![[All The Pretty Little Horses.png]] *All The Pretty Little Horses* is a traditional lullaby from the United States, traced back to early African-American roots. It is historically connected to enslaved Black women who were tasked with domestic and childcare work on plantations in the southern United States. Although from a particularly troubled past, the lullaby has persisted through American history, and is still sung to this day to children to lovingly help them to sleep. This particular arrangement is the second movement from [[Andrew Boysen Jr.]]'s *Three Folk Song Settings for Band*, and serves as the lyrical contrast to the two outer movements. ### Comments from Mr. Windsor Playing an instrument is a labour of love. It takes a great deal of effort to master the instrument, and your interaction with it to ensure that it produces exactly the sound you want. With my Senior Concert Band, I am particularly proud of their ability to illicit the sounds they desire. However, nothing makes me more proud of my musicians than when I challenge them with something particularly risky, and they embrace the challenge. While learning an instrument can be challenging, if an error occurs, it is still possible to blame the mechanical object causing the sound. However when one sings, if you blame the instrument for an error, you end up blaming yourself. There is a significant level of vulnerability that comes with singing, but the commensurate passion that comes from singing can be whelming. I asked my high school instrumental musicians to take that risk this year. I think you'll find the effect is outside many other musical experiences we've enjoyed in our program. *Hush a bye, don’t you cry, Go to sleepy, little baby. when you wake, You shall have, all the pretty little horses.* *Blacks and Bays, dapples and grays, Coach and six a little horses. Hush-a-by, Don't you cry, Go to sleep, my little baby.*