Roads

Composer: Ko Matsushita
Words from composer:

For this A-1, Children’s Choir (age 13 and under) category, I have always composed the set piece myself — all pieces are very simple, a melody that even elementary school children can sing with ease, performed a cappella. This year’s set piece, Michi, is no exception: a straightforward two-part a cappella choral work built on a major pentatonic scale using only the five notes d-r-m-s-l. The tonality shifts through E♭ major, B major, and E major. At first glance, these modulations may appear challenging, but when practiced using movable do solfège, the modulations flow entirely without stress, allowing singers to express the key changes with beauty and naturalness.
　The piece is constructed as canons — the middle section led by the alto, and the remaining sections led by the soprano. Canon, as the foundation of polyphony, allows both the upper and lower parts to fully enjoy the melodic line, which makes it an ideal pairing with a cappella writing.
To choral directors who lead children’s choirs and whose programs consist mainly of works with piano accompaniment — I warmly encourage you to take up a cappella pieces such as this one. You may be surprised to find that children will master it far more readily than adults might expect.