Finding the Fire with When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin
Ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, and they’ll likely have a list of professions ready to go for you. Coty Raven Morris’s lyrics as set in When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin dig into the absurdity of this question. Why wait to be what you want to be? You can do it now!
With a great message for singers of all ages, When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin invites singers and audiences to refuse to wait and take their opportunity to be happy today. Below I discuss the following aspects of When I Grow Up:
- The Dynamic Duo behind When I Grow Up
- What Do I Want to Be?
- Elemental Imagery
- Musical Concepts in When I Grow Up
- When I Grow Up Teacher Resources
- …and so much more!
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Get the Children Talking!
As I talked about in a previous post, last April I conducted Alabama ACDA’s Young Voices Festival 4th-8th Grade Girl’s Choir. (Check out the full “Elements” Program Round-Up Here). The SA arrangement of When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin was our mid-set piece and was a favorite for many of the singers. (Take a listen to their performance of the piece here.) Also available for TB and SAT(B), the lyrics and music are excellent for developing ensembles.
Not only did the Young Voices singers enjoy the variety of styles and textures throughout the piece, they loved talking about their visions of growing up, sharing their interpretations of the text, and learning about the composer and lyricist. Due to the stellar message of the piece and skillful text-setting, the singers had much to talk about as they interpreted When I Grow Up.
Dynamic Duo: Connor Koppin and Coty Raven Morris
Two of the coolest people I went to grad school with at Michigan State University are Connor Koppin and Coty Raven Morris, the composer and lyricist of this piece, respectively. These are two very talented music educators and musicians to keep an eye on!
The Composer: Connor Koppin
Connor Koppin is a choral composer living and working in Southern California. He has also composed for instrumental ensembles and films, and has engaged in songwriting. I find his work approachable for singers of all ages, and his text selections are always on point. I’d wager that his time teaching in choral classrooms has informed the way he approaches voice leading and vocal ranges – they are always so good in his work.
Some of my favorite Koppin pieces are:
- She Walks in Beauty: For TTBB with piano and Oboe and text by Lord Byron, this piece allows a tenor/bass ensemble to explore their gentle, lyrical side. Gorgeous lines.
- The Waters Wrecked the Sky: For SSA with piano and text by Emily Dickinson, this piece describes the life of a storm and the aftermath. Yet another example of Koppin’s expert text setting.
- I Found Night: SATB unaccompanied with text by Greg DiMarco. Examines the juxtaposition of darkness and light, despair and joy.
The Lyricist
Coty Raven Morris is a music educator and social justice advocate living and working in Portland. In addition to her choir, music education, and social justice work at Portland State University, Coty is also the founder of Being Human Together, a community discussing traditionally mental health, systemic oppression, diversity, and inclusivity in music education.
Coty travels around the country leading professional developments, directing honors ensembles, and spreading her joy for choral music. She recently released her first published composition for choirs: Who I Want to Be. In this piece, her lyrics encourage singers to examine personal and community wellness.
When I Grow Up: Discussions
Let’s talk about these lyrics – the singers I worked with loved them. If you haven’t read the lyrics yet, to summarize, the speaker is considering their answer to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They want to be sun, air, water, or perhaps fire, or even earth. Ultimately they decide they want to live and be happy – but they refuse to wait until they grow up.
The Young Voices singers were quite perceptive and had already grasped onto the message by the time they arrived to the festival. They shared with me how “silly” it is that anyone would wait until they grow up to be happy and wondered why future jobs are so concerning to so many adults.
SEL-INspired Conversations
When diving in to discussions with young singers, especially, I like to frame our conversations with the Social Emotional Learning Competencies. (I talked a bit about SEL here.) Below are a few discussion starters for When I Grow Up:
| SEL Competency: | Discussion Prompts: |
|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Which of the answers to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” do you identify with the most? Or do you have a different answer? Which element of nature do you identify with the most? Why? |
| Self-Management | As you pursue your growing up goals, how will you balance your emotions if you get off track? How might these strategies apply to your self as a musician? |
| Decision Making | As you sing When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin what musical decisions can you make to share with your audience the emotions associated with each of the elements? |
| Social Awareness | Are you aware of anyone in your choir (or in your life in general) who might not be choosing life and happiness? What signs might they display to indicate that they have a different approach to thinking about growing up? Why might they think that way? |
| Relationship Skills | How might you support a friend or colleague who is unsure of their path in life? What actions or conversations might you have to encourage them along their way? |
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!
Although this piece is clearly written for younger voices, I could see this being adorable for older groups as well. My dad (who just retired) is known to say that he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. A good message for singers of all ages!
The Elemental Imagery of Connor Koppin’s When I Grow Up:
Air, water, fire, and earth together are known as the classical elements. Ancient philosophers and eventually medieval scientists classified these four elements as the basis and explanation of nature and matter. Lyricist Coty Raven Morris uses these four elements throughout the piece. Notice how composer Koppin shifted the tone and style of the composition for each element.
Many artists have been inspired to portray the four elements in a variety of ways. Here are a few works of art that I personally enjoy connecting to When I Grow Up:
- Landscape with Allegories of the Four Elements by Jan Brueghel the Younger
- A Tribute to the Elements of Nature by Linda Maxon
- The Four Elements by Alexander Calder
Musical Concepts in When I Grow Up:
Sometimes it’s a little bit easier to grasp on to music theory concepts when you see them in context. Here are a few musical concepts you may come across as you study this piece:
- grace note: an extra note added as an embellishment
- legato: in a smooth flowing manner
- staccato (.): each note is detached from the next
- accent (>): emphasis or stress on a particular note or set of notes
- crescendo: to gradually get louder
- ♩= X : indicates tempo; the number following is how many beats per minute
- piu mosso: more quickly
- accel.: short for accelerando – gradual increase in speed
- poco accel.: gradual accelerando
- accidentals (♯,♭,♮): placed left of a note to show that the note must be changed in pitch
Complementary Pieces
Want to listen to other pieces like When I Grow Up? Or planning a concert and need some programming ideas? Here are a few complementary pieces!
Texts of empowerment for young singers:
- I love pretty much everything from Jim Papoulis for young voices, and Kusimama is no exception. With a message of “Stand Tall,” arrangements for SSA, Two-Part, and SATB are sure to empower young singers.
- Never Give Up by Rollo Dillworth encourages singers and audiences to triumph over obstacles. With a driving piano accompaniment and rhythmic motives, this piece will energize any singer or listener.
- Be the Change by Laura Farnell is a great piece for young voices, combining familiar and new melodies and texts by Mahatma Ghandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Matthew 5:15. Optionally accompanied by piano, djembe, and shaker, the energetic and rhythmic piece will incite great discussion with young singers.
- Viva! by Mozart as arranged by Patrick M. Liebergen is a triumphant celebration for three or four part ensembles.
- Fly Away Home by Pinkzebra with arrangements for nearly all voicings asks singers to 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.
A few other pieces alluding to the classical elements:
- Earth: I Will Be Earth by Gwyneth Walker
- Water: The River by Susan Labarr
- Air: Philip Silvey’s Flying Solo
- Fire: Fire by Katerina Gimon
I’d Love to Hear from You!
Have you sung or conducted When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin with your choir? What sort of discussions were you able to have about the message? How did your ensemble interpret the text-enhancing stylistic changes? Let me know in the comments section below!
When I Grow Up 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.
When I Grow Up by Connor Koppin Lesson Plan Bundle
Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the When I Grow Up Lesson Plan Bundle. This bundle includes the following five minute lesson plans, all with connections to National Standards and SEL Competencies:
- When I Grow Up Journal and Discussion Prompts
- Lyrics Writing Assignment
- The Elements Interdisciplinary Connections Project
- When I Grow Up Team-Building Activity
- Musical Concepts Flashcards
