Between the Lines: “Kindness and Love,” by Andrew Bruhn

Inspired by the music and philosophy of Mr. Rogers, this tender song is a gift from the composer to his students. The heartfelt verses of Kindness and Love pose questions to singers about their feelings and lead to five important virtues: "kindness and gladness, compassion and joy, and love." The dolce tempo marking requests a sweet tone from the voices and a delicate touch at the piano. There's a lot to be learned here, both musically and emotionally.

Andrew Bruhn

Andrew Bruhn is a versatile musician, actively working as a choral conductor, composer, and trumpeter. Andrew is currently Director of Choral Music at Rockford Christian Schools in IL, where he teaches 6-12th grade choirs, AP Music Theory, class piano, basic music theory, and vocal directs for the musical. He is also the choir director at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rockford, IL. The American Choral Directors Association and National Association for Music Education have published Andrew’s writing on vocal music education. Andrew won the 2017 IL American Choral Directors Association Composition Contest, and was a semi-finalist for The American Prize in Choral Composition in 2019. Learn more about Andrew and see a full list of his Alfred Music publications here .

What inspired you to compose Kindness and Love?

A friend of mine encouraged me to face my fears and write a text. I've long been too afraid to take on the task of putting words in the mouths of others. I tried to think about what message I would want to give younger choir students, especially as they are developing in every way. I've been passionate about the life and work of Fred Rogers and how his legacy can be used in the classroom for many years, so I drew on that for inspiration for this piece.

It was important to me to include a verse that wasn't necessarily "happy"—that second verse is perhaps the most important for me personally: “Have you felt alone? Have you felt afraid? Are you ever scared to face the day?” As a parent and MS/HS teacher, I know that life isn't always easy or happy, and I hoped to give voice to that here, so the students know that those feelings are "mentionable and manageable" as Mister Rogers would say. This piece had been living in my head for months, and when the pandemic hit, I finally put pencil to paper and wrote it down. My sixth grade choir gave the "premiere" in a virtual choir in April 2020, and the piece is dedicated to them.

What teaching suggestions do you have to share for Kindness and Love ?

The piece could easily be performed in unison if you are struggling with either having enough singers, or to sing 2-part music. One thing that is especially important to me is that every time we sing "kindness and love" the solfege is do-fa-mi ; which is scale degree 1-4-3—this was a number that meant so much to Mister Rogers. He said "It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three.” He even weighed 143 pounds his entire adult life! I hope you'll find this piece is a valuable way to work on musical and personal expression.

What message do you have for singers learning this piece?

I've always hoped my classroom would be a place of belonging, and hopefully the beauty of this piece will help you find your way. I hope this piece will help you explore difficult feelings, and also encourage you to find someone you trust to help you as you learn and grow. The way we model kindness, gladness, compassion, joy, and love will positively influence the world around us!

See & Hear Now

Andrew offers even more insights on the creation of this arrangement and how to teach it in this quick video.