When we were children, my sister and I sat in our chairs, staring at the portable record player, completely mesmerized by the sounds that wafting through the air. We were listening to “Peter Pan.” My sister, aged 5, memorized the entire record, and was able to recite it by heart for her Kindergarten class, playing all the parts, and singing all the songs. My favorite part was when we, the listeners, had to use all the energy we could muster, for Tinkerbell to get well so she could do her magic. The impassioned request, “If you believe in fairies, then clap your hands!!” boomed from record player, and I clapped as hard as I possibly could, until my hands were red. Wonders of wonders, it worked every time. But that was only because I believed, and the wishes of three year old children are powerful.

Decades later, in the midst of a global pandemic, I was running out of magic. So I turned to the other people in my house, my daughter (who was sent home from her college campus during the Covid-19 pandemic) and my husband (who was out of work as a talent agent). Together, we clapped our hands, and we dreamed up our own fairy magic.

I composed music for our adventure and the result is this, “In Search of the Forest Fairy.” We hope you enjoy it. We hope you still believe in magic. And when concerts come back, I sure hope you will clap your hands.