Sometimes there are just no words….was commissioned by Jared Cooey and the Lake High School (OH) Band in loving memory of Renee, Amber, and Evan Dunham, and premiered on May 2, 2024. Renee, Amber, and Evan were beloved members of the community in Lake Township, Ohio, where Renee was a ninth-grade trombone player, Amber was a seventh-grade flute player, and Evan was a third grader. They and their parents passed away in a tragic murder-suicide in August 2023.

The high school band director, Mr. Cooey, collected letters from friends and family describing each of the children and reflecting on memories and stories of their times together. These were some of the most moving and touching documents I have ever read in my life, filled with emotion and love for three beautiful souls who were taken far too early.

As we discussed ideas and plans for the piece, Mr. Cooey’s words to me were that it should be beautiful and lyrical, “something comforting in the midst of pain.” As I started to consider how to approach such a difficult piece, I knew that I wanted to somehow provide that comfort through a unified approach, but I also wanted to recognize the distinctive personalities of each of the three children, especially since the letters were so consistent in their characterizations of each child. I decided to use their last name, Dunham, as a melodic idea that would permeate the entire piece and connect each section through its consistent inclusion in each portion. However, each section would also musically represent one of the three children using a different melodic idea related to the letters in their name. I sought to use every possible musical note in their names, and the melodies were derived in the following manner:

Dunham = D, C (Ut in solfege), skipped N, B (H in German), A, E (Mi in solfege) = musical notes DCBAE

Renee = D (Re in solfege), E, skipped N, E, E = musical notes DEEE

Amber = A, E (Mi in solfege), B, E, D (Re in solfege) = musical notes AEBED

Evan = E, skipped V, A, skipped N = musical notes EA

The piece begins with the three notes that start each of their names, D (Re), A, and E. After a short and gentle introduction that presents the basic materials for the piece, Renee’s section begins with a trombone melody that is thoughtful, but with great inner strength. The letters described her as shy (until you knew her), brave, generous, and a lover of books. Her music starts quietly but builds confidently to an initial climactic passage. Gradually, the music shifts into a brighter texture and faster tempo, featuring the sparkle of metallic percussion, and the flutes begin Amber’s melody. Amber was described as friendly, kind, creative, nurturing, and full of sparkle and life. Her melody floats along lightly and gracefully before slowly dissipating, as the mallet percussion begin a repetitive and energetic two-note accompaniment (the notes E and A) and the melodic line shifts to Evan’s tune. Evan was described as energetic, intelligent, curious, silly, and full of joy. His melody builds over the top of this energetic accompaniment and eventually calms down again, before a solo horn restates the Dunham theme, which gradually builds, adding elements from all three previous sections, and arrives at a warm and loving climactic chord. The music recedes once more, finally fading into the opening notes of D, E, and A.

The title for the work is taken from a beautiful letter written by one of their aunts, the last line of which reads, “Sometimes there are just no words, and for those times, let there be music.”