When writing a piece for the Hush Foundation, I was particularly interested in creating something for children in hospitals. I thought a lot about the kinds of things that would have cheered me up as a kid and tried to capture that mood in this piece, which I have titled Hopscotch, after the traditional children’s game. I remember, as a child, having to stay home when I was sick and still needing some sort of excitement to help me feel at ease, whether it was cartoons, video games, or adventure books. For this reason, this piece is not “soothing” in the typical sense. Instead, it presents a childlike innocence that I believe a younger version of myself would have enjoyed.

 

Hopscotch is supposedly an ancient game played all over the world by children and is known by many different names. It is Laylay in Persia, Peevers in Scotland, Marelle in France, Kith-Kith in India, Engklek in Indonesia, and Tumatu in Ghana.

 

Performed by Flinders Quartet 29/11/2025