Connect your Choir with Fly Away Home by Pinkzebra
With sweet melodies, charming text, and approachable harmonies, Fly Away Home by Pinkzebra is available and accessible for choirs of all voicing types. As singers consider the meaning of home and the feelings they associate with concept, choirs have the opportunity to share and connect – and perhaps find the freedom of home with each other.
Take a listen to Fly Away Home here, and then enjoy this post, in which I dig into the following:
- Who is Pinkzebra?
- Interpreting the Lyrics
- The Feeling of Home
- Utilizing Pop Singing Styles
- Fly Away Home Teacher Resources
- …and so much more!
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Fly Away Home…Together
In just a few weeks, I will be conducting the Arkansas Choral Director’s Association Region One Junior High Tenor/Bass ensemble, and Fly Away Home will be one of their four pieces. (Reena Esmail’s TaReKiTa, which I wrote about here, and Mozart’s Viva! as arranged by Patrick M. Liebergen, here, will also be featured on this program).
I chose this piece for the TTB ensemble because it not only is a good challenge for developing voices, but also because it will allow us the opportunity for some fellowship and discussion throughout our preparation of the piece. Below, I detail a bit about the composer and their work, discuss the lyrics of the piece, dig into the emotions behind “home,” and share some considerations for working with pop tonalities in choir.
The Illusive Pinkzebra
In our current world, it is not often that someone can stay anonymous. The composer of Fly Away Home has somehow managed to hid their true identity from the choral world using the pseudonym Pinkzebra.
According to their website, Pinkzebra is a successful composer and music producer who has worked on music for TV, film, commercials, bands, choirs, and symphony orchestras. The composer is known for their upbeat and positive choral works, inspiring choirs around the world.
A few other Pinkzebra songs you might know (or want to know):
- Walk Through Life: This piece was a singer favorite at the Alabama ACDA Treble Choir this past spring with it’s upbeat groove, handclaps, and easy-to-sing harmonies.
- Revolution: In this piece, singers share a sentiment of empowerment and changing the world. Unaccompanied and accompanied versions available for a variety of ensemble types.
- Remembering Decembers: I am always looking for secular winter songs, and this one offers a sweet and reflective addition to any winter concert.
Story Time
The Fly Away Home lyrics, as crafted by Pinkzebra, allow choirs to interpret their meaning, intent, and story. Throughout the piece, the speaker explains all the fun plans they have for their life, inviting the listener to join them. The speaker sees life as a vision and the world as their canvas, but they know that after completing their journey, they will end up flying home.
The question then, is where is the speaker going, why are they coming home, and where is home to them? Are we graduating and flying off to jobs or college? Are we on a fun journey with our choir and thinking fondly about our friends and families awaiting us at home? Is home a place? A person? An afterlife? How do you interpret the lyrics? Let me know in the comments below!
Tapping into Our Emotions
A focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in choir allows singers of all ages an opportunity to mindfully examine the ways in which they and their singing colleagues recognize and manage their emotions and make decisions in and out of choir. See my recent article in the Choral Journal for more information on the benefits of embedding social emotional learning in everyday choral interactions.
SEL-INSPIRED CONVERSATIONS
Below are a few discussion prompts that could help address the five core SEL competencies:
| SEL Competency: | Discussion Prompts: |
|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | What does “home” mean to you? How did you feel when you leave home? When you think about heading back home? How do those emotions translate to your interpretation of Fly Away Home? |
| Self-Management | What strategies do you have to regulate your emotions as you leave a place of comfort? How might these strategies apply to your self as a musician? |
| Decision Making | As you sing Fly Away Home, what musical decisions can you make to share with your audience the emotions associated with leaving or arriving home? |
| Social Awareness | Are you aware of anyone in your choir (or in your life in general) who thinks of choir as their home? Or who is not comfortable at all during ensemble time? What signs might they display to indicate their level of comfort? |
| Relationship Skills | How do you maintain relationships with people who have left home or who are about to leave for home? How can you help others find home in choir? |
If you want to know more about Social Emotional Learning, I encourage you to check out the books linked below. These are some of my favorites!
Styling Voices for Pop Music
Pinkzebra is known for utilizing popular music rhythms, styles, and tropes in their work. To me, that means it is appropriate to approach this piece in a less “choral” and a more “pop” manner.
Some vocal considerations when singing pop music:
- Head Resonance vs. Chest Resonance: Both choral and popular music utilize a mix of head, chest, and mixed resonance voice. However, choirs tend to utilize head voice resonance more, while pop vocalists utilize mixed and chest voice more. Singers should experiment with head, chest, and mixed resonance while preparing Fly Away Home: they all have a place within this piece.
- Vowels: In choir, we often ask for more rounded vowel sounds. Pop musicians utilize more rectangular vowel shapes. As Fly Away Home is a mix of pop and choral, a mix of rounded and rectangular vowels may be appropriate.
- Breath Support: Breath support is equally important in both choral and pop music. Practice breathing through rest measures and then using throughout the phrase. Measures 32, 56, and 76 are great places to try this.
- Vibrato: In many choral settings, vibrato is encouraged, whereas often times pop singers shoot for a straight tone. Both may be appropriate in this piece.
- Larynx Position: In choral music, we ask for a more open, rounded sound, which requires a low larynx. In pop music, we usually utilize a higher larynx position which allows for a brighter vocals sound. As Fly Away Home is a mix of pop and choral, a mix of low and high laryngeal positions may be appropriate.
What other choral vs. pop vocal styling considerations might we make? Let me know in the comments below!
Complementary Pieces
Want to listen to other pieces like Fly Away Home? Or planning a concert and need some programming ideas? Here are a few complementary pieces!
Enjoying Choral Works with a Flying Theme?
- Eric Whitacre’s Fly to Paradise is such a cool piece with an electronic backing track! I’m itching to find an opportunity to program this.
- Philip Silvey’s Flying Solo is a touching and inspiring piece with beautiful harmonies and killer emotional release.
- Kim Andre Arnesen’s Flight Song is one of those pieces that just feels good to listen to and sing!
Other TTB pieces I’ve paired with Fly Away Home! for the upcoming Honor’s Choir:
- Reena Esmail’s TāReKiTa
- Mozart’s Viva! as arranged by Patrick Liebergen
- Selections from The Justice Choir Songbook
- Check Out the Full “Ascend” Program Here
I’d Love to Hear from You!
Have you sung or conducted Fly Away Home with your choir? How did you interpret the lyrics? What story did you share? What sort of pop stylings did you add to your interpretation? Let me know in the comments below!
Fly Away Home Teacher Resources
Free Comprehension Worksheets
Choir Leaders! I have begun to include short comprehension worksheets with each Inspired Choir blog post. Each worksheet includes 5-6 knowledge-based questions about the post and concludes with a musical decisions/applications question. Use as a homework assignment, sub activity, listening challenge, or guide for conversation in class. Fill in the form below to receive a link immediately to all “Elements” and “Ascend” Reading Comprehension Worksheets.
Fly Away Home Lesson Plan Bundle
Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the Fly Away Home Lesson Plan Bundle. This bundle includes the following five minute lesson plans, all with connections to National Standards and SEL Competencies:
- Fly Away Home Lyrics Bell Ringers
- Pinkzebra Listening Challenge
- Pop Vocals Exploration
- Interdisciplinary Words and Images Assignment
- Musical Concepts Identification Activity
