Have you ever considered what kind of soundtrack your life might have if it were a movie? Or have you ever pictured your life as a musical where you and the people around you randomly break into song and dance? Personally, I’ve toyed with both of these ideas more often than I likely should share lest people who know me begin giving me the side eye.
Whether you’ve ever considered such things, or simply imagined a walk up song as you head to your desk at your job, I think we can agree music makes life a little richer. Whether you’re an 80s rocker, a country music fan, or prefer a bit more the sophistication of a classical sonata, music brings an added layer of delight and beauty and even productivity to our lives.
It can also provide a wonderful way of connecting with our teenagers.
And, in our home, we sometimes take that connection beyond mere listening; we actually become like the characters in those musicals who randomly break into song, dance, or both. If you’ve never done so, I highly recommend it.
We all know or have certain songs that invite us to sing along. In our family, there are also words or phrases that can ignite a spontaneous moment of singing. When that involves a duet between my two girls or includes me in a chorus of three, nothing fills my heart with more delight or brings a smile to my face more quickly than the sound of singing.
Cue Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody (who doesn’t know and sing all of these lyrics whenever they hear this iconic song?). Or, if it’s Christmastime, lend your ear to the popular tune of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas, or Wham’s Last Christmas (or the covers if you’re playing whamageddon). More recently, it’s been the catchy songs by King George in Hamilton.
Any of these, and more, can launch my teens into full-blown concert-style singing which eventually leads to fits of laughter and, even more important, deeper connections. My girls don’t share a similar interest in bands or singers and yet, they often bond over the simple act of joining their voices.
It’s only one way they are in tune with one another.
They share similar struggles of teenagerness, and, as sisters, they have a remarkable ability to intuit what the other is facing when in the midst of a challenging time (either with anxiety or being autistic or navigating the world). Don’t get me wrong—they also antagonize one another, annoy each other, and make sarcastic digs at each other. Even so, their bond is a strong one. And, if I had to guess, part of that is due to their ability to connect in music.
When they were younger, they often sat at my husband’s desktop computer in front of GarageBand and created some of the most complicated, intricate musical loops (think Ross in the show, Friends, but with actual music happening and not just random sound effects). And once the track was completed, they would hit play and dance. The silliness was obvious and the joy was palpable. But what I’ve come to appreciate as I look back on those times, is the relationship they were creating.
Music enhances moments, often fills us with a sense of joy or longing, and tends to invite us to savor life in a way that touches our souls in ways we rarely can predict. When my girls burst into song without warning, I welcome it as a sign to pause and enjoy the gift these two teenagers are. And, if I’m familiar with the lyrics (and I often am), it takes less than a beat for me to raise my voice with theirs, and I would much rather raise my voice in song than in any other way as their parent.