music

Becca regularly collaborates with Austin Willacy of Raise Your Voice Labs and Micah Hendler of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus. Below are a few of their co-creations – developed not only with each other, but also with communities around the world through musical peacebuilding. Echoing a major tenet in environmental justice, the creative process is as important as the final product.

the EnPAx Arts initiative presents

“Sing Me a Song (Peace that Lasts)”

A work-in-progress collaboratively composed at the Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding in June 2024.

full lyrics

Sing me a song of the sky
Sing me a song of the Earth
Sing me a song of the hatred
That once spurred this conflict to birth

Sing me a song of the mother
Waiting for sons to return
Sing me a song of the father
Watching his home as it burns

Sing me a song of the soldier
Recruited before she was taught
Sing me a song of the warrior
At war without knowing for what

Refrain
I know I need this peace to last
We need this peace to last

Bridge
We are the agents of our own destiny
We make the world that we all want to see
We’ll come together and we’ll sing a different song
With every note we build a world where all belong

So
Sing me a song of the sky
Sing me a song of the Earth
Sing me a song of tomorrow
Show me what justice is worth

Sing me a song of the child
One who has never known war
Sing me a song of that child
And maybe we’ll raise them once more

Refrain
I know I need this peace to last
Let’s build a peace that lasts

Spoken word (over refrain)
Let me tell you a story about a group of people who came together with full hearts to face a terrible foe. The foe wasn’t a dragon that could be slayed or an evil witch who could be disappeared. The foe was darkness, doubt, drought – it was the costs of inaction and the weight of responsibility. It felt oppressive, more to some than others, and all-consuming. It felt like the world might end. How can you slay a feeling? How can you disappear a dynamic of reality? You don’t. Instead, you build. You create a new world. You bring into being something beautiful that never existed before. This group of people who came together with full hearts didn’t need to dismantle society; they needed to create it. They saw that the world they wanted was based on kindness, on humanity, on joy. On friendship, trust, and laughter. So they put those things into the world. And someone noticed. Then they joined. And so did another. And on. Pretty soon, half the planet cared more about kindness than much else, and on one beautiful, perfectly normal Wednesday in April, everything shifted. Well. Nothing changed. It’s just that more and more people believe that a peaceful world could exist. And then it did.

Bridge
We are the agents of our own destiny
We make the world that we all want to see
We’ll come together and we’ll sing a different song
With every note we build a world where all belong

Refrain
I know I need this peace to last
Let’s build a peace that lasts

Nature Footprints presents

“The Path to Peace”

A call on the international community to take urgent action to liberate our people and our planet – because “Nobody’s free ’til Mother Nature’s free”.

the Spring 2022 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community presents*

“Ask the Land”

Pushing past institutional, neocolonial Land Acknowledgements toward Indigenous practices of Land Recognition and Relation.

the Fall 2021 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community* presents

“To the Seventh Generation”

Reflections on Haudenosaunee teachings about sustainability, acknowledging our deep connection to each other and to our Living Planet.

the Fall 2022 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community* presents

“Lip Service (Change)”

A call-out of uncritical allyship and performative actions, demanding material support for substantive change.

the Spring 2021 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community presents*

“The Wrong Amazon is Burning”

A multi-generational anthem critiquing corporate control, state violence, and environmental injustice.

the IUCN “One Nature, One Future” Global Youth Summit* presents*

“We’re Gonna Save Our Planet”

Young conservationists around the world share their frustration with tokenism, their commitment to action, and their hope for the future.

the EnPAx Arts initiative presents

“Sing Me a Song (Peace that Lasts)”

Nature Footprints presents

“The Path to Peace”

the Spring 2022 “Climates of Resistance” Course Community presents

“Ask the Land”

the Fall 2021 “Climates of Resistance” Course Community presents

“To the Seventh Generation”

the Fall 2022 “Climates of Resistance” Course Community presents

“Lip Service (Change)”

the Spring 2021 “Climates of Resistance” Course Community presents

“The Wrong Amazon is Burning”

the IUCN “One Nature, One Future” Global Youth Summit presents

“We’re Gonna Save Our Planet”

The Day the Sky Fell

On the day the sky fell And life turned to rubble I looked around and cried.

My soul whimpered "It hurts."

My heart whispered "I know."

"What do I do?" my soul asked. "Sit", said my heart. "Sit, and I shall sit here with you."

"But it's broken," my brain wailed. "We need to fix it."

"We will," assured my heart.

"When?" accused my brain.

"When we can see through the pain," my heart replied.

"We cannot fix what we do not understand. So for today, come. Sit with us. Feel. The pain will help teach us what we need to know."

My brain sat. And after a few moments, whimpered "It hurts."

Reaching out its hand, my soul whispered back "I know."

Holding them both, my heart pointed out "It should."

On the day the sky fell And life turned to rubble I looked around and cried.

In Between the Explosions

I’m tired.

I am so, so tired, looking around at the world.

The hopeful voice in me says “THIS is the world”, looking at a child laughing a tree dancing a whale breaching

The somber voice in me says “no, THIS is the world”, pointing out a labor camp a forest fire an oil spill

And I scream and curse, cry and sob, rant and rail as the optimist and the pessimist within me do battle

Until the timeless voice in me, made not of joy or pain, but simply the wisdom of the ages, speaks up:

“It is ALL the world This beautiful ugliness This glorious tragedy This fragmented unity”

Life started with a speck of dust on fire It has been a series of messy outbursts ever since What a privilege, to make love in between the explosions

I do not come in peace

I do not come in peace I come in righteous anger the fury of ages past pounding in my blood

I do not come in peace I come in weary sorrow the anguish of endless sobs lumping in my throat

I do not come in peace I come in abject horror the echo of tortured screams ringing in my ears

I do not come in peace but peace is where I want to go and so

I come in steadfast resolve the demand of equal rights sounding in my steps

I come in open protest the tension of deferred dreams thumping in my chest

I come in hopeful yearning the promise of future days singing in my soul

I do not come in peace but peace is what I mean to build

Dissent

On the day hope died, she whispered a benediction: "They are writing not for today, but for tomorrow."

Do you know the way to the revolution?

Excuse me, I’m looking for the revolution.

Do you know the way?

I trained all my life, eager to vanquish foes defeat evil fight injustice.

When I was fifteen, a cousin invited me to a poetry slam sharing the story of their pain. “No, I can’t go to that. I'm training for the revolution. Do you know the way?”

When I was twenty, a friend invited me to a concert singing the song of their hope. “No, I can’t go to that. I'm training for the revolution. Do you know the way?”

When I was thirty, a colleague invited me to a play telling the tale of their history. “No, I can’t go to that. I'm training for the revolution. Do you know the way?”

“Do you know the way to the revolution?” I asked this of everyone I met.

Then one night, a man overheard my question Called over to me “Yes! I know the way to the revolution. Follow me.”

Excited, I went with the man Finally, I would join the revolution

He led me down a road toward noisy clamour and loud footfall

My heart raced

A door opened.

I rushed my way in Sword drawn, ready to take on all comers.

Came to an abrupt halt. Confused.

The clamour was joyful music and the footfall was not made by soldiers at war.

I looked around suddenly realising I spent my life training to fight when what was asked of me was to dance.

The poetry slam. The concert. The play. Time and time again, I had been invited to the revolution. Ignored it. Too caught up in my own fantasy of what the revolution should look like.

I stood frozen terrified ashamed No idea what to do next.

A woman walked up to me smiled held out her hand “Want to dance?”

“I... I don’t know the steps.”

“That’s okay. I do. Follow me.”

The End of the Universe

The books we read as teens didn't make us think the end of the universe would start with a whisper.

We sat waiting for the earthquake, the alien invasion, the nuclear bomb.

But life is not like the movies And this is always how it has begun.

With a whisper here a lie there The slow creep-in of hatred and control becoming so pervasive it targets us too.

And so history sits Cassandra in the corner pleading over and over

This is always how it has begun, Warning signs everywhere.

You wanted your epic trilogy But those movies never start at the beginning of the story.

The end of the universe starts with a whisper.

Does the revolution?

the Spring 2022 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community presents*

the Fall 2021 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community* presents

the Fall 2022 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community* presents

the Spring 2021 “Climates of Resistance”* Course Community presents*

the IUCN “One Nature, One Future” Global Youth Summit* presents*

On the day the sky fell
And life turned to rubble
I looked around and cried.

My soul whimpered
"It hurts."

My heart whispered
"I know."

"What do I do?" my soul asked.
"Sit", said my heart.
"Sit, and I shall sit here with you."

"But it's broken," my brain wailed.
"We need to fix it."

"We cannot fix what we do not understand.
So for today,
come.
Sit with us.
Feel.
The pain will help teach us what we need to know."

My brain sat.
And after a few moments,
whimpered
"It hurts."

Reaching out its hand,
my soul whispered back
"I know."

Holding them both,
my heart pointed out
"It should."

On the day the sky fell
And life turned to rubble
I looked around and cried.

The hopeful voice in me says “THIS is the world”, looking at
a child laughing
a tree dancing
a whale breaching

The somber voice in me says “no, THIS is the world”, pointing out
a labor camp
a forest fire
an oil spill

And I scream and curse, cry and sob, rant and rail
as the optimist and the pessimist within me do battle

“It is ALL the world
This beautiful ugliness
This glorious tragedy
This fragmented unity”

Life started with a speck of dust on fire
It has been a series of messy outbursts ever since
What a privilege, to make love in between the explosions

I do not come in peace
I come in righteous anger
the fury of ages past
pounding in my blood

I do not come in peace
I come in weary sorrow
the anguish of endless sobs
lumping in my throat

I do not come in peace
I come in abject horror
the echo of tortured screams
ringing in my ears

I do not come in peace
but peace is where I want to go
and so

I come in steadfast resolve
the demand of equal rights
sounding in my steps

I come in open protest
the tension of deferred dreams
thumping in my chest

I come in hopeful yearning
the promise of future days
singing in my soul

I do not come in peace
but peace is what I mean to build

On the day hope died,
she whispered a benediction:
"They are writing not for today,
but for tomorrow."

I trained all my life, eager to
vanquish foes
defeat evil
fight injustice.

When I was fifteen,
a cousin invited me to a poetry slam
sharing the story of their pain.
“No,
I can’t go to that.
I'm training for the revolution.
Do you know the way?”

When I was twenty,
a friend invited me to a concert
singing the song of their hope.
“No,
I can’t go to that.
I'm training for the revolution.
Do you know the way?”

When I was thirty,
a colleague invited me to a play
telling the tale of their history.
“No,
I can’t go to that.
I'm training for the revolution.
Do you know the way?”

“Do you know the way to the revolution?”
I asked this
of everyone I met.

Then one night, a man
overheard my question
Called over to me
“Yes!
I know the way to the revolution.
Follow me.”

Excited,
I went with the man
Finally,
I would join the revolution

He led me down a road
toward noisy clamour
and loud footfall

I rushed my way in
Sword drawn,
ready to take on all comers.

The clamour was joyful music
and the footfall was
not made by soldiers at war.

I looked around
suddenly realising
I spent my life
training to fight
when what was asked of me
was to dance.

The poetry slam.
The concert.
The play.
Time and time again,
I had been invited to the revolution.
Ignored it.
Too caught up
in my own fantasy
of what the revolution
should look like.

I stood frozen
terrified
ashamed
No idea what to do next.

A woman walked up to me
smiled
held out her hand
“Want to dance?”

“I...
I don’t know the steps.”

“That’s okay.
I do.
Follow me.”

The books
we read as teens
didn't make us think
the end of the universe
would start with a whisper.

We sat
waiting for the earthquake,
the alien invasion,
the nuclear bomb.

But life is not like the movies
And this is always how it has begun.

With a whisper here
a lie there
The slow creep-in
of hatred and control
becoming so pervasive
it targets us too.

And so history sits
Cassandra in the corner
pleading over and over

This is always how it has begun,
Warning signs everywhere.

You wanted your epic trilogy
But those movies
never start
at the beginning of the story.

The end of the universe
starts with a whisper.