Let it Matter

LETTER TO MEMBERS OF IDAHO ALL-STATE HONOR MIXED CHOIR, 1/25/2018:

Hello my dear singers,

As I trust you already know in your minds and feel in your bones, singing is a hopeful and revolutionary act. This is especially true when the songs bend toward the unfamiliar and challenging, for that's when music’s grace helps us hear what words alone cannot express.

My song Let It Matter grew out of a very personal experience. I have always considered myself to be a well-informed and compassionate person. But until just a few years ago I had never truly understood how, as a college-educated white woman in the United States, my everyday experiences were so vastly different from people whose ethnicity or culture made them frequent targets of slights, harassment and violence. In fact, I experienced my own inner resistance to the notion that racism was deeply entrenched in law enforcement, the court system, hiring practices and housing. I didn't want to believe that racism still had such a stronghold in my country’s institutions. And yet, that was clearly the case.

At the same time, I saw that some impassioned reformers were condemning authority figures across the board, claiming that in some professions there were no thoughtful, fair or even-handed people. This conviction concerned me as well. I feared that this attitude would shut down the very conversations that might bring about understanding and change.

I came to realize that both views of the world were deeply rooted in people's authentic personal experiences, and that because of this they both held important pieces of the truth. The opening lyric of Let It Matter affirms this – that "every story has a flip side." It is easy to discount a story that does not resonate with your own life. It is an act of supreme courage to gently hold two seemingly contradictory stories in your hands at the same time, without discarding either of them as a falsehood.

Singers demonstrate this kind of courage whenever they engage with the music of people who are different from themselves. But many such acts of courage do not occur on a stage or elicit applause. Every week for the past seven years, a racially diverse group called Circle of Peace gathers at my church for dinner and conversation. The circle is comprised of neighborhood youth, parents, police officers, business owners and community members. The agenda of these meetings is simple: To tell and listen to each other’s stories, experiences and concerns, in order to create a safer, more compassionate, and more just world. As I composed Let It Matter, I was inspired by the friction, pain, dedication and hope that brings people to Circle of Peace week after week.

Personally, composing Let It Matter helped me to "open up the prison of my mind." But in order for this message to speak to others, it takes singers like yourselves who not only have beautiful voices – as I know you do – but also beautiful hearts – as I also know you do. I am beyond grateful to you for sharing my music and this message with others. May we all change the world for the better, working together, now and in everything we do.

Most sincerely,

Elizabeth