Mr. Stephen Schwartz composer/lyricist

3/16/2024

Mr. Stephen Schwartz

c/o Heelstone Parc Productions

P.O. Box 671 

North Salem, NY 10560 

Dear Mr. Schwartz,

My name is Matt Winick and I’m a fan of your work as a composer/lyricist. My favorite movies that you worked on composing while developing lyrics is Disney Pocahontas and Prince of Egypt. Disney Pocahontas was a great Disney movie about Pocahontas, member of the Powhattan tribe who meets Captain John Smith and they have to work together to reduce conflict between the settlers including the Powhattan tribe. Some of the my favorite songs that you wrote were Just Around the Riverbend, Colors of the Wind, If I Never Knew You, Steady as The Beating Drum, and many others. I enjoyed these songs because it help bring out the Native American culture, showed more about Pocahontas trying to navigate different challenges, and helped show the connection between Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. The Prince Of Egypt was a great animated movie about the origin story of the biblical character Moses. The songs that you wrote and had composed that I liked were When You Believe, Through Heaven Eyes, The Burning Bush, and many others because I like on how to helped showed how Moses tried to understand his past, embrace his new journey to help led the Jews from slavery, and many others. Disney Pocahontas and The Prince Of Egypt  have many good themes or messages like the need to find ways to help people when there are obstacles, how it is important to be against hate of people who are different or come from different backgrounds, and many others. 

Besides your work as a composer/ lyricist, I truly appreciate on how you are a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights causes to reduce discrimination. Mr. Schwartz, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Another thing that I struggle with a disability is when other people including other adults get judgmental about me being different from them and have struggles to find different methods to improve myself.  Also I had done teaching time to help me learn to speak while learn how to improve my behavior, spent time in special education to help me learn different subjects in education, and many others.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights causes really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your work composing music along with writing lyrics in Disney Pocahontas and in The Prince of Egypt helps give me motivation to try to find different methods to improve myself when there are challenges.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference. I’m very proud on how you work hard to make Disney Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt have great music along with songs to make these movies come alive. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. 

Sincerely,

Matt Winick