Spring moon. A sickle.
Tides ebb and flow. Salt. Silver.
Still sand and water.

This haiku is by New Zealand poet David Keen.

I set it to music in four different ways to accommodate the various musical skills and confidences of a typical group of 13-14 year olds studying Japanese Society and Cultures in their Social Studies or Humanities classes in New Zealand.

The sung vocal part in Spring Moon 1 is suitable for someone with musical and vocal confidence, but the instrumental part can be played on any instrument, including as here, a flute, or as in earlier performances by a non-musician on a glockenspiel, just following the letter names in a rhythm of their choosing – the musician singing would adapt the free rhythms to suit.

Spring Moon 2 can be performed by any one person or group, speaking in a dramatic or declamatory style, but with a more complex instrumental accompaniment playable by a competent musician.

The vocal part of Spring Moon 3 is identical to the previous version, but the accompanying percussion music is much more straightforward and could be played by anyone.

Spring Moon 4 is purely vocal with no singing whatsoever. I’ve used it as a choir warm-up and have facilitated performances by several classes-ful and even an adult-workshop-ful of non-musicians.

For a sample of the score or to purchase a copy, have a look here: