MUSIC....

I have always loved music.  That may be part of the reason that my first career was in radio.  I know that having teenagers can test your musical fortitude, but the truth is that I like a lot of the same music that they like.  My musical preferences are pretty diverse.  I like everything from classic rock to country to modern rock and hip hop.  Of course, I love to listen to my kids play in concerts in the school band!


On a day when I am working at something rather mundane on my computer, I love to listen to whatever suits my mood that day.  One day it may be my all-time favorite Elton John...or it could be the Moody Blues...or Josh Groban...or Green Day...or Linkin Park...or almost anything in between.

While I will never be a huge fan of rap, I try not to judge the music my kids like.  I know that is a sign of getting older - when you don't feel that what your kids like is really music, but even if I don't necessarily love what they do, I respect their tastes.

I went through lots of phases in music.  A high school English teacher turned me on to Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel by using their lyrics as examples of poems.  I still appreciate her to this day since those songs still speak to me. 

I will always remember concerts I have been to.  I had the great fortune in radio to get to go backstage and meet a lot of big names in their prime.  I have never really been one for becoming star struck - except when I got to meet Elton John.  The meeting lasted about ten seconds, but it will always be etched in my brain.  I have loved his music since I was 16 years old. 

I remember how much I loved The Monkees as a kid.  I bought all the albums.  I got the latest magazines with their pictures, trivia about them, and lyrics to their songs.  I remember wanting to tell my father facts about them and having him brush me aside because that subject held no interest for him.

My daughter is very passionate about her musical tastes.  When she falls for a group, it is their music, their demeanor, their stage presence - everything about them.  She becomes almost obsessed with these groups and their music.  She wants to share their music with me - and I will listen and try not to judge.  I usually like the music - not to the extent she does, but that's okay.  When she tells me all the facts she found online about these groups, I will listen - really listen.  I remember what it felt like to not be listened to.

What I really love is when I find a group or song that I can introduce my kids to.  It makes me feel so good when I hear something before they do and can share it with them - and have them like it as much as I do.  Of course, I will still play "Name That Artist/Group" with my kids while we listen to a classic rock station.  It's a game that they aren't always in the mood for.  But my daughter - who just recently fell in love with The Beatles - is pretty darned good at it!