Farewell?

Jennifer Lopez. I have loved her ever since Selena.

But I have to admit, she's not exactly a healthy role model. I mean, she's not someone I would want my daughter to emulate.



She seems very down-to-earth in interviews, but I have to wonder about a mom in her forties who does a photo shoot like this for publicity. I really hope I'm not coming off as judgmental here--I have just realized how important it is for me to examine what or who I follow in order to have integrity as the author and promoter of this blog. I'm using her as an example, but I could just as easily be talking about Madonna. Or Cher. Or etc., etc., etc.

Performers like Jennifer Lopez are in the entertainment business. They do whatever it takes to sell records. As a listener, I fund their message. And most often, their message is that sex sells and women are valued for their sexual potential. Sex appeal is even valued over motherhood:


(http://www.lhrtimes.com/2013/01/18/jennifer-lopez-would-like-to-have-more-children-134793/)

So I am faced with a dilemma: I love to sing and dance to her music. I mean, I really love it. But, her message gets into my head and my soul through the lyrics, the beat, the dance moves, the video--it's all affecting how I see myself and define beauty, whether I want to admit it or not.

So, do I totally ban her from my playlist? Or do I listen to my favorite songs once in awhile but don't endorse the videos? Or...do I chill out and try not to overthink this?

Some days I am convinced that it's fine to listen to popular radio now and then. I tell myself I really like the beat (which I do so much that I can't drive my car straight if I have dance music on) and that the music is not a problem for me. Other days I feel slimy listening to the radio, as if my soul were twerking off in a dark, sweaty club.

The problem with trying to stay true to the message of this blog is that cultural definitions of beauty and its enmeshment with sex are so pervasive that I would have to make some radical lifestyle changes in order to make any real stand. I couldn't listen to the radio, I would have to totally clean up my Spotify playlists and find new music to clean the house to, and I definitely couldn't go to Zumba. Which would suck.

When does "just feeling good" about music and developing some confidence as a living-room-only dancer cross over into the dark territory of complicity in the world's efforts to taint true beauty and keep women in subordinate citizenship through sexual objectification and enslavement?!

Sorry J-Lo, you might have to go.

I know our culture is hostile to any message that preaches radical lifestyle change (unless it's a diet), but I really think the benefits of a strict "no sex object" diet from my entertainment intake are worth examining, at least as this blog's creator.

What do you think? Am I being a little over-the-top, or is this just what the doctor ordered for the upcoming generation?

Talent Redefined--Oh, Billy!

Remember this kid?



I saw him live one summer, probably the same year as this video, and I was totally blown away by his stage presence. He was so cute, confident, and charismatic.

And then I never heard from him again.

Billy Gilman. A child star growing up out of the limelight because he didn't do anything shocking enough to make it onto a magazine cover. He had a beautiful voice, his had a hit song or two, and then he did what so many wholesome young stars are not able to do: he stayed true to himself. He didn't sell out. And his family/friends/agents didn't sell him out, either.

Instead of crossing over from country to pop and making videos with little half-naked teeny boppers batting their eyes and grinding on him, he got involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Here he is in 2008, a few years older and even cuter than he was when he was twelve:



I love that he chose to use his talent for something like this. Now you might be wondering what he's up to today, right? Well, putting this together:



Say what you will about Billy's songs, charity compilations, or country music in general--you can't deny that Billy Gilman exemplifies the redefinition of using talent for gain. Even if you put aside the fact that he is using his talent to raise money for people who don't have the resources to provide for themselves, he still deserves more exposure and recognition because he's just plain talented. Consistent on-pitch vocals, engaging stage presence, he's got it all.

More Billy Gilman vids:

http://youtu.be/MIWU7fhxThA

http://youtu.be/Q5dqAoEsURg

http://youtu.be/wXWNLRenWv0

http://youtu.be/ggs-X_HJvtY

Talent Redefined

I heard this singer-songwriter on NPR one day, and her song was so lovely I knew I had found someone interesting to follow. I know this genre won't appeal to everyone, but she actually has a pretty varied repertoire. Some songs sound folksy, some sound more indie rock. I also like her lyrics--I have lately appreciated any writer who can come up with lyrics that speak to thoughts I've actually had in my own head, rather than impossibly sexy propositions and repetitive calls for club dance moves. So here she is: Laura Veirs. Not the face you will ever see getting 16 million hits on YouTube, but very cute and real. Enjoy.

Talent Redefined--Rodrigo y Gabriela

I'm sure many of you have heard of or seen this guitar duo. If you haven't, then you are about to be blown away by the speed of their hands. I love watching them, but sometimes I get a little pain in my wrist, as if mine were the one strumming so furiously. It's hard to watch them and not get at least a little fatigued.

I know they have gotten a lot of media play in the past couple of years, but I still think we need to see more of them. In general, I'd like to see more of people actually playing instruments to their full potential. And Rodrigo and Gabriela know how to make their guitars turn into different instruments. There's just no way to explain what happens to a guitar when it is loved so much. Enjoy.

Talent Redefined

I'm on a talent search.

Before my kids hit the tween years, I want to build up a music library full of interesting, clever, evocative, original, and beautiful pieces by truly talented songwriters and composers. I have this dream of the market shifting from trash to treasure. I want to see Gabriela Montero on the cover of a magazine at the checkout stand. Or a reality show where contestants compete to compose the most original symphony. If we, consumers of entertainment, can change the nature of our demand, then future generations have the hope of emotional and intellectual enrichment through music, rather than degeneration.

So, for the next...oh, I don't know--4 weeks or so?--I will be searching for and posting music that reflects actual talent. Not sales, not trends, not shock value--just talent. Opera, world music, jazz, rock, and even country.

Even though my sphere of influence mostly includes people who already value the above-mentioned qualities, I hope these posts are shared with young people who need exposure to something better than twerking and sick house beats. Not that house music is bad--some of it is quite innovative--but there is more to music.

First up, a bit of opera. I heard this song on the classical music station this morning in the car (you know, trying to stay clam in the morning rush). I have to admit, at first I thought the voice was a little annoying. But as my three-year-old and I kept listening, the vocal complexity became more intense. You have to admire a person who can do things with their voice that the rest of us couldn't do under torture. (Yeah, I'm not sure what that means either.)

The other thing I love about this piece is the echo of the trumpet and the duet between the voice and trumpet at various points. I'ts really beautifully arranged to sound like multiple voices.

So here it is: "Let the Bright Seraphim", from Handel's Samson. This version features Kathleen Battle, whom I am trying to learn more about, and Wynton Marsalis, a well-known jazz musician and composer. Enjoy!

30 Days of Redefining Beauty-Day 24

Thank you to all who responded to yesterday's post! I saw truth in all of your comments. Ultimately, yesterday I didn't see beauty. I lost my temper with my kids, had some major disappointments during the day, and let resentment take hold of me.

But this morning, I began my day with music. Not just listening to music, but intentionally hearing, playing and singing songs that would provide me with a way to sing about beauty I couldn't quite see yet. I asked God to come near as I let my heart be softened by beautiful music and my mind be instructed by truthful lyrics. I guess in Christianese this is called "worship". I have not taken this blog in any specific spiritual direction, mostly to appeal to a wide variety of readers. But honestly, as a Christian, I have to be true to the experience I had.

And I spent some time in worship.

I wasn't lifting my hands or speaking in tongues. (And I'm not saying that to put those practices down.) I just sang and asked God to help me believe the words, things like "You are my strength when I am weak"; "Rejoice, Emmanuel will come to thee"; and "He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call".

I can't say I felt too different after my morning in song. But I did have a more peaceful day with my family. Some could argue that this was the calm after yesterday's storm. Or it was Saturday and I had a morning to myself.

Whatever really happened, I am thankful for God always being willing to be sought after, even if it is in desperation and little faith. And believe me, I have little faith. But God can take my little faith and still do great things. My decision to seek Him instead of escape into fiction or Facebook this morning set the tone for my day and made a difference. And it was beautiful, in a non-Earth-shattering way.

30 Days of Redefining Beauty-Days 15 and 16

Your eyes do not deceive you. Due to the migraine and general malaise that knocked me out at 8:30 last night, I was unable to post anything for you. I know you have been waiting with bated breath to see what I will say. And yes, it's "bated", not "baited". I checked.

So today you get a two-fer.

Yesterday:
"for nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose..." --from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

I read this yesterday and it confirmed what I had been feeling for awhile...purpose really is beautiful. We need to have goals, big and small. I hate to say it, but my old habits (which I still fall back on all too often) of escaping into naps, movies and Internet time-wasting when I'm stressed, tired, restless, or depressed (pretty much all the time) just don't fulfill me like I always think they will. When I am working or have a plan for my day, I just feel better. I may be a bit harried or tense sometimes, but overall I think that's better than the lifelessness I descend into when I don't have purpose...and the resulting guilt and shame. That's why Rick Warren's book was so popular.

Don't get me wrong--I don't want to be a workaholic. I probably need more breaks and "down time" than the average person. But my down time needs to have a purpose in order for it to truly bring me rest and lead me to wholeness. If I plan to watch a movie because I know I need it, fine. I can watch it and enjoy it and not think about it later. If, however, I have no specific plan for my day and I just end up watching a movie, I end up feeling sad, stressed out about all the things I didn't get done during that time, and guilt that I wasted two hours of my life.

Moderation in everything. I'm a big believer. I just have to get out of my bad habits and bring more purpose to my days.

Today:
Rhythm is beautiful. I had another lesson on the djembe today, which I never thought I would be able to play. It turns out that I just have to learn my little rhythm part and play it, no matter what everyone else is playing. Speaking of purpose, it's so much easier for me to play a set rhythm than to try and improvise. That's why I love this drum class--I get a certain part and I play it. And I'm part of the circle, adding to the song.

I learned a samba rhythm today!! I have myself chills, really. It's so beautiful to feel a steady beat and move to it, improvise on it, and just know that it's...right. That even if you get lost, you wait for that 1-count and you can find your way back.

Thank God for rhythm.