Elemenohpi

for three percussion and piano

When singing the alphabet song, many children - myself included - believed that the letters "L-M-N-O-P" were one word in the English alphabet due to the cramped nature of that part of the song. The name "Elemenohpi" was created by taking inspiration from this pronunciation error and pairing it with the phonetic alphabet. The piece is built off of five-measure phrases, which goes against typical Western musical practices of having four, and the piano jumps around the circle of fifths, both forward and backward, creating harmonies that never sound truly resolved. Both of these compositional choices allow for the music to sound fresh and childlike while being complemented by the unique sonorities of the cymbals.