Memory in Melody: Rye Graduate Shares Song for 9/11 [VIDEO]

Jess Turner is 21 years old now, but five years ago she was a sophomore at Rye High School. The 5th anniversary of 9/11 inspired the very first of the singer-songwriter's compositions, a song called "Dust Angels." 

Turner was touched by the story of a young boy, also from Westchester, who released a balloon every 9/11 anniversary with a note to his dad lost in the attacks.

Over the years, the song has brought comfort to those with whom Turner shared it.

"I've sent it to people who have been impacted by the events, and I've received a great deal or positive responses," Turner wrote. "I'm not sure if you could use a song in your tribute, but I wanted to reach out to you in case a place could be found for 'Dust Angels.' I would love to contribute something to this year's anniversary, as so many of my friends and family's lives were profoundly impacted by the attacks."

Turner's touching letter continues:

"The initial inspiration for the song actually came from Mr. Steel at Rye High School. He gave my class an optional extra credit assignment - we could write, produce, or perform something original and creative  to commemorate the 5th anniversary of September 11th, and we would present it to the class and receive a few extra points on our grade.

I decided that I wanted to do the assignment to honor the anniversary because friends of mine had been so profoundly impacted by the attacks, and I toyed with the idea of writing a song since I had started messing around with songwriting that year.

A couple days later, I happened to pick up the local newspaper, and in it was a story about a young boy from a couple towns over. He lost his father in the attacks, and every year, he releases a balloon into the sky with a note attached to stay connected to the memory of his father. I read the article and started crying.

I sat down at my piano, wrote the entire night, and by morning, "Dust Angels" was finished. It was one of those moments of pure inspiration and emotion, and I don't think I can say I've ever written a song that smoothly or quickly again.

I recorded "Dust Angels" a couple weeks later and gave it to Mr. Steel, who approached me after class and asked if it could be played at the school assembly.

He's been a huge support of the song and of me as a writer, and in many ways he encouraged me to take songwriting seriously as a possible career path. "Dust Angels" was truly my first "real" song, and it inspired me to continue writing, as it seemed to impact so many people around me in a wonderful way.

Music is a evocative and healing experience, and I discovered that as I sent the song to members of my community that I knew had been impacted by 9/11.

I even sent it to that boy and his family, and I received a beautiful Thank You card back in the mail.

I will never forget the epiphany I had from the experience of taking that incredibly moving story and turning it into a song - music and catharsis are intertwined, and it can be one of the most powerful and rewarding art forms we have, for both the creator and the listener."

Jess Turner