Music For Change - Guest Post by Alastair Penman
Humans have been making music for over 40,000 years, but what is it that draws us to do so? What is it within us that gives us the need to make music? Music is so much a part of our daily lives, that it is easy to not even notice it’s there; in cafés, shops, bars, restaurants, in the car, in films, on the radio and TV. It seems that where there are people there is music. What if we could hijack all this music and use it to make the world a better place?
My first experiment with creating music advocating for change was a piece for the Park Lane Group (funded by the RVW Trust) in 2017 when I had the unusual freedom of being commissioned to write a piece to perform as part of a contemporary music series, with no specific brief. At the time, there were two things that I was spending a lot of time thinking about; firstly, the horrors of the meat and dairy industries, which I had recently woken up to, and secondly the (first) election of Donald Trump. I wrote a piece entitled Ignorant Complicity, which, paired with a deliberately provocative programme note, aimed to make people really think about the implications of everyday choices that they might not usually give a second thought to; what might our everyday decisions make us complicit in without even realising. I was taken aback, (and later, on reflection, quite pleased), when someone confronted me after the concert and called me a hypocrite for advocating for the end of animal agriculture whilst wearing a leather belt and shoes. I won’t pretend I didn’t take some pleasure in pointing out that they were actually synthetic and that the fact they couldn’t tell just served to emphasise that killing animals for belts and shoes is completely unnecessary.
As I have progressed in my career (or maybe just aged…) I have increasingly come to the opinion that as artists we have a responsibility to use the platform that we are privileged to have to stand up for the things that we believe in. I find that as a composer I want to write pieces that have a deeper meaning; it is when writing about things I really care about that I am most able to tap into my emotions and write meaningful music.
I strongly believe that the Climate Crisis is the biggest problem facing humanity, and that there is no easy solution. My 2020 EP Do You Hear Me? aimed to raise awareness of the Climate Crisis and was somewhat of an outpouring of emotion. I am hugely grateful to John Harle, who produced the album (and released it on his Sospiro Records label) for encouraging me to write this EP. One of the lyrics that permeates the title track of the EP is “nothing has changed”, and I feel like in the five years since the release of the EP, this is still the case; we are no closer to living within planetary boundaries. I have also become increasingly aware of how complex an issue the Climate Crisis is; we cannot hope to solve it without addressing much wider issues including equality, colonialism and social justice. As an individual, it can feel that the problem is so huge there is no way we can make a difference. If everyone thinks like this, nothing will ever change, however if we all do what we can, together we truly can make a difference. It is with this in mind that I began writing my recent project, The Last Tree. I was inspired by the Cree Proverb: “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last river been poisoned will we realise we cannot eat money”. It feels like we are cutting down trees, catching fish and poisoning rivers, racing headlong towards a world full of money, but little else; how is it that governments still expect to have infinite growth on a finite planet?
After being moved by the initial quote, I selected seven other quotes about climate change that spoke to me, and wrote a piece based on each of these. The project was written for a concert I directed with the Saxophone Ensemble at the Guildhall School of Music, and was programmed alongside other hugely powerful works, including arrangements of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, and a recent work by Jenni Watson called 7 Day Total, in which players collect their plastic waste for 7 days before performing the piece, and use this waste in the performance. The concert also included a wonderful new piece After the Birds by Guildhall student Lydia Kenny. Having had the opportunity to put this concert together, I wanted to take the message further and decided to record The Last Tree into a studio album. It was somewhat of a labour of love as I multi-tracked all fourteen parts of the ensemble, recording and mixing the album over a number of months. I commissioned images to go with each of the pieces, which I hope serve to emphasise the message. My hope is that the album will help raise awareness of the issues we are facing, but also inspire people to think more deeply about the climate crisis, and what actions they can take as individuals or that we can take as communities to create positive change. Whilst all the proceeds from my EP Do You Hear Me? have been donated to charities fighting climate change, for every copy of The Last Tree that is sold I will plant a tree.
You may be reading this article and thinking, but what can I do? You may be a climate sceptic, and think we are making a lot of fuss about nothing. Not everyone has the capacity to respond in the same way; some will be able to do more than others for many varied reasons. If you don’t believe Climate Change is either real or problematic, it is worth considering the solutions being suggested. For starters, switching to renewable energy and ending reliance on fossil fuels will not only give us energy security, but will also lead to cleaner air, making our environment a more pleasant place to be, and improving health outcomes. Reducing animal agriculture will free up land for other uses, and also prevent pollution, helping to keep our rivers clean. (Run-off from farms is one of the biggest sources of water pollution.) There are countless examples of climate solutions that would not only help the planet, but also make our lives better. What if climate change is a hoax, but in fighting it we accidentally make the world a better place?
Here are some suggestions of some things that you can do as an individual, edited from an article I wrote for the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain entitled How Green is Your Sax Life?
What can you do to help?
There are many changes that we can all make as individuals, regardless of our musical activities, to reduce our impact on the planet. Here are some simple actions that you can take with relatively little effort that can help you to hugely decrease your impact on the planet.
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Reduce or eliminate your meat and dairy consumption:
Animal agriculture generates more greenhouse gases than all transportation in the world combined. Reducing your meat intake is the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint. Dairy has a similarly high impact; why not try one of the many alternative milks such as oat, soy, almond, pea or even potato. If you’re not convinced, check out the film Cowspiracy. -
Don’t waste food:
About a third of the world’s food goes to waste, and the process of that food rotting releases about 8-10% of global greenhouse emissions. If food waste were a country, it would have the third highest emissions after the USA and China. As well as focussing on not buying more than you need, why not look for local initiatives. Where I live there is a Food Rescue Hub where volunteers collect surplus food that would otherwise be thrown out by supermarkets, and anyone can go and take what they want in exchange for a small donation. Around 75% of the food I eat comes from local food rescues, saving food from going to waste. (It will also save you a small fortune on your weekly shop!) Some of these food rescues also help the local community by using donations from the food rescue to buy food for food banks, so not only are you saving food from going to waste and saving money, but you are also helping those in the community that are in need. -
Shop consciously:
Websites like Amazon have made it so easy to buy things we don’t need at the click of the button. Some of these items can be unbelievably cheap; do you ever stop to think why this is? If something looks too cheap, then there are almost certainly unethical practices happening somewhere in the supply chain. Think carefully about whether you really need an item before buying it, and whether you really want to buy the cheapest version you can find; investing in a good quality product that will last a lifetime is usually cheaper in the long run, and much better for the planet than buying multiple items that will end up going to landfill. Key Leaves are the perfect example for saxophonists; a great product that will last a lifetime, is ethically produced, and reduces your long-term impact by making your pads last longer! Other saxophone products I love include V-Pads (fully animal-free saxophone pads) and Funky Bird Saxophone Straps, which are both modular (so you can change parts rather than buying a whole new sling) and made from sustainable materials, with a 96% smaller carbon footprint than traditional leather slings..
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Don’t buy new items unless you really have to:
Fast fashion has a huge impact on our planet. We are constantly being pushed to buy more things, and in particular, clothes. When purchasing, consider if you really need an item; could you buy a similar item from a charity shop, eBay or borrow from a friend. (I can’t actually remember the last time I bought a brand-new item of clothing… Whilst I may not be a fashion icon, if everyone makes small changes then together we can make big differences.)
Facebook groups can also be an amazing place to find items being given away. On my local Reuse/Recycle group I have received/given away items including a sofa, computer monitor, carpet, paving slabs, wardrobes, curtains and blinds to name but a few. Also look out for (or start) local initiatives; nearby we have a Library of Things where you can borrow useful tools that you might need occasionally but don’t really need to own.
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Donate to effective charities:
When working on my EP Do You Hear Me? I spent some time researching the most effective ways to save the planet. The action that came up consistently as being most effective is donating to effective charities. This is why I decided that all proceeds from the sale of Do You Hear Me? would be split between two charities: Coalition for Rainforest Nations and Clean Air Task Force. -
Use planet saving apps:
One app I use every day that is completely free is Treeapp. Treeapp allows you to plant a tree for free every day – just think how many trees that would be if everyone reading this planted daily! -
Make music focussed on environmental issues:
Why not perform or even write music focussed around environmental issues? This is a great way to combine your love of music with a love for our planet and use the platform that you have to spread this important message. Alongside my recent albums I’m excited to be launching Sound Earth Collective with composer and saxophonist Jenni Watson – keep an eye on our websites and social media for some exciting things coming soon!
Finally, a huge thank you if you’ve made it this far! It’s a scary place out there with so much going on in the world, so please remember to look after yourself as well as looking after the planet and each other!
About the author:
Alastair Penman is a British saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and educator. He is Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music and has taught guest classes at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Welsh College of Music and UCLA. Alastair’s fifth studio album, The Last Tree, will be released on World Environment Day (6/5/2025). Alongside solo work, Alastair has performed with orchestras including London Contemporary Orchestra, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, London Concert Orchestra and Philharmonia and his playing can be heard on film and video game soundtracks including Deadpool and Wolverine, Call of Duty and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Alastair is a performing artist for Henri Selmer Paris, Vandoren UK, Buffet Crampon and Key Leaves.