphasongs.net/post/feature-song-interurban-fanfare

https://www.alphasongs.net/post/alphasongs-orchestrations-on-soundcloud-playlist

My Links:
 Website: https://www.alphasongs.net/
 Catalog: https://www.alphasongs.net/catalog
 Blog: https://www.alphasongs.net/blog
 Contact: https://www.alphasongs.net/contact-8
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlphasongsByMatt/
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dbguru/
 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/matthewkearns
 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChgom9VDydua6rILmnm1vrA
 YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi0rxwZhKjvEreLI4z8FLxc2GI6y2peAh

"Thoughts and actions are the building blocks that create your life. So, Kreate."
_Calyx Kre 


Calyx Kre is an opera vocalist/musical artist,
social media management podcaster/
social media manager and music producer. 

Calyx Kre has studied Recording Arts and Development, Ableton Music, Music Marketing. Basics Of Astrology and Advanced Astrology. 

Calyx Kre has Sensory Integration Disorder, Autism, Epilepsy and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (she is ten years behind in physical, emotional and intellectual development), that she has grown from as an opera vocalist/musical artist, social media management podcaster/social media manager and music producer.

music to leave your mind with
linktr.ee/oraclered

DJ Dreea is an up and coming open format DJ based in Chicago. Since 2008,  she's had the opportunity to play at various events and venues. Her talent and love for music is showcased weekly via both recorded and LIVE performances.

New tracks tagged #A cappella