Any Needtobreathe tune. These gritty Southern ditties will feed your brain and rock your soul.
Boyz II Men’s Water Runs Dry. I know the step-snap choreography by heart and I’m not scared to use it.
Disney Digression: Lindsey and I have planned entire sister vacations around the Boyz II Men concert at EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival.
The Nutcracker score has always put a twinkle in my toes, especially the haunting arches of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. And a 2016 holiday remix of the piece composed a new magic that left me starstruck.
That’s right. You spy So You Think You Can Dance alums Jaja and Lillian. Poppin’ John and Ladia are grinning here, too.
ANY Disney melody is an instant transport to my happy place. From movies to parades to attractions, they all make me cheese and wish for great big beautiful tomorrows.
Disney Digression
The Harry Potter theme song illuminates all the fun our family has had getting sorted and launching our patronus charms into the universe.
Accio good vibes!10 points for Hufflepuff!
But the songs that make me the happiest are the lullabies Tucker makes up for his little brother, when he thinks no one else is listening. The just off-key, just-right compositions that lull a busy little mind to sleep. Le sigh.
I’m a sucker for strum-able strings. From hymns to hip hop, I love the way everything sounds on an acoustic guitar. Ukulele, mandolin. My love language.
Disney Digression
But I’d rather be the audience than the player.
If I could master any instrument, I’d have to choose my voice. I already wail in the car, in the kitchen, in the shower. I sing lullabies every night. I hum–often unconsciously, often in public. Since singing is second nature, I’d love to have a gift.
I’ve always wanted to play the piano, and when I say always, I mean always. I remember wishing my mom would send me to piano lessons, but being as painfully shy as I was, I didn’t have the courage to ask her or tell her it’s what I wanted. If I did mention it, it was probably a passing comment and she thought nothing of it, a phase perhaps. Needless to say, it’s a major regret. I did learn a few songs here and there when I was younger – Chopsticks and Mary Had a Little Lamb – even the theme to Jeopardy at one point. But alas, these fingers never tickled the ivories in a manner I would’ve liked. And in the grand scheme of things that’s probably okay, as I was never one to put myself in front of a crowd – piano recitals, no thank you.
To me, the sound of a piano can be magical. It’s a sound like no other to me, and when I hear the different notes coming together to make such a masterpiece of music, it’s beautiful. The well-known musical pieces from Beethoven and Bach are wonders to the ears, and I jealously watch as other people’s fingers move so swiftly and effortlessly across the keys. It’s such a talent, and one I wish desperately I possessed. So perhaps I’ve added something to my bucket list – piano lessons for adults – surely that’s a thing right?
I like to think of myself as a creative person. I’m a writer. I have at least three pens and two Sharpie markers {in varying colors} with me at all times. I doodle during meetings {don’t tell on me}. And I belt it like Beyonce in the car on the way to…anywhere. But if there’s one thing I can’t do, it’s play instruments. I tooted the recorder in elementary school, I tried the soprano saxophone in middle school, and I think my mom finally gave up on me in high school. I wish she hadn’t because if there’s one instrument that I’ve always wanted to play like an angel, it’s the piano. My mom is a great piano player — aren’t all moms really great at playing the piano? That’s totally a mom thing, isn’t it? I have great memories of her playing songs from “Phantom of the Opera” and “The Sound of Music” when I was younger. Then again, who wouldn’t want to be just like their biggest and best role model?
Any Needtobreathe tune. These gritty Southern ditties will feed your brain and rock your soul.
my ft.notes 