In our latest composing quest, we were challenged by the Minnesota Suzuki Flute Teachers Association to write flute choir pieces that could be played by beginner, intermediate, and advanced students at the same time. I thought that was a cool challenge, and I decided to start with the Japanese children’s song “Kagome Kagome,” which means “bird in a cage.”

In doing my flute choir arrangement, I thought back to when I first started playing violin in 5th grade. My favorite pieces weren’t usually the happy, major key ones; they were the ones with a little more emotional substance and cool chords. So for “Kagome Kagome” I wanted to take the simple pentatonic melody and create complex harmonies around it that add depth and color to it not normally found in beginner pieces.

Here’s the wonderful performance by the Suzuki students.

Thanks again to Bethany Gonella, Andrea Myers, and the UMFA for organizing this concert!

Below is a sample of my arrangement. If you’re interested in the sheet music, please email me – charlie@charliemccarron.com.