The Sound of Music

When our daughter was little one of the songs I sang to her every single night while putting her to bed was "My Favorite Things." Oscar Hammerstein's brilliantly written lyrics have the ability to get a parent and child to focus on feeling gratitude for the simplest of life's pleasures while calming down at the same time. The mere phrase "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" kind of chokes me up right now just thinking about them and even though my girl is 13 she still asks me to sing it to her. I always sentimentally indulge.

For the first time in 45 years, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and the entire Von Trapp Family cast from The Sound of Music was reunited on Oprah this past week. I found this to be such a celebration for more than a few reasons;

1. The Sound of Music is maybe one of the most perfectly filmed musicals of all time. It is definitely in my top 10 list and holds up with each and every viewing
2. Julie Andrews was beyond divine and the chemistry within the cast was flawless.
3. And perhaps the most important; I thought I was Julie Andrews "mini me" when I was 10. Everyone told me I looked like her and never mind that I was called "Julie" until I was 18. I must have played the sound track on the hi-fi a trillion times re-enacting "I Have Confidence" (suitcase and all) and "I Am Sixteen" with perfect choreography, wearing a flouncy skirt and hopping from chair to sofa, in our living room a billion times. (Yes, I have just outed myself as being a child when the film was released, proud Baby Boomer that I am!)

The Sound of Music, the story and the film, survives because it joins two very important ideas; 1) music, the universal language, connects people on the cellular level and 2) music is stronger than war. The Von Trapp Family singers found strength and resilience in their music and found collected strength in each other to stand up to adversity. Without the music they probably wouldn't have escaped Austria during the initial stages of the WWII. It was the music that broke open Captain Von Trapp's heart so he could see what was really important to his family. The music became their message. The music saved them. The music gave them a new life.

I'm not saying anything particularity new here, but, I do think we need to revisit or introduce our children to certain classic stories and films on a regular basis. They are life affirming and there isn't anything better that singing along with your favorite musical with your favorite family members.

So, "When the dog bites, when the bee stings", go to your DVD player, pop in The Sound of Music and sit there with your child while they sing "Do, Re, Mi" (learning the scale - kind of like hiding the vegetables) and "The Lonely Goatherd" (seeing the magic of puppetry) with you and revel in the power of the music.

To be continued. . .