We can learn much through listening to nature, and gleaning our own wisdom through the eyes of our natural resources.  Many beautiful living things have their own stories to tell in their long-term settings.  The Elm Tree advises the older gentleman….”Do not let the past concern you…most is now forgotten…I was here long before you were born…timeless winds are my breath and song.”  Your students will find solace in their personal journeys through life as they realize that they can “be still, and know the beauty of October.” 

The text was taken from a poem entitled “October” (2003) by Joseph Crocker Corban (1918-2006), who lived his entire life in Orlinda, Tennessee.

Commissioned by the Texas Choral Directors Association, and performed as a premiere on July 31, 2010 in San Antonio, TX.