On My Favorite Thing To Do, Listen To Music
I want to talk about my favorite thing to do. It is to listen to music. During my spare time and when I hang out and listen to music it makes my day. And when I am in the mood and have time to listen to music too it makes me happy in my heart and soul. And people with Down syndrome really love and enjoy to listen to music. And to do things with music too like see concerts and go to events where you are able to dance to music it makes me so happy too.
I love to do the Dollar Dance at weddings. This was Lindsays friends wedding and we all did the Dollar Dance together.
Also sometimes you have a change with music and you start to add more different kinds of music to your musical taste. And then you start to begin to listen to these different and other kinds and types of music too with the type that you always loved your whole life. And it grows and grows with more music for your heart.
I want to talk about the music I love. I love and like to listen to romantic classical piano music and romantic love songs with piano. Also opera classical music and relaxation soft music with nature sounds or with Ocean Waves.
Here I am listening to relaxing opera classical music that my sister Lindsay put on when we went on a road trip together.
I also am starting to listen to music from Olivia Newton John, Liza Minneli, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews. Also Queen Latifah and the Brand New Alison Porter and Hannah Huston singles from The Voice TV Show.
I love Megan Trainor and Sara Bareilles, and Pentatonix. I love Diana Ross by herself and also Diana Ross & The Supremes. And Glady Knight by herself and Gladys Knight & The Pips. Ann Murray is a Country singer I start to listen to some of her music a little bit because she have a really good singing voice. Also Bluegrass country is music I love like Dolly Parton.
I also like and love to listen to The American Idol Music on The YouTube too.
I have a lot of different singers I love like Luther Vandross, The Carpenters, Tamela Mann, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, Etta James.
I really like some favorite songs and I want to write one down it is Total Eclipse of the Heart. The genres I like and love are country music, pop, R&B, and Rock Music also. Also Soundtrack music and a little bit of Latin.
My boyfriend Mark and I love to go to music concerts together.
I want to say the music that I want to have is the music in the Edited version and when it is clean. I don’t like when the music is Parental Advisory with the bad words and bad language.
When a person is sad or lonely or wants to feel happy inside then listening to music it helps. It is my favorite thing to do when I have some alone time or when I am with other people too. Music is one of the most special things in my life and in my heart forever.
“My favorite thing to do is listen to music…it makes me happy in my heart and soul.”
Experiencing music. It’s arguably one of the greatest aspects of being alive.
Music has been a part of my world for my entire existence, starting when my mom would play piano to her little unborn Lindsay baby bump. Since, I have been surrounded by the sound of my dad strumming songs on guitar, Michael Jackson on the stereo…jam sessions with my uncles in the basement, and my sister Leah practicing the piano.
On Tuesday I was able to see Leon Bridges in concert. His soul was bursting on stage along with everyone in the crowd throughout his entire performance. I was watching a modern day Otis Redding right before my eyes. It was magical. Music is magical. And shocker… listening to music is Leah’s favorite thing to do. As with so many things in life, this girl just gets it.
When reflecting on some of my favorite moments of my life, music is almost always present. And the effect it has on people, universal.
This phenomenon became most apparent to me when living abroad last year. I was constantly crossing paths with people who spoke a different first language than my own. It was humbling, challenging, and isolating. However, any time music came into the equation, the walls dividing us completely and instantly crumbled.
A moment that sticks out in my mind was in Paris, when my host family’s grandparents came over. This was early in my Parisian adventure, and my level of French pretty much maxed out at “bonjour” and “merci.” The parents were out of town and I found myself alone with the two grandparents in the living room. Their grandfather Pierre’s level of English was limited, and communication was difficult. We were worlds apart, standing together in silence. That is until I sat down at the piano to play a song for them. Despite my amateur piano skills, the moment I began, relief filled the room. We were immediately united in the sound. Magical. Universal.
Another special moment was in Wichita when I worked for a Psychiatric Residential Treatment facility. Our program lead expressive activities with children who were experiencing extreme mental health obstacles. We were in the gym working on an activity when one of the staff members came in, a smile on his face and positivity beaming from his presence. Out of the blue, he burst out into the Bob Marley song…”don’t worry, about a thing…for every little thing…is gonna be alright.” He repeated it and we all joined in. For a few minutes, it felt as if there was a bubble around all of us, beautiful and broken, together, singing. The trauma, daily challenges, the hurt…it disappeared. We were united in the sound. Magical.
I think that’s one of the reasons it’s so mesmerizing when Leah plays piano. The music is uniting. During her performances, everyone’s differences disappear and we all sit together in the sound. That combined with the truth that she has worked diligently at her passion… and once again she turns everything upside down.
Leah at the beginning of her musical journey
“My favorite thing to do is listen to music…it makes me happy in my heart and soul.”
Here’s to turning our minds Upside Down.
You Young Ladies are Awesome keep up the good work. I truly enjoy these post.
Is there somewhere that we can listen to Leah’s piano playing? I work and play with two teens with Downs and they love music too. It would inspire them to be able to see and hear Leah play piano.