Black Moon Trio’s performance program, Sow the Seeds, becomes the guide for an all-new residency program with the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. Using resources from Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods’ At Ease and Art Supply Exchange programs, Veterans enrolled in outpatient programs at Lovell participated in a six-week graphic score composition residency culminating in the creation of 11 original pieces of music performed and recorded by Black Moon Trio. Michael Tyler’s collection of poetry, Sow the Seeds: A Composition in Verse, provided the thematic framework for Veterans to compose works about their experiences in nature and their personal connections with one another.
2023 Participant Gallery
Below is the collection of works created by participants of the 2023 Water(color) for the Soul residency. Each piece includes the composer's name, the title of the work, a brief explanation of the work, and the recording of how it sounds. The image of each piece can be enlarged by clicking on it.
Al
Tranquil
I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to paint, but not necessarily what I wanted to hear in the music. I started with notating some rhythm at the top of the piece but later made more imagery of things I found calming; the warmth of the sun and walks in nature. The red plants represent anxiety and sound as such. The violin is playing the sounds of the soil, providing the foundation for all of the other sounds.
Andre
Deep Joy
I enjoy going to the beach and feeling the peace and joy of being underwater. This piece has three different elements. At the top is the beat of the music represented by different elements of underwater life including coral and seaweed. Beneath that is the harmony that is represented by a heart with children dancing around it. Lastly, the bubbles at the bottom represent the surprising noises you hear underwater and the bubbles that are created by the motion of ocean creatures.
Claudia
Honor Her
The composition workshops that this piece came from took place shortly after Mother’s Day which had me thinking about my mother who lived to be almost 100 years old. Not only was she my mother but she was also a dear friend.
This piece is jointly inspired by Proverbs 31:31 which reads:
“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
The number 3 is present all over the work because the music is felt in 3 beats. The melody is carried by the violin, harmony in the piano, and the horn plays praising fanfares near the end.
Dan
Confused
I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of music would be heard with what I’ve put on the page and most of this process had me feeling confused. Colors are also a little confusing because I don’t always see them clearly. But in the process of creating this, I knew that I wanted a beginning, middle, and end, each of which has a different style but always with a hint of disturbing confusion.
Evelyn
Jazzy Tango
This piece is a mix of a few different inspirations.
First, the night before I started attending these workshops, I had watched a documentary on the great tango composer, Astor Piazzolla, which was really interesting and exciting. That informed the energy and the title of this piece.
The next inspiration was painting about my morning routine which always begins with waking up to the sounds of trees and a bowl of cereal.
Lastly, I wrote about the experience I had in these workshops of listening to all different sorts of music and how they came together in my head.
Jacqui
Daughter of Zion
When I was asked to write music, I had no clue how to get my thoughts onto the paper. When prompted to “think of something you’ve done in the past”, I thought of a song that I wrote a couple of years ago. I’m a very literal person so I wrote down symbols that represent the lyrics in the song and worked with the musicians to accompany the song while I sing.
Jan
Sunset
This piece tracks the sounds and feelings of a sunset on a windy evening. The horn takes the main melody and starts in a high register so that it can descend as the sun sets while the violin makes the sounds of the wind and the piano helps to set the mood.
Kathy
Transition
I’m not as familiar with the musical elements but I do have a familiarity with paints and colors. I was struggling with how to begin my piece but after putting some paint down on the page, things started to come to me.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I developed a lot of anxiety and depression with a lot of ups and downs represented here by the dark reds, points, and spirals. To help myself, I started gardening and growing herbs. The more I dug in the dirt, the better I felt. I started feeling lighter which I show with the bubbles.
The more I worked, the lighter I got until now when I can finally feel the happiness and the sunshine again.
Lia
Li
When I was asked to write music, I had no clue how to get my thoughts onto the paper. When prompted to “think of something you’ve done in the past”, I thought of a song that I wrote a couple of years ago. I’m a very literal person so I wrote down symbols that represent the lyrics in the song and worked with the musicians to accompany the song while I sing.
Marie
Mary Had A Little
Lamb
Making visuals to represent sounds was a new experience for me so to help, I went back to a familiar lullaby, Mary Had A Little Lamb. The shapes you see here follow the lyrics of the song but with the colors I chose, I wanted to change the sounds so that the melody was recognizable but the overall performance had a new spin on it.
Pie
My Way
This piece is all about emotions. At the beginning of this composition residency, I was a little lost as to what to do. But after we did an activity called Crazy 15 where we were writing nonstop for 15 minutes, I found that my writing transformed into the colors you see here.
I based this work off of My Way sung by Frank Sinatra but also some of my own poetry that came from writing during these activities:
The depth of pain colors one’s life and brings forth a multitude of emotions that require many thoughts.
Do you hide those thoughts with sound and music or bang a drum to soften the pain?
Around you lives joy, sadness, and rage, you get to pick the proper stage.
Travel, if you will, behind the curtain,
And see the things for which you’re certain.
Pick the feelings that fit you best,
And find a place to put the rest.
If you walk alone on the path of life,
Then pick a friend to change that life.
Together we can change the world.
Collaborators
Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
Our hospital provides primary care and specialty health services, including mental health care, women’s health services, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), foot care (podiatry), vision care (optometry, ophthalmology, and cataract surgery), orthopedics, and more. Below, you’ll find our address and hours, parking and transportation information, and the other health services we offer at our Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center at the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago.
Brushwood Center
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. We engage people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices.