Garden: A Musical Field Journal

MUSICA SIERRA • GARDEN • AUGUST 1, 2025

 With roots running deep in rural California, songwriter Owen McIntosh channels his lifelong bond with the earth into an immersive, heartfelt tribute to the land that shaped him, weaving together the cycles of growth, care, and renewal found in a garden. Grammy-nominated ensembles Fire & Grace and The Nightbirds join forces, blending their styles to bring the garden to life with mandolin, violin, guitar, and vocals in this truly one-of-a-kind offering for children and families.

LOYALTON, CA (May 16, 2025) – Dedicated to high-level performance and arts-integrated education, Northern California-based arts organization Musica Sierra announces the August 1 release of Garden, the fifth installment in its Musical Headwaters series. This collection of albums commissioned by Musica Sierra is intended to deepen children’s understanding of themselves and nature, with a goal of helping them become stronger environmental stewards.

Created by mothers and fathers who want to share their love of music and the natural world with all children, Garden brings together for the first time two powerhouse, Grammy-nominated ensembles: The Nightbirds (Ashley Hoyer, Samantha Harvey, and Jade Hendrix) and Fire & Grace (William Coulter and Edwin Huizinga). Musica Sierra is proud to introduce this collaboration as its first BIPOC-led performing group.

Garden is more than a children’s album – it’s an invitation to slow down, observe, wonder, and grow. The songs tell the story of a garden’s seasons: from planting seeds in spring to summer’s growth, fall’s harvest, and winter’s rest. It’s about the cycles of life in the soil beneath our feet, the air we breathe, and the food that nourishes us.

The music for Garden was written and workshopped by three-time Grammy nominated Owen McIntosh, who, in addition to being Musica Sierra’s Co-Artistic Director, also serves as the K–12th–grade music teacher for the Loyalton, California public schools. The songs were designed to be accessible for young children to sing along with, blending seamlessly into classroom settings and at-home learning. Owen refined the tunes in real time with students to make sure they were not only singable, but also meaningful and memorable.  

If Owen McIntosh’s lyrical and musical sketches were the “soil” for this thriving garden, then the “plants” – the arrangements and additional music – grew from the creative mind of Ashley Hoyer. The essential nourishment of “sun and water” was provided by the voices, musicianship, and production skills of Ashley Hoyer, Jade Hendrix, Samantha Harvey, William Coulter, Edwin Huizinga, and Musica Sierra’s Executive Director/Co-Artistic Director, Lindsay McIntosh.

Beginning with “Grow,” Garden explores how seeds, like children, require love and nurturing to fully realize their potential. In “Sunflower Sky,” the eponymous flowers happily embrace the biological diversity of their pollinators, modeling acceptance, tolerance, and friendship. “Give” shows the rewards of hard work through the metaphor of a bountiful garden, encouraging children to give of themselves generously. “Winter Garden,” a lullaby for a sleeping garden as it rests through the winter, emphasizes the importance of rest as an essential element for growth. Garden concludes with “Dig It,” an anthemic, gospel-jazz call to “dive right in,” get gardening, and live life to the fullest!

Garden is also part of a companion book-and-album series, Musical Field Journal. This vibrant, multi-sensory learning experience and teaching aid combines song lyrics, beautiful illustrations, and space for children to journal and reflect. These journals provide a unique, arts-driven pathway for students to explore science, creativity, and self-awareness.

“We dream of a world where every child has their own Musical Field Journal,” says Lindsay McIntosh. “A world where music and art aren’t extras – they’re essential tools to foster empathy, environmental stewardship, and self-awareness. We aim to create a movement where children not only learn about nature but feel it, sing it, and carry those lessons into the future.”

Click below to view our digital Musical Field Journal

Musica Sierra and Executive Director Lindsay McIntosh are passionate not only about fostering new music but also about supporting aspiring young artists like James Burns. At just 15 years old, James is an incredible force—and dare we say—a prodigy acrylic artist. By fate, James was discovered through his mother, April Burns, who was Owen and Lindsay’s son’s kindergarten teacher during the creation of the Garden album. Together, April, Lindsay, and James collaborated to bring the album’s song lyrics to life through James’s inspiring artwork.

James Burns, Illustrations

James Burns is a 15-year-old aspiring artist from Loyalton, CA. His love for drawing began as soon as he could hold a pencil, and by the age of 11, he discovered a passion for acrylic painting. Beyond art, James enjoys playing soccer and caring for his 4-H steer. With a keen artistic eye and a dedication to his craft, he dreams of a future career where he can bring his creativity to life.