Hive of Frightened Bees - Andrea Ramsey

Company West Treble Chorus - Chris Maunu, Director
Emily Keelan, Accompanist
Taylor Huntley, Student and Poet
In the days following the devastation of the Parkland, Florida shooting there was a threat written on one of the walls of our own school bathrooms. Although the threat was eventually dismissed, the fear and sadness was deeply felt. The AWHS choir room quickly became a place to share all of those incredibly difficult feelings for the students. One of our own Arvada West Choir students (Taylor Huntley) wrote a poem that addressed the trauma felt through all of this bloodshed and shared with the choir. We were all moved to tears. I asked my friend and composer Andrea Ramsey to set this beautiful poem to music and it was completed approximately 1 year after the Parkland shooting. We were set to perform this new composition May 9, 2019. Just two days before the premiere, there was another fatal school shooting just 20 miles away at the STEM school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. No matter how often this happens, we can't allow ourselves to view this as normal. We can change.

[@randompersonyoumightknow2118]

I'm now in the choir pictured above. We sang this in class yesterday. I'm pretty cynical, and I know this is nothing new, but my heart splintered at the final note. I hope one day we change

[@caitlinhartley2433]

I watched this performed live last night and was in tears. This is beautiful.

[@ZEEBOT87]

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