Summer Showcase 2020

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Not being able to practice together & perform in person didn't stop Annie & Brandon from performing their duet! 

Can You Feel the Love Tonight is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. ... The same year the song also won Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. 

Annie and Brandon chose this piece for a duet because they love singing together and share a love of Disney.

Aislinn plays Standing in the Need of Prayer on piano for Summer Showcase 2020.

Standing in the Need of Prayer is an African American spiritual, and, like many folk songs, its origin is unknown. Both text and tune became well known after their publication in The Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925), compiled by James Weldon Johnson and his brother,]. Rosamond Johnson. 

This arrangement is held by Alfred Publishing. 

Aislinn chose this piece because she says it is fun to play. 

Blake plays Jesus Loves Me on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020.

Jesus Loves Me is the best loved children’s song of all time.The words were written by Anna Bartlett Warner, who was born in 1827. The words to “Jesus Loves Me” first appeared in Susan’s 1860 bestselling novel “Say and Seal”. In the novel, Sunday School teacher Mr. Linden comforts his student, Johnny Fax. The words are spoken to soothe the dying child. “Jesus Loves Me” was published as a hymn in the hymnbook “Original Hymns”. The tune and chorus were added in 1862 by Dr. William Bradbury. Dr. Bradbury dedicated himself to teaching, writing and publishing his music; published 59 collections of sacred and secular music. “Jesus Loves Me” appeared in his hymnal “The Golden Sower”. This arrangement is held by Dovetree Productions, c/o FABER Piano Adventures. 

Blake chose this piece because he loves the song and wanted to share. 

Aislinn plays Rainbow Connection on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020.

Rainbow Connection was written by songwriters Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher for The Muppet Movie, which came out in 1979. In the film, it is sung by Kermit The Frog as the Muppets set out to find adventure. "Rainbow Connection was the first number in The Muppet Movie. It's the one that establishes the lead character. We find Kermit sitting in the middle of the swamp. Kenny Ascher and I sat down to write these songs, and we thought... Kermit, he's like 'every frog.' He's the Jimmy Stewart of frogs. So how do we show that he's a thinking frog, and that he has an introspective soul, and all that good stuff? We looked at his environment, and his environment is water and air - and light. And it just seemed like it would be a place where he would see a rainbow. But we also wanted to show that he would be on this spiritual path, examining life, and the meaning of life. 

This arrangement by Dennis Alexander is held by Alfred Publishing.  

Aislinn chose this song because it speaks to her. 

Sharon plays Twinkle Variation on violin for Summer Showcase, 2020.

Twinkle Variation, arrangement by the Suzuki Method, is a variation on the popular song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

Piano written and arranged by Malena’s Music & More.  

Sharon chose this song to introduce others to the violin. 

Deaglan plays Mary Ann on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020.

Mary Ann, composed by calypsonian Roaring Lion (born name: Rafael de Leon), was popular with steelbands and revelers during a spontaneous Carnival celebration on V-J Day in Trinidad in 1945, at the end of World War II.  

This arrangement is held by Alfred Publishing.

Deaglan chose this song because he liked the way it sounds. 

Joey plays Holy, Holy, Holy on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020.

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty," read Reginald Heber's widow. Among her dead husband's papers she found the words of one of the most powerful and beautiful hymns ever written. But years would pass before the lines took their place in worship services around the world. In 1861, a publisher rediscovered the words. He asked John Bacchus Dykes to furnish him with a tune.  John accepted the words. Within thirty minutes he wrote the tune "Nicea," which carried the praise of the Trinity, and it has become one of the most well-known hymns around the world. 

This arrangement is held by Dovetree Productions, c/o FABER Piano Adventures. 

Joey chose this song because he really loves the message. 

Hallie plays Jolly Old St. Nicholas for Summer Showcase 2020 on piano. Jolly Old St. Nicholas is a Christmas song that originated with a poem by Emily Huntington Miller (1833-1913), published as "Lilly's Secret" in The Little Corporal Magazine in December of 1865. The song's lyrics have also been attributed to Benjamin Hanby, who wrote a similar song in the 1860s. However, the lyrics that are most prominent in the present scenario is closely related to the original poem by Emily Huntington Miller. Another popular opinion attributes it to John Piersol McCaskey, a celebrated publisher and song editor of the contemporary era. 

This arrangement is held by Alfred Publishing. 

Hallie started piano just about a month ago, learned this song, and wanted to share. 

Makala sings 10,000 Reasons, written by Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin. Redman shares, “He played me an idea for some of the chorus melody, and I found it immediately inspiring. In fact, it felt like a perfect fit for a song based on the opening of Psalm 103.  

Makala chose this song because she feels it has a great message for everyone. 

Sharon plays Open the Eyes of My Heart on piano for Summer Showcase 2020.

Open the Eyes of My Heart by Paul Baloche was inspired in part by Ephesians 1:18. He shares, “The Apostle Paul was writing a letter to the Ephesians and he says, ‘I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened.’ That verse stirred in my heart. One morning, while playing during a ministry time at my church, I began to sing that phrase over and over again: ‘Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart.’ The whole song pretty much rolled off my tongue while prayerfully playing my guitar and singing out to Him. It really is a simple song that reflected the sincere prayer of my heart.”  

This arrangement is by Kowalchyk & Lancaster, and copyright is held by Integrity's Hosanna! Music. 

Sharon chose this song because she loves the message and it reflects her heart of worship toward God. 

Emily plays Somewhere Over the Rainbow for Summer Showcase, 2020. 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, composed by Harold Arlen and lyricist Yip Harbury, received the honor of the greatest song of the 20th century in 2001. Arlen’s music covers a wide range of styles, from jazz-inspired tunes to light-hearted patter. As they collaborated, Harburg would generally suggest an idea or title connected with the plot, Arlen would compose the music, and then Harburg would write the lyrics. Musical inspiration often struck at odd moments. On his way to a Chinese Theatre with his wife, Arlen asked her to stop the car. In a burst of creativity, he jotted down the tune for “Over the Rainbow” on the music paper that he invariably carried with him. An Arlen trademark is to begin a song with an octave leap, as in the opening syllables’ “Some-WHERE.” The section “Someday I’ll wish upon a star” was meant to imitate a child’s piano exercise, Arlen claimed. Harburg recalled that it was the way Arlen whistled to call his dog. When Harburg and Arlen were stuck on an ending for the song, Ira Gershwin stepped in to help. When asked why he suggested ending the song with the question, “Why, oh, why can’t I,” Gershwin later recalled, “Well, it was getting to be a long evening.” 

This arrangement is held by Alfred Publishing. 

Emily chose this song because of its message of hope. 

Deaglan plays My Heart Will Go On on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020. 

My Heart Will Go On by Will Jennings and James Horner. Jennings shares that "James Horner, who I had worked with on other films, asked me to come to his house and consider writing something for Titanic. James told me the story of the script and then played me the theme he had written for the film. The character Rose, looking back over the all those years, caught my imagination and I connected her with a 100-plus-year-old woman, still working, still vital, who I had met a few years before. When James told me the script, I focused on Rose and thought of Beatrice Wood, who was old enough to have been Rose, and I still had the feeling I had of the life force I felt when I touched Beatrice Wood's hand, and it was from this feeling that I wrote the lyric for 'My Heart Will Go On.'  

This arrangement is held by Alfred Publishing. 

Deaglan chose this song because he likes it. 

Annie sings Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) for Summer Showcase, 2020. 

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) was written by Louis Giglio & Chris Tomlin.  When Chris Tomlin was asked to write an additional part to the hymn "Amazing Grace" -- for the movie releasing this weekend about the life of British abolitionist William Wilberforce -- he wasn't so sure he wanted to change the popular song. "I was completely floored when they asked of all people -- me -- to write a new verse for one of the most sacred and recognized hymns of all time," Tomlin told Baptist Press. "At first, I was like, 'No, you don't mess with that.' But then, God got me thinking about slavery, and the words just came out.” After doing some research, Tomlin discovered that the hymn has withstood previous additions. Tomlin found the original last verse, "the earth shall soon dissolve like snow" and incorporated it into the new rendition of the classic hymn entitled, "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)." He further shares, "When the spotlight is on me, it's on God. I just want to be a reflection of God's light. It's like the moon -- it doesn't give off its own light; it's a reflection of the sun's light."  

Annie chose this song because Amazing Grace is one of her favorite hymns, and she really liked this version. 

Krys & Allison play an Edelweiss duet on piano for Summer Showcase 2020.

Edelweiss was written for the musical in the late 1950s by Rodgers and Hammerstein, who wanted to create a song for Captain von Trapp that would subtly convey his regret and his sadness and his pre-emptive nostalgia at having to leave Austria after the Nazi takeover. And since the actor playing von Trapp in the Broadway show, Theodore Bikel, was also an accomplished folk guitarist, the pair decided to write his elegy as if it were, indeed, a folk song. For the lyrics of “Edelweiss,” Rodgers and Hammerstein focused on the German myths about the edelweiss flower, famed not only for its metaphor-friendly ability to withstand harsh Alpine winters but also for its symbolism of love’s triumphs. 

This arrangement held by Williamson Music Company. 

Krys & Allison chose this song after Winter Showcase 2020 because they both love it, and they wanted to perform a duet together. They decided to get together & wear masks so they could play on the same piano. 

Allison performs Roslin and Adama on piano for Summer Showcase, 2020. 

Roslin & Adama was written by Bear McCreary as part of the Battle Star Gallactica series and was aired during the “Resurrection Ship” 2 part episode, which was broadcast in 2006. The emotion and power behind the song is incredible.  

Allison chose this song because of her love for Battle Star Gallactica and the intensity of the song.