ARRANGEMENTS

Remember Me by Fawn & Randy Wood

arrangement originally premiered December 11th 2024 at MSM Jazz Arts’s 40 Years of Excellence Concert

As part of amplifying Indigenous voices, histories, and courses of action, "Remember Me" is a song of the coexistence of grief and hope, as Native American (Nimiipuu/Nez Perce Reservation) vocalist, composer, bandleader, activist, and MSM alum, Julia Keefe, taught me in preparation and research for arranging this song. Often sung on Truth & Reconciliation Day (September 30th every year), Julia expanded on the history behind the song. On this day of remembrance, Indigenous peoples gather and remember the young lives lost at the residential schools and those who survived but remained deeply traumatized from the schools' inhumane and violent attempts to strip these children of their heritage and way of being. However, as Julia pointed out, the song also holds a great deal of hope for the future, that, with communities remaining strong and continuing to tell these stories, future generations won't ever have to go through those experiences again.