title: Composition Portfolio

authors: Johnson, Katie Andrea Elizabeth

subjects: Orchestra

abstract: I have enjoyed this year, writing pieces that are special to me because they relate to experiences during 2008. I've written for orchestra, choir and an ensemble of xylophones and saxophone. Each piece has extended my skills and creativity in different ways from previous compositions.
Prelude to the Unspoken 
This work is for symphony orchestra. Last year, it was rehearsed and recorded by the NZSO as part of the NZSO/Todd Young Composers Awards 2008. The pieces were recorded in the Michael Fowler Centre and conducted by Hamish McKeich. It was exciting to hear the piece come alive and watch the orchestra rehearse. Now I have heard the recording in a calmer state and know what it actually sounds like, I have been able to evaluate some decisions and whether or not they worked. 
As long as I have played instruments, I have played in orchestras. I can draw on these experiences when composing because as a clarinettist, you sit in the middle of the orchestra, and can hear the different sections playing and how their parts/notes relate to the rest of the orchestra. As a percussionist, hearing the orchestra from the back (when counting rests!) also reveals a different point of view. 
This year I chose to compose a slower, more contemplative piece. Last year, my compositions were dense and busy, so writing this piece required me to use space and texture in new ways. The title Prelude to the Unspoken alludes to something being stated but stopping before anything is revealed. 
A Schulwerk Orffering 
I was inspired to compose for the forces used in this piece because of an Orff- Schulwerk teacher training course I attended in 2008. As part of the Masters of Music degree, I completed a Level 1 workshop and on-line component - Orff Music Education-Theory and Practice 1, and more recently, completed the Level 2 workshop. Orff-Schulwerk education is a holistic, hands-on approach that explores music physically and through different instruments such as body percussion and approachable instruments (for children) such as recorders, mallet instruments and small percussion. 
One activity during the course was playing a tune from the Orff-Schulwerk volumes, where everyone was playing a mallet instrument - xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, from soprano to bass, while the teacher improvised a tune on the recorder, over the top of this moving carpet of sound we were making with our ostinatos and drones. This was just like being in the middle of the orchestra. While playing my ostinato, I was in the centre of all of this sound, hearing how each simple ostinato made an interesting accompaniment. 
I was also influenced by Philip GIass' Fascades, where the cross rhythms of the accompaniment create a carpet of sound, while the simple saxophone melody floats over top. I wanted to create something similar with tenor saxophone and the educational xylophones. 
I chose to write for two alto and two bass xylophones (small, educational instruments with no chromatic notes). These instruments were available at the course and I was able to have these with me while I composed. Because I do not usually play a mallet instrument, I composed ostinatos that I was able to play. All the techniques are those explored in Orff-Schulwerk - ostinato, drone, sound carpet, imitation. The saxophone sits quite high in the first movement, holding long notes, while in the second movement, the saxophone is active with a wide range of notes. 
I recently had an item about this piece in the Orff New Zealand Aotearoa newsletter 'Sounding Orff'. I hope to get a recording/performance of this piece from a response to the newsletter. Missa Brevis 
I sing in the Hamilton Civic Choir and have sung many Masses so was interested in writing a Missa Brevis. The movements Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei are for SATB with some movements scored for divisi voices. 
The style of this piece is approachable for many choirs because of traditional harmonic and musical organisation, while including modern arrangements of the text and approach to the music. Some choir members queried the fact that sometimes their part does not say a whole word, for example, just singing 'Dom', not 'Domine'. The words were deliberately set like this because when using block writing, as opposed to polyphony, I felt the extra syllables would change the desired musical and rhythmic texture. 
I wrote this piece with the Hamilton Civic Choir in mind because I know their capabilities. For example, I know the second basses can reach a low D. For the very low notes, I've added an octave option for the first basses or all basses if another choir cannot reach them. This recording by members of the choir was not up to the choir's usual standard because of time restrictions. The piano is used in my recording but is for rehearsal use only. The Gloria will be performed in the Choir's first 2009 concert in March.

text: Composition Portfolio I have enjoyed this year, writing pieces that are special to me because they relate to experiences during 2008. I've written for orchestra, choir and an ensemble of xylophones and saxophone. Each piece has extended my skills and creativity in different ways from previous compositions.
Prelude to the Unspoken 
This work is for symphony orchestra. Last year, it was rehearsed and recorded by the NZSO as part of the NZSO/Todd Young Composers Awards 2008. The pieces were recorded in the Michael Fowler Centre and conducted by Hamish McKeich. It was exciting to hear the piece come alive and watch the orchestra rehearse. Now I have heard the recording in a calmer state and know what it actually sounds like, I have been able to evaluate some decisions and whether or not they worked. 
As long as I have played instruments, I have played in orchestras. I can draw on these experiences when composing because as a clarinettist, you sit in the middle of the orchestra, and can hear the different sections playing and how their parts/notes relate to the rest of the orchestra. As a percussionist, hearing the orchestra from the back (when counting rests!) also reveals a different point of view. 
This year I chose to compose a slower, more contemplative piece. Last year, my compositions were dense and busy, so writing this piece required me to use space and texture in new ways. The title Prelude to the Unspoken alludes to something being stated but stopping before anything is revealed. 
A Schulwerk Orffering 
I was inspired to compose for the forces used in this piece because of an Orff- Schulwerk teacher training course I attended in 2008. As part of the Masters of Music degree, I completed a Level 1 workshop and on-line component - Orff Music Education-Theory and Practice 1, and more recently, completed the Level 2 workshop. Orff-Schulwerk education is a holistic, hands-on approach that explores music physically and through different instruments such as body percussion and approachable instruments (for children) such as recorders, mallet instruments and small percussion. 
One activity during the course was playing a tune from the Orff-Schulwerk volumes, where everyone was playing a mallet instrument - xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, from soprano to bass, while the teacher improvised a tune on the recorder, over the top of this moving carpet of sound we were making with our ostinatos and drones. This was just like being in the middle of the orchestra. While playing my ostinato, I was in the centre of all of this sound, hearing how each simple ostinato made an interesting accompaniment. 
I was also influenced by Philip GIass' Fascades, where the cross rhythms of the accompaniment create a carpet of sound, while the simple saxophone melody floats over top. I wanted to create something similar with tenor saxophone and the educational xylophones. 
I chose to write for two alto and two bass xylophones (small, educational instruments with no chromatic notes). These instruments were available at the course and I was able to have these with me while I composed. Because I do not usually play a mallet instrument, I composed ostinatos that I was able to play. All the techniques are those explored in Orff-Schulwerk - ostinato, drone, sound carpet, imitation. The saxophone sits quite high in the first movement, holding long notes, while in the second movement, the saxophone is active with a wide range of notes. 
I recently had an item about this piece in the Orff New Zealand Aotearoa newsletter 'Sounding Orff'. I hope to get a recording/performance of this piece from a response to the newsletter. Missa Brevis 
I sing in the Hamilton Civic Choir and have sung many Masses so was interested in writing a Missa Brevis. The movements Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei are for SATB with some movements scored for divisi voices. 
The style of this piece is approachable for many choirs because of traditional harmonic and musical organisation, while including modern arrangements of the text and approach to the music. Some choir members queried the fact that sometimes their part does not say a whole word, for example, just singing 'Dom', not 'Domine'. The words were deliberately set like this because when using block writing, as opposed to polyphony, I felt the extra syllables would change the desired musical and rhythmic texture. 
I wrote this piece with the Hamilton Civic Choir in mind because I know their capabilities. For example, I know the second basses can reach a low D. For the very low notes, I've added an octave option for the first basses or all basses if another choir cannot reach them. This recording by members of the choir was not up to the choir's usual standard because of time restrictions. The piano is used in my recording but is for rehearsal use only. The Gloria will be performed in the Choir's first 2009 concert in March.

year: 2009

title: Don't miss the well-being train: a radical ‎proposal for revolution in positive ‎psychology

authors: Weijers, Dan M.

abstract: Positive psychologists have added a great deal of knowledge about positive mental states and behaviors, especially over the last 20 years. As evidence is produced in support of the connections between positive psychological constructs, the model of mental flourishing is slowly being filled in. But, just like the broader well-being research and policy community (Lee et al., 2021), the discipline remains divided about how to conceptualize and measure well-being (Hone et al., 2014; Ackerman et al., 2018). This lack of unity makes it difficult to establish how measures of positive mental functioning connect with the bigger picture of the good life for the one living it, and deter its use in broader research and policy agendas. For example, the influential World Happiness Report 2020 (Helliwell et al., 2020) is edited by only economists and contains the phrase Positive Psychology just once.

text: Don't miss the well-being train: a radical ‎proposal for revolution in positive ‎psychology Positive psychologists have added a great deal of knowledge about positive mental states and behaviors, especially over the last 20 years. As evidence is produced in support of the connections between positive psychological constructs, the model of mental flourishing is slowly being filled in. But, just like the broader well-being research and policy community (Lee et al., 2021), the discipline remains divided about how to conceptualize and measure well-being (Hone et al., 2014; Ackerman et al., 2018). This lack of unity makes it difficult to establish how measures of positive mental functioning connect with the bigger picture of the good life for the one living it, and deter its use in broader research and policy agendas. For example, the influential World Happiness Report 2020 (Helliwell et al., 2020) is edited by only economists and contains the phrase Positive Psychology just once.

year: 2021

title: Kūpapa ki raro, titiro ake

authors: Papa, Pānia Christine

abstract: Ko tā te kaituhi e manako nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga, kia āta tirohia he aha ngā huarahi i whāia ai e ngā iwi o Pōhara, hei kawe i a rātou mai i te pōharatanga ki te oranga tonutanga; mai i te noho marara ki te noho tahi; mai i te korekore ki te ao mārama. Ko te tuarua o ngā pātai kei mua i taku aroaro, he wānanga mena i tutuki pai ngā kaupapa i wawatahia ai e rātou. 
E rua ngā kōrero matua e toko ake ana i roto i ahau hei taumarumaru mō ngā whakaaro me ngā kōrero kua whakatakotoria i te tuhinga nei, hei whakautu i ngā pātai matua e rua ō runga ake nei. 
Tuatahi, 'Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri'. E hāngai ana tēnei whakataukī ki te pūmautanga o ngā whakaaro o ngā tūpuna o Pōhara ki ngā kaupapa i kōkirihia ai e tō rātou rangatira, me te āhua o tā ngā tūpuna hāpai i aua kaupapa. I te tīmatanga, nā Piupiu Te Wherowhero rātou i arataki. I te rā nei, ko Te Arikinui, Te Atairangikaahu te manu whakataka pōkai i te ata hāpara, e ngāngahu tonu nei i ngā iwi o te marae o Pōhara. 
Tuarua, 'Kūpapa ki raro, Titiro ake.' Koia tēnei tētehi whakataukī whakahau i ngā uri whakatupu o te marae, o Pōhara, kua waihotia e rātou mā hei kupu ārahi i ngā uri i runga i te marae, i roto anō hoki i te ao hou. He hōhonutanga anō tō te whakataukī nei e tika ana kia whakamāramahia i roto i tēnei tuhinga, hei whāki atu i ngā rerenga kētanga o te āhua o te whakaaro o kui mā, o koro mā, me te āhua o tā rātou noho i te wā i a rātou. 
Ko te whakatau o ngā kōrero, i tutuki pai i ngā tūpuna o te marae o Pōhara ō rātou manako, nā tō rātou kaha ū ki te kaupapa o te Kāhui Ariki, me tō rātou ū ki te kaupapa o te tupuranga o te papakāinga o Pōhara hei marae mō ngā uri whakatupu. Ka noho mai tērā hei whakatohu i tō rātou pakaritanga, me ō rātou whakaaro rangatira hei tauira mā ngā uri whakaheke e whai ake ana i ngā tapuwae o ngā tūpuna. 
Ko ēnei tuhinga hei whakatinana i te ngākau nui kia waituhia ngā kōrero ā ngā rūruhi, ā ngā koroheke, mō te marae o Pōhara, kei ngaro katoa atu ngēnā kōrero e here nei i te ao kōhatu ki te ao hou. 
Nā te ngākau māhaki o ngā kaumātua i whakaae ai kia tuhia te kaupapa nei, kia puta ai ngā kōrero mō Pōhara ki te ao mārama hei painga mō ngā uri whakatupu. Nā rātou i whakatūwhera te kūaha ki tō rātou ao hei kuhu atu ki roto mā te hunga mahira. Ko ngā kongakonga kōrero i taka iho mai i ō rātou puna mahara, kua kohia-ā-rīpenehia hei taonga tuku iho mō ngā iwi o te marae. E tika ana kia puruhia te mauri o ērā kōrero e ngā whānau me ngā uri o te marae. 
I tutuki ai te taha rangahau i ngā kōrero kaumātua i te whakatū wānanga, me te uiui kaumātua. I whāia ngā huarahi e rua nei hei kohikohi i ngā kōrero-ā-waha mō te hītori o Pōhara. Arā noa atu ngā painga i kitea, o te noho tahi a ngā kaumātua i runga tonu i te marae, ki te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, kōrero hoki mō ngā rā o mua i waenganui i a rātou. Ā, hei whai ake i ngā kōrero i puta i ngā wānanga, i haere māua ko taku matua ki te torotoro i tēnā, i tēnā o ngā kaumātua e mōhio pai ana ki ngā kōrero, hei whakakīkī i ngā whārua, hei whakawhānui hoki i ngā kōrero. I ngāwari ake taku mahi i te haere tahitanga mai o taku matua, hei hoa mōku. Ko tāna, he āta whakamārama atu i te pūtake o te rangahau, he whakamārama hoki i te whakaaetanga o ngā kaumātua ki tērā mahi. I mōhio pai hoki ia ki ngā kōrero whānui mō te marae, ki ngā tāngata ka kōrerohia, ā, nā konā i taea e ia te whiu atu ētehi pātai, te whakamārama hoki i ahau i muri mai mō te āhua o ētehi o ngā kōrero kāore i tino mārama mai ki ahau. I tū hoki taku matua hei piriti i waenganui i te kaikōrero kaumātua me te kaiuiui rangatahi kia whakawhiti pai ai ngā pātai me ngā whakautu ki waenganui i ngā taha e rua. Koia tērā taku waimarie i roto i ngā mahi uiui kaumātua, ā, koia hoki i tutuki pai ai tērā taha o te rangahau. 
I tae mai ki aku ringa tētehi rīpene o tētehi wānanga i hopukina ai i te tau 1978. Nō taua tau, i haere ake ētehi akonga o te Tari Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, i raro i te maru o Wharehuia Milroy ki te rapu i ngā kōrero mō te marae o Pōhara. Heoi anō, i tō rātou hokinga atu ki te kāinga, kāore te nuinga o ngā kōrero i hopukina. Ka waihotia te take nā kia tārewa, ā, tae rawa ki te tau 1990, kātahi ka riro i ahau te rīpene kotahi i ora mai, hei āwhina i aku mahi rangahau mō tōku marae. 
I rapu māramatanga ahau mō te āhua o te noho a te iwi Māori whānui i ngā rā o mua, i roto i ngā pukapuka maha kua tuhia kētia. Mō ngā kōrero mō te whenua e tū nei te marae ināianei, i haere ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, ki reira kimi ai i ngā kōrero mō te rohe o Maungatautari whānui, mō te marae o Pōhara hoki. Nā ēnei whaiwhainga, kua puta he kōrero, kua puta hoki he whakaaro hei whakawā i ērā kōrero, hei whakamārama rānei i ērā kōrero, ā, koia tēnei e takoto nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga. Ka huri ināianei ki te wetewetetanga o ngā wāhanga o roto i te tuhinga nei. 
Nō namata mai anō i tīkina atu ai te rākau i te Wao-nui-ā-Tāne hei tārai i te waka o ōku tūpuna. Tēnei au e tiki atu nei i te rākau hei tauira hanga kōrero mōku. Ko tō te rākau tupu, ki ngā whakaaro o tēnei e tuhi nei, e pērā ana ki te tupu o te kaupapa kia nohoia te marae o Pōhara e tū ana i raro i te maru o Maungatautari. 
Arā noa atu ngā tauritenga o te tupu o te rākau me tō te marae o Pōhara tupu, mai i ōna pūtakenga hei papakāinga, ki te puāwaitanga o te whakaaro kia tū hei marae mō te mokopuna a te motu, mō ngā uri whakatupu, otirā, mō te iwi whānui. 
E whitu anō ngā wāhanga o tō te rākau tupu e whakatauritehia nei i roto i ngā whārangi o tēnei tuhinga. Ko te whenua tonu hei papa mō te tupu o te rākau, mō te tupu hoki o te marae Nō reira, ka tīmata ake i konā.

text: Kūpapa ki raro, titiro ake Ko tā te kaituhi e manako nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga, kia āta tirohia he aha ngā huarahi i whāia ai e ngā iwi o Pōhara, hei kawe i a rātou mai i te pōharatanga ki te oranga tonutanga; mai i te noho marara ki te noho tahi; mai i te korekore ki te ao mārama. Ko te tuarua o ngā pātai kei mua i taku aroaro, he wānanga mena i tutuki pai ngā kaupapa i wawatahia ai e rātou. 
E rua ngā kōrero matua e toko ake ana i roto i ahau hei taumarumaru mō ngā whakaaro me ngā kōrero kua whakatakotoria i te tuhinga nei, hei whakautu i ngā pātai matua e rua ō runga ake nei. 
Tuatahi, 'Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri'. E hāngai ana tēnei whakataukī ki te pūmautanga o ngā whakaaro o ngā tūpuna o Pōhara ki ngā kaupapa i kōkirihia ai e tō rātou rangatira, me te āhua o tā ngā tūpuna hāpai i aua kaupapa. I te tīmatanga, nā Piupiu Te Wherowhero rātou i arataki. I te rā nei, ko Te Arikinui, Te Atairangikaahu te manu whakataka pōkai i te ata hāpara, e ngāngahu tonu nei i ngā iwi o te marae o Pōhara. 
Tuarua, 'Kūpapa ki raro, Titiro ake.' Koia tēnei tētehi whakataukī whakahau i ngā uri whakatupu o te marae, o Pōhara, kua waihotia e rātou mā hei kupu ārahi i ngā uri i runga i te marae, i roto anō hoki i te ao hou. He hōhonutanga anō tō te whakataukī nei e tika ana kia whakamāramahia i roto i tēnei tuhinga, hei whāki atu i ngā rerenga kētanga o te āhua o te whakaaro o kui mā, o koro mā, me te āhua o tā rātou noho i te wā i a rātou. 
Ko te whakatau o ngā kōrero, i tutuki pai i ngā tūpuna o te marae o Pōhara ō rātou manako, nā tō rātou kaha ū ki te kaupapa o te Kāhui Ariki, me tō rātou ū ki te kaupapa o te tupuranga o te papakāinga o Pōhara hei marae mō ngā uri whakatupu. Ka noho mai tērā hei whakatohu i tō rātou pakaritanga, me ō rātou whakaaro rangatira hei tauira mā ngā uri whakaheke e whai ake ana i ngā tapuwae o ngā tūpuna. 
Ko ēnei tuhinga hei whakatinana i te ngākau nui kia waituhia ngā kōrero ā ngā rūruhi, ā ngā koroheke, mō te marae o Pōhara, kei ngaro katoa atu ngēnā kōrero e here nei i te ao kōhatu ki te ao hou. 
Nā te ngākau māhaki o ngā kaumātua i whakaae ai kia tuhia te kaupapa nei, kia puta ai ngā kōrero mō Pōhara ki te ao mārama hei painga mō ngā uri whakatupu. Nā rātou i whakatūwhera te kūaha ki tō rātou ao hei kuhu atu ki roto mā te hunga mahira. Ko ngā kongakonga kōrero i taka iho mai i ō rātou puna mahara, kua kohia-ā-rīpenehia hei taonga tuku iho mō ngā iwi o te marae. E tika ana kia puruhia te mauri o ērā kōrero e ngā whānau me ngā uri o te marae. 
I tutuki ai te taha rangahau i ngā kōrero kaumātua i te whakatū wānanga, me te uiui kaumātua. I whāia ngā huarahi e rua nei hei kohikohi i ngā kōrero-ā-waha mō te hītori o Pōhara. Arā noa atu ngā painga i kitea, o te noho tahi a ngā kaumātua i runga tonu i te marae, ki te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, kōrero hoki mō ngā rā o mua i waenganui i a rātou. Ā, hei whai ake i ngā kōrero i puta i ngā wānanga, i haere māua ko taku matua ki te torotoro i tēnā, i tēnā o ngā kaumātua e mōhio pai ana ki ngā kōrero, hei whakakīkī i ngā whārua, hei whakawhānui hoki i ngā kōrero. I ngāwari ake taku mahi i te haere tahitanga mai o taku matua, hei hoa mōku. Ko tāna, he āta whakamārama atu i te pūtake o te rangahau, he whakamārama hoki i te whakaaetanga o ngā kaumātua ki tērā mahi. I mōhio pai hoki ia ki ngā kōrero whānui mō te marae, ki ngā tāngata ka kōrerohia, ā, nā konā i taea e ia te whiu atu ētehi pātai, te whakamārama hoki i ahau i muri mai mō te āhua o ētehi o ngā kōrero kāore i tino mārama mai ki ahau. I tū hoki taku matua hei piriti i waenganui i te kaikōrero kaumātua me te kaiuiui rangatahi kia whakawhiti pai ai ngā pātai me ngā whakautu ki waenganui i ngā taha e rua. Koia tērā taku waimarie i roto i ngā mahi uiui kaumātua, ā, koia hoki i tutuki pai ai tērā taha o te rangahau. 
I tae mai ki aku ringa tētehi rīpene o tētehi wānanga i hopukina ai i te tau 1978. Nō taua tau, i haere ake ētehi akonga o te Tari Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, i raro i te maru o Wharehuia Milroy ki te rapu i ngā kōrero mō te marae o Pōhara. Heoi anō, i tō rātou hokinga atu ki te kāinga, kāore te nuinga o ngā kōrero i hopukina. Ka waihotia te take nā kia tārewa, ā, tae rawa ki te tau 1990, kātahi ka riro i ahau te rīpene kotahi i ora mai, hei āwhina i aku mahi rangahau mō tōku marae. 
I rapu māramatanga ahau mō te āhua o te noho a te iwi Māori whānui i ngā rā o mua, i roto i ngā pukapuka maha kua tuhia kētia. Mō ngā kōrero mō te whenua e tū nei te marae ināianei, i haere ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, ki reira kimi ai i ngā kōrero mō te rohe o Maungatautari whānui, mō te marae o Pōhara hoki. Nā ēnei whaiwhainga, kua puta he kōrero, kua puta hoki he whakaaro hei whakawā i ērā kōrero, hei whakamārama rānei i ērā kōrero, ā, koia tēnei e takoto nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga. Ka huri ināianei ki te wetewetetanga o ngā wāhanga o roto i te tuhinga nei. 
Nō namata mai anō i tīkina atu ai te rākau i te Wao-nui-ā-Tāne hei tārai i te waka o ōku tūpuna. Tēnei au e tiki atu nei i te rākau hei tauira hanga kōrero mōku. Ko tō te rākau tupu, ki ngā whakaaro o tēnei e tuhi nei, e pērā ana ki te tupu o te kaupapa kia nohoia te marae o Pōhara e tū ana i raro i te maru o Maungatautari. 
Arā noa atu ngā tauritenga o te tupu o te rākau me tō te marae o Pōhara tupu, mai i ōna pūtakenga hei papakāinga, ki te puāwaitanga o te whakaaro kia tū hei marae mō te mokopuna a te motu, mō ngā uri whakatupu, otirā, mō te iwi whānui. 
E whitu anō ngā wāhanga o tō te rākau tupu e whakatauritehia nei i roto i ngā whārangi o tēnei tuhinga. Ko te whenua tonu hei papa mō te tupu o te rākau, mō te tupu hoki o te marae Nō reira, ka tīmata ake i konā.

year: 1997