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Look for the Helpers
 Classical/Chamber music • 2024
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Instrumentation |
Flute, Bassoon, Oboe, Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass, Harp, Drum set |
Scored for |
Chamber orchestra |
Type of score |
Full score, Parts |
Key |
D minor |
Publisher |
Gary Nash |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Duration |
13'0 |
Look for the Helpers is largely based on and inspired by the tragic shootings at the Covenant School in Nashville, TN and Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, both occurring around the same time of the year in 2023. The title is derived from a phrase from a famous Mr. Rogers quote, often used in tragedies: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Gary Powell Nash is a composer who often takes personal experiences and reflects those same experiences in his music. The Covenant School is in the same general area as Woodmont Baptist Church, which is where Nash’s son and daughter attended vacation bible school one summer. That and both of his children are around the same age as some of the victims. Nash is not only a native of Michigan but also received his Bachelors and Doctoral Degrees in music from Michigan State University. One of his closest relatives, an MSU alumnus and graduate student also lives in East Lansing, MI, not too far from where the shooting took place.
As there were 6 casualties in Nashville and 8 total victims, including 3 deaths in East Lansing, MI, Nash chose to use 7/8 time signature to reflect 14 (7x2). The formal structure is based on the Fibonacci sequence, with 377 total measures in Look for the Helpers. Each section, mostly defined and articulated by melodic construct and orchestration, utilizes Fibonacci proportions. The melodies and motifs consist of various configurations of the 7/8 subdivision (referring to 2+2+3, 2+3+2, 3+2+2). One of the principal motifs is based on the rhythm created when one speaks the phrase “look for the helpers”, which is developed throughout the composition.
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