The World Will See
The World Will See
Kyle Pederson (2022)
Voicing: SATB
Accompaniment: piano
Text: students of Roosevelt High School (Sioux Falls, SD) and Kyle Pederson
Commissioned by Roosevelt High School, directed by Robyn Starks Holcomb for their performance at Midwest ACDA conference, 2020
LYRICS:
Someday the world will see our unity and not our difference
Someday the world will know the pow'r we hold and it will listen.
Though it will try to divide us--
make us hide to disunite us, we'll show them...
When we speak, we speak with one voice,
when we sing, we join together and sing our joy;
and when we love, we become like family.
Let's make them believe it...the world will see.
And when we laugh, we laugh big...we laugh so loudly
And when we dance, we dance full out, we dance proudly
And when we cry, I know that you will be there for me
Let's make them believe it...the world will see.
So I'll do, all I can do, to love and trust and not to tear apart
And will you promise to stand by us for who we are?
Such a beautiful vision; come and join us in our mission to show them...
When we speak, we speak with one voice,
when we sing, we join together and sing our joy;
and when we love, we become like family.
Let's make them believe it...the world will see.
You are not defined by ability, you are not defined by utility
but by the size of your heart and the gift you are, so love and live,
forgive and start to...
Draw the circle wide with everybody inside
looking out for the other, making room for another
It won’t matter the color of your skin
Or where you live or the clothes you’re in,
I only care if your eyes can see
just who I am....see me for me.
Composer Note:
This piece was the result of a collaborative project with the students in the Roosevelt High School Concert Choir (Sioux Falls, SD). Their school motto is "We are one"...and they seek to build an inclusive community throughout the school. The choral program is especially committed to fostering a welcoming environment where the uniqueness and individuality of each person is affirmed--AND where the common threads of humanity are celebrated. The students and Icrafted lyrics together, based on discussions of what sort of community they wanted to be, and what they wanted "oneness/unity" to look, feel, and sound like. This piece is dedicated to all students and choirs who seek to build caring, inclusive communities in their classrooms.