CONCRETE
CHOIR

Add your voice  510-892-4647

About the project

All our lives begin with hope. We are born open, taking in all that is new with wonder and excitement, because everything is new and exciting and wonderful. We are creative, sculpting our identity through whatever events, actions, and beliefs make us feel most ourselves. All that we see is within reach, all that we feel is a new discovery. 

But eventually the newness fades. We grow and experience life. From all the good plus all the bad, we learn to accept the total of what life brings us as the way it is. Routines become reality, responsibilities replace our openness, and curiosity is overtaken by fear of pain, failure, and friction. It feels inevitable — what it means to grow up. We learn that time doesn’t wait for the parts of ourselves that can’t keep up with the lives we grow into.

We let go of our excitement. 
We let go of our wonder. 
We let go of our creativity.

It’s easy to forget what we once had, easy to forget what we used to be. What we are and are becoming beckons us forward without hesitation. But if we take a moment to remember, can we reach within ourselves and reclaim it? If we can control what’s within our hearts and minds — difficult as it may be, can we brighten the light of a creative spirit? 

My own internal exploration has acted as the inspiration for this project. Settled into life and the comforts of stability, combined with the fear of losing said stability, had weakened my connection with my own creativity. I longed for the times of making for the sake of expression and art, to explore without judgement, fear of failure, or a need to deliver. This project, and the corresponding music that inspired it, is the first step towards reclaiming that part of myself that had faded away: the child who knew nothing of now and held onto the hope of what could be.

And so I invite you to ask this of yourself. When did you let go? When were you forced to release your wonder and hope and joy, and replace it with an unquestioning acceptance for the way things are? What wonder and excitement do you wish you could bring back into your life? Through this reflection, I hope you will have the opportunity to welcome back a part of yourself that felt lost. And at the very least, it will no longer be forgotten. 

I want to hear your story. Call the number to contribute your reflection: 510-892-4647. I will listen (or read if you prefer) to every one, and I plan to use your messages in a future musical piece. Together we can create something that helps us all reclaim a part of ourselves that makes us feel more human.