Music is a Seed of Hope
By Tiffany Cuaresma
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ― Victor Hugo. Music is a powerful vessel that can be used to change the world for the better. It is a universal language that has the power to inspire and transform people. I first started composing music because I was inspired by the powerful impacts of music. During my experiences performing in choirs, orchestras, bands, and even my time as a competitive figure skater, I witnessed music touching the hearts of people and creating emotional resonance; I have seen how it unites the most diverse and different people together as one. Ever since, it has been my mission to compose music that reaches people and gives a voice to those impacted by serious social issues, particularly human trafficking and gender inequality.
During a research project, I was devastated to discover that the average age for a human trafficking victim in my hometown San Diego, CA was just 16 years old. Motivated to help prevent this issue, I founded the Raven Abolitionists, a human trafficking prevention club. During my time as president, I composed a choral piece that was performed at a human trafficking prevention assembly organized by the Raven Abolitionists.
This was a moment of illumination. Nothing was more inspiring than composing and performing a piece about a passionate purpose. The music helped the audience comprehend the startling reality as the choir’s polyphony painted the pathos of the statistics. I felt a burning fire within me because I knew that this piece of music could save one more person, perhaps my friend, my classmate, my sibling, or my sibling’s friend, from human trafficking.
Furthermore, I witnessed the powerful transformative effects of music as a Luna Composition Lab fellow. Inspired by Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid’s mission to inspire young female composers, I composed Hope, a piece dedicated to oppressed women around the world. Today, there are still 62 million girls who are denied education worldwide, and 71 percent of women who are human trafficked globally. Music helps give a voice to the 62 million girls who are denied the opportunity to speak for themselves. Composing music can help open the eyes of people to see new life perspectives and further inspire them to take action.
It is truly incredible how the dots I put on staff paper can come alive and echo an epistle of empathy, a promise of hope and transformation for issues that continue to persist today. Composing music has given me confidence to make an impact and stand up for what I believe in. It has given me the ability to empower others in need and to raise awareness about crucial topics I’m passionate about. My mission is to continue to compose music that plants seeds of hope in people’s hearts; one day, these seeds will blossom into something greater, inspiring people and others around them to take action and make a positive impact in the world. “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” ― Leonard Bernstein