13 For 3 Through 5

13 For 3 Through 5

Alto Saxophone
Percussion

Duration: 8:00

Program Notes:

13 for 3 Through 5 continues in my works that explore commercial objects symbolizing the social issues that created them; in this case, Muppets.  The piece was inspired by the article, “13 Sesame Street Characters Making a Difference in the World,” by Chris Higgins, October 16, 2013, MentalFloss.com.  Sesame Street, a show geared toward early education for 3 through 5 year-olds, began in 1969.  Older Sesame Street fans may know Veggie Monster, a green version of Cookie Monster who promotes healthy eating, or the situational challenges addressed on the show, such as Big Bird losing his nest in a hurricane, and dealing with grief over the loss of beloved Mister Hooper.  It is significant for our times that since 2000, Sesame Street has introduced numerous new Muppet characters addressing social issues impacting preschool children, including: food insecurity and homelessness; parental incarceration; living with HIV; autism; divorce; bullying; prejudice; military deployment and injury; and more.  This work reinterprets the openings of the Sesame Street themes from my childhood, my sons’ childhoods, and today, to create a reverent, nostalgic homage to a show that gave me so much comfort as a young child, and continues to do so for so many in distress.

13 for 3 Through 5 was written in 2019 for Bent Frequency Duo: Jan Berry Baker and Stuart Gerber.

Premiere:
September 7, 2019
Bent Frequency Duo Project 
Justly Tuned Concert Series
Foundation for Emerging Arts and Technologies
Percussion Studio
Frost School of Music, University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL