Music

The older I get, the more engaged I find myself with genres of the past. I remember as a child listening to music at my grandparents' house and feeling disengaged. It wasn't The Beatles and so I didn't really like it. However, there were these moments where, even as a child, I saw a strong connection between the far-reaching generations of my family through the music. My sister, a guitarist, learned how to play my grandfather's favorite song, 'Freight Train', by Leadbelly. And that Christmas my whole family sat together and she played and we sang, and my grandfather cried. He does every time she's played it since. As your granddaughter gets older, try to figure out how her interest in music has developed. In the car together, play her your favorite song or musician. Tell her how it makes you feel, what it means to you.

*SUBMIT a music clip to ehepner@andrew.cmu.edu*