1,000 Paper Cranes

1,000 Paper Cranes for Concert Band (grade 2) 1,000 Paper Cranes is a band piece about the story of folding 1,000 origami cranes. Although the history of folding cranes, and even the idea of folding 1,000 of them, dates back to the late 1700s (Japan's Edo period) the modern story is about the bombing of Hiroshima and a young girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was only 2 years old and just about a mile away from the bomb when it was dropped in Hiroshima. Miraculously, she survived, until she was admitted into the hospital years later with leukemia. During her time in the hospital, a friend told her the story of 1,000 paper cranes, and how they were used in prayer to wish others well. Sadako went on to fold roughly 1,300-1,400 cranes over the course of two months, up until her death in 1955. Sadako was just 12 years old. In the wake of her death, the Hiroshima Children's Peace Memorial was constructed dedicated to Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of other "Atomic Bomb Children". On top of the memorial is a statue of Sadako holding a crane. This memorial is a statue of peace, and has the following inscribed on it "This is our cry, this is our prayer: for building peace in the world". In the spirit of nurturing community, I honestly couldn't think of a better story of a community coming together to not just help each other, but to help the world around them.