Shine On

This piece was commissioned by Dr. Carl Rowles at Kansas Wesleyan University in 2018 for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment - women's right to vote. It was written for KWU's middle school honor band festival and was premiered in October of 2019, with a program featuring entirely female composers. The piece was written with melodies from popular music from the 1910's and 1920's - meant to mirror the mood of the time. The melodies were also either written or performed by women. In the beginning, the piece reflects the darkness of the times in that women did not have a voice when it came to politics and many other issues. It travels back and forth between the reality of not having a voice, and the optimism of the possibility of attaining the right to vote. The piece then kicks off a celebratory mood meant to represent the passing of the amendment. And although the passing of the amendment rightly should be celebrated, the end of the piece quotes a bit from the beginning, indicating that although progress had been made, it was only white women that had attained the right to vote; women of color had yet to be included. Progress did not mean the work was done and equality had been attained. The work of the suffragettes will not be forgotten; their legacy will shine on through us.