 We are in our second and final week of the blog’s series on what we should be listening to. If you missed last week’s post, just scroll down to read a little about what podcasts you should subscribe and tune in to. This week, we are TALKING ABOUT MUSIC! I’m so excited for this particular topic because music has been such a central and uniting theme in my life. I studied voice in college and spend my weekdays teaching a love and understanding of music to young kids. As I’ve grown up, my taste in music has grown with me, but I will always have a special spot in my heart for old favorites. For me, there is nothing like music to take me back to the exact time, place, and feeling I was experiencing when I loved that album or a certain artist. In this post we are taking the grand tour of my musical loves. I’ve broken my all time favorite songs, albums, and artists into my top five favorite genres to listen to. We’ll be covering country/bluegrass, folk, Christian worship, pop, and soundtrack/instrumental. Obviously I did go to music school so I have a heart for choral, Broadway, and classical as well, but in the interests of not making this post a novel, I’m sticking to just these five (more general) genres. At the end of each section below you will find a link to a Spotify playlist I’ve created around each of these genres. Click over and enjoy! You might just find your new favorite. 1. Country & BluegrassWhen I was in high school, country was basically my whole musical world. Tattoos on This Town was our senior song and I have no shame about that. Luke Bryan’s song, I Don’t Want this Night to End was, and remains to this day, my FAVORITE song. Bluegrass and I go back even longer. When we summered at our family beach house, my Dad played guitar while the entire family sang Down to the River and I’ll Fly Away. There is something about country and bluegrass that sound exactly like home. Top Three: Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, and Punch Brothers 2. FolkWhen I got to college I encountered folk music for the first time and am of course now, completely in love. Folk is a pretty sweeping genre and that is represented by the artists in the playlist. Folk can sound techo or almost like bluegrass but across the board you can hear the artistry and the ownership in this genre. Top Three: JohnnySwim, Civil Wars, and Josh Krajcik 3. Christian WorshipLike all Baptists raised in the early 00’s, I have had my heavy BarlowGirl, Skillet, Casting Crowns, etc. phase. Then, like any kid, I went through a looooong phase when I thought I was too cool for Christian music. This last year has been a slow reversal of my strongly held prejudice against Christian music. I started to believe it was all overly simplistic musically and slightly cheesy in message, but these bands and artists have changed my mind. The key is to listen to the good stuff. I would like to think this playlist is full of a good handful of the very best. Top Three: BETHEL, Citizens and Saints, and Kristene Dimarco 4. PopThis playlist is called Kitchen Dancing because that’s when it’s going to get played. I love pop music when my hands are busy cleaning or driving or sorting or when I feel like dancing. Pop for me varies pretty significantly. You’re going to see T-swift and Post Malone and everyone in between. But when I’m really looking for quick or new pop music, I tune in to the radio just as often or hit the Spotify radio version of an artist or song that fits my mood. Top Three: Paramore, Chance the Rapper, and Ruth B. 5. Instrumental/SoundtrackI can remember leaning against the windows listening to melodramatic soundtracks as teenager and I think that was the moment I started using instrumental music to help me think and to relax. The sounds on this playlist are perfect for background music during homework, journaling, or chatting with a friend over coffee. I probably have streamed through these songs more than almost any others in my life. Top Three: Pride and Prejudice soundtrack, Outlander soundtrack, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe soundtrack BONUSI’m also including three other playlists that I listen to constantly because they are gold:
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 In keeping with our theme of series here on the blog, we are kicking off a two part series today on what to listen to. With a huge hunger for lifelong learning and music degree, I like to have something playing through my earbuds as often as possible. In last month’s series we discussed my current audiobook favorites and this week we are chatting about podcasts. Podcasts are probably my biggest obsession/discovery from 2017 and today I’m giving you all my favorites. If you have a favorite that I didn’t mention, be sure to comment and let us all know about it! 1. The Popcast (and the Bible Binge) Ok, ok, this podcast is getting a rare second feature because people, it’s my favorite. This comedy/pop culture podcast is a DELIGHT. Hosted by Knox and Jamie, I literally laugh out loud and their hilariously accurate observations. Their brand new podcast, the Bible Binge, is just exactly what the world needed to process our bible stories. Also, sign up for the newsletter, it's a joy. 2. The Lazy Genius Podcast Kendra is teaching us all how to be balanced grown women over here on the Lazy Genius Podcast. Her motto is, “genius about the things that matter, lazy about the things that don’t.” And if that isn’t wisdom for our generation, I don’t know what is. I literally just spend a half hour listening to her talk me through making soup on the fly and I was captivated. It’s everything you ever wanted to really understand, properly explained. 3. Fun Therapy Whew, ok, so proceed with caution on this one. I mean, you will be changed, I promise, but you will also likely sob. I lost my mind listening to our friend Annie Downs (see below) talk about the reality of being single when you want to be married, and though I don’t relate whatsoever, I had myself a nice long cry on the way to work as I listened to her tell her raw and real story. Mike Foster hosts and if you’re like me, you’ll walk away from every episode having been counseled by association. So good. 4. That Sounds Fun I’ve said it before and I will say it again and again, Annie is MY GIRL. I love this woman and her precious heart. Listening to her talk about God resonates with me on a soul level so I eat up all her podcast episodes. I’m linking you up to one of my favorites, where you can find Annie interviewing John Mark Comer, another of the world’s coolest people. 5. The Music Room Such a shameless but completely valid plug for my co-teacher and dear friend Aileen Miracle’s podcast all about elementary music education. The material she covers is the stuff of my daily life and I might (just maybe) be making a guest appearance on the podcast shortly. 6. Super Soul Conversations Well Oprah won my heart at the Grammy’s and I have loved her every moment since. When I heard that she was putting out a podcast with some of the world’s most influential people about the content and care of the soul. I mean, obviously this is one of my new favorite things. My favorite episode is with Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling about their new movie A Wrinkle in Time. Next week’s post is going to be all about music. I like a little of everything and feel a lot of diehard love for my favorites so I can’t wait to introduce you. See you next week!  |
Welcome! I'm a wife, mama-to-be, foster mom, fourth year music teacher, and Jesus follower, and am chronically curious about just about everything. Join me as I explore the calling God has for my family's story.
"I am the Vine, you are the Branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
February 2021
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