Most people would not think of Duke Ellington as an environmental educator, and the truth is, “The River” was commissioned by Lucia Chase and Alvin Ailey for the American Ballet Theatre. Ellington intended this music for dance, not to be a nature lesson. But I often use “Giggling Rapids” from “Suite from The River” to teach about water.
Just as the source of a river usually starts uphill and small…. a rill resulting from melting snow or spring rain, this piece starts with a single instrument, a piano .
As the energetic melody line proceeds down the chart, additional instruments, and then whole sections join in, just the way runoff, small streams, and even tributaries flow into the river, contributing to the developing rapids. The bass line reminds me of the springs that sustain the river throughout the year.
In nature, snowmelt and springs, rain, streams and tributaries all join together, every single drop of water contributing to making the river energetic and robust.
An Interlochen Public Radio fund drive is like that. It starts small, but every single contribution, from modest to remarkably generous, combined with sustaining memberships, flow together, gaining energy to make IPR robust.
Please consider calling or going on-line today, so you can be a part of this revenue stream.
