Movers & Shakers was commissioned in celebration of a new high school fine arts center. The title was extracted from a verse from Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s popular poem, “Ode.” The first line of the poem has even found its way into pop culture with a brief quote by the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder. I think the essence of the poem perfectly captures the idea of celebrating a a fine arts program such as Mukwonago High School that has been built from the ground up – not just by one person, but by its administration, staff, parents, and students. The piece features three of the school's ensemble coming together as one – the wind ensemble, string orchestra, and choir.

Program Notes

 Movers & Shakers was commissioned by the Mukwonago High School Music Department and the students of Tri-M Music Honors Society Chapter #6004 in celebration of their new Performing Arts Center. The title was extracted from a verse from Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s popular poem, “Ode.” The first line of the poem has even found its way into pop culture with a brief quote by the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder. I think the essence of the poem perfectly captures the dea of celebrating a a fine arts program such as Mukwonago High School that has been built from the ground up – not just by one person, but by its administration, staff, parents, and students. Here are some verses that I found to be the most compelling and appropriate.

ODE
by Arthur O’Shaughnessy

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.

A breath of our inspiration
Is the life of each generation;
A wondrous thing of our dreaming
Unearthly, impossible seeming–
The soldier, the king, and the peasant
Are working together in one,
Till our dream shall become their present,
And their work in the world be done.

But we, with our dreaming and singing,
Ceaseless and sorrowless we!
The glory about us clinging
Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing:O men! it must ever be
That we dwell, in our dreaming and singing,
A little apart from ye.

Toward the end of the piece, all of the instrumentalists who are not playing are required to sing along with the choir. If given the words & music, the audience could certainly join in the fun at this point as well.