Shifting Fire for Choir | Score & Curriculum Guide
Composed by Jessica Mays
Curriculum Guide by Steph DavisPart of the Castle of our Skins | Boston Public Schools Collection
Shifting Fire is an innovative work for SAB chorus and piano that explores the fluid nature of perspective, emotion, and personal agency. Drawing on the literary device of the palindrome, composer Jessica Mays crafts a text that transforms its meaning when read in reverse—moving from empowerment to powerlessness and back again. Through this unique structure, the piece invites singers to consider how language, perception, and experience can shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
The accompanying curriculum guide by Steph Davis provides ready-to-use lessons and activities that support musical learning while encouraging students to engage with the work's literary, emotional, and artistic themes.
Ensemble: Chorus
Instrumentation: SAB Chorus + Piano
Duration: Approximately 5:08
Content Level: High School / Collegiate
Mastery Level: 4Includes:
- Full performance score
- Curriculum guide by Steph Davis
- Adaptable lesson plans and activities
Part of the Boston Public Schools Collection, a series of commissioned works and culturally responsive curriculum guides created to expand access to music by African diasporic composers for young musicians.
