#audition songs for musicals that don't exist yet!

[mymanyfandomramblings]

If Gravity Falls Was A Musical, What Song Would Be Best To Audition For Each Character With?

This is the first in a series of posts where I will pick a fandom I am in that isn't currently a musical, and suggest what song I think would be the ideal audition song for each character, and justify why.

The songs picked will all be musical theatre songs, since musical theatre songs are generally what you need to use to audition for a musical (or at most musical theatre-adjacent songs) , and will be chosen based on two criteria.

a) Firstly lyrical content--I try to pick songs that have some connection to the character.

b) Secondly, range and style. As much as No Good Deed suits Stan, he will probably not be played by someone who sounds like Idina Menzel.

HERE ARE MY PICKS:

Dipper: All Hail The Brain, from 13. I would suggest any patter song, as I imagine that is the kind of music he'd be given--the fast-paced, stressy kind of songs. A song from 13 is also decidedly perfect for Dipper, since it's a musical about a neurotic Jewish twelve-year-old.

Mabel: Any song from Legally Blonde (particularly Serious or Omigod You Guys), or I Can Hear The Bells from Hairspray. Fun, upbeat and full of excited-teenage-girl energy. Also, a big fan of Shy from Once Upon A Mattress for her--the sheer brash energy is perfect

Stan: Wonderful from Wicked. A conman, doing his conman thing. Also a similar vocal range and style as to what he'd be given.

Wendy: Cool from West Side Story, transposed into a female key

Ford: Either For The Dreamers from Back To The Future for the lyrical content, or Edleweiss from The Sound Of Music for the ideal sound.

Soos: Don't Let Me Go from Shrek. No reasons, just vibes

Bill: Sweet Transvestite from The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Other Friends from the Steven Universe movie

Pacifica: Cooties from Hairspray for pre-redemption Pacifica, and I don't have a solid reason why, but I feel like 'Pulled' from The Addams Family would somehow suit the kind of songs she'd be likely to be given.

Gideon: Honestly, I would pay to see Gideon Gleeful's Rose's Turn, but really, any song he can act through would be great--even The Smell of Rebellion would be hilarious if he set his mind to it

[lola-babylon]

Ryan Ross does not exist and I can prove it

Don't worry. He's not.

Ryan Ross fans continue to wait patiently for any sign of new music from him. Some loved his work in Panic at the Disco, some are huge fans of his solo releases and live performances captured on YouTube, And as long as you're into pretty looking guys, there's a Ryan Ross for every bisexual taste. Hold up. Is it not kinda weird that he looked so very different in every six month period?

Where is he, the prodigious beautiful boy whose creative vision propelled an early Panic at the Disco to their early fame? It's like it was never real.

It was never real. Ryan Ross does not exist.

"Ryan Ross" was only ever a dream, an alternative persona Pete Wentz created in 2004. Pete wanted to delve further into his adolescent experiences in song lyrics, but fearing the ridicule that would come if Fall Out Boy, now all well into their twenties, started exploring such themes, he brooded over what to do before deciding he could create a new band. He'd find young, talented performers for the positions of lead singer, drums and bass who would perform as themselves; but Pete would insert himself into the band via an avatar, a brooding, Chuck Palanhiuk reading lyricist who would exorcise Pete's teenage demons through the character of "Ryan Ross".

Pete drafted a back story for Ryan Ross - a young kid from Vegas who'd found solace in words and music - then scouted for young, unknown performers who could embody his Ryan Ross character. Any performer who would play the Ryan Ross character obviously had to be able to sing at least well enough to perform live harmonies, and to play guitar. But there are hundreds of young musicians with these skills. And whilst viewing yet another stack of videos of guitar playing 18 year olds who'd responded to the ad that simply asked for audition tapes from young admirers of Blink 182, MCR and FOB who were interested in playing guitar in a new band, Pete hit on an idea.

After all, if he cast an upcoming new performer as "Ryan Ross" in the new band he was putting together, and the band hit it big, surely that person would demand to be outed to the public as their real selves. The intention was always for any musician performing as Ryan Ross to sign an NDA as part of their contract, but Pete could envision a nightmare scenario two or three years into the hopefully successful career of the band he was putting together; a musician tired of the lie and wanting their own share of glory telling him "hey Pete, sure you write the lyrics, but it's me who is up on stage, playing the music, singing, on the magazines, in the webzines. I want people to know it's me, not this imaginary Ryan Ross character".

If that happened, no NDA would be worth as much as the outcry from the media and fans, as much as a musician who signed a contract as a naive teenager would demand as a seasoned performer with years of touring under his belt.

Realising this, Pete hit on the evil genius element of his whole scheme (and also a lyric for London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines). There wouldn't be one Ryan Ross. Instead, from the time he first hyped up the band in blog posts in 2005, there would be a continually rotating cast of "Ryans": every few months, there would be a new skinny jeans wearing guitarist to take over the role of Ryan, to ensure that no individual "Ryan" would ever believe they had enough star power to pull the whole project down.

These are all pictures of the same person? Really?

With high school friends Brendon, Spencer and Brent, and the first of the "Ryan"s in place, Pete's Panic project hit the ground running. There's was even an adorable story of how Pete discovered the band when Fall Out Boy fan Ryan sent him his new band's demos via Live Journal - simultaneously an "it might happen to you" moment for the Millennial generation, and prompting baffled takes on what this internet thing means for music from older music journalists.

That origin story was the closest anyone got to pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Emo. The true origins of Panic at the Disco - how and why Pete and Ryan actually made the initial connection that made Pete listen to a fan's demos, drive to Vegas to listen to their band barely able to play their instruments live, then sign said band on this slim basis - was a murky, kalaedoscopic story, "details shifting between each telling of the tale[...] details behind how they made contact, and what was said, are eternally changing and never told quite the same way twice". No wonder, when it entered the record on the basis of a Pete Wentz needing to obscure the truth, and a succession of Ryans reciting for interviewers someone else's memory of what never happened.

But the obvious part of the deception - the fact that "Ryan Ross" never looked like the same person from one season to the next? Pete could barely believe he got away with it, but he did. No one seemed to question it. Fans eagerly took up the myth of Ryan Ross, expanding on an invented history to begin Ryan's story from his birth in Summerlin, Nevada in 1986, despite that before development of the residential community commenced in 1988 Summerlin was empty land - how apt that the boy who did not exist was born in a place that did not exist.

Journalists who slept through the lectures on fact checking on their way through college added this (mis)information to their articles, further obscuring the record.

Initially shocked he was pulling the deception off, by the end Pete glowered at his success getting in away with it.

For the potential Ryans were not simply a series of lookalikes. Aside from musical skills and a willingness to subsume their identity in the face of endless touring and inane interviews, potential "Ryans" were mostly selected on finger length, and for their noses; every "Ryan" has a beautiful nose.

Each new Ryan was put through an intensive Panic boot camp; several weeks of learning the bands songs, memorising the back story of the band and Ryan himself, studying videos of the "standard" Ryan mannerisms before joining the band for rehearsals. With Pete himself having the final say, producers scouting for potential Ryans generally stuck to contenders from the south west USA to ensure a consistent accent; although vocal coaches worked with each "Ryan" to develop the trade mark mono tone, the brief experiment in hiring a British performer to play Ryan in 2008 nearly ended in disaster when he kept slipping into his native accent, which to Pete's eternal amusement has gone down in fandom history as the "real", American Ryan trying to sound English.

But even though the music press, and even the rabidly devoted fandom, never seemed to catch on to the fake Ryans, problems inevitably arose. It was easy to get 18 year old guitarists to agree to the stringent conditions required to be Ryan Ross; but despite that Pete allowed some leeway from the performers, allowing them freedom in their social lives and styling choices to reflect the maturing of a real young person, by the time 22 year olds were hired to be Ryan, fresh in on the scam they may have lacked the star power to use Panic to launch their own careers but they were still young men exposed to more money and adulation than they'd seen before, and some of them were making questionable choices.

By 2009, Brendon and Spencer were sick of the lies. They just wanted to continue the music. Pete Wentz saw how Brendon in particular had blossomed in skills and confidence through the years. He also saw the way the commercial winds were blowing - the introspective lyricism of "Ryan Ross" was out, to judge from the reception on its release of Pretty. Odd. On top of all this, "Ryan Ross" was now ostensibly 22; too old to sing about the trials of late adolescence, which had been Pete's reason for creating his Ryan alter ego in the first place.

Seeing the potential long term appeal in a Brendon-driven Panic, Pete told Brendon and Spencer to go forth as Panic at the Disco with his blessing...and let's never mention Ryan again.

Pete's scouting skills weren't impeccable. He let the original band bring along their friend Brent as bass player, despite his shaky skills and apparent lack of commitment. Brent may have played little part in the creation of the band's first album and definitely found touring not to his taste, and he was soon replaced with the far more talented and present Jon Walker, who already had a respectable pedigree in the Chicago scene that spawned Fall Out Boy. Jon participated, albeit reluctantly, in the Ryan charade, forming a close friendship and musical kinship with the last of the fake Ryans. When Pete informed the group that his dream of the fake Ryans was coming to an end, Jon decided to follow this last Ryan, forming the group The Young Veins. Whilst they both appreciated the musicianship, Jon grew increasingly frustrated with the Ryan charade, having to continue the lie of Ryan Ross as the last of the Ryans remained bound by the non disclosure agreement. With sales of the Young Veins debut album not matching the hopes of its creators, Jon left and the band split after just one year.

And thus ended the contractual existence of "Ryan Ross", creation of Pete Wentz.

Some think Brendon looks startled when Ryan is mentioned. It's not because Ryden was ever a thing. There was no Ry for Bren to Den with, just an ever changing cast of young musicians hired by Pete Wentz to be his avatar. When Brendon pauses now he's not lamenting his lost love. He's reflecting on the lie he had to keep up for years and thinking "wait, what was the official line again?"

The Ryan Ross character has been occasionally revived in recent years as a conceptual art project by the musician Z Berg, teasing an album that never arrives, with the role of Ryan in occasional public appearances performed by a few of the former Ryans who are in on the joke. The Ryan Ross character made his last public appearance in 2022, joining former Panic label mates Phantom Planet for a live performance of Do the Panic - a wink to long standing fans of PATD/"Ryan Ross" (and a song that sounds like a dual pastiche to Pumping on Your Stereo by Supergrass and Just What I Needed by The Cars; there really is nothing original under the sun).

There will never be a reunion of the original, "real" Panic at the Disco because the original Panic at the Disco was never real. There will never be a Ryan Ross album because there is no Ryan Ross. Maybe in some future memoir Pete Wentz will tell us all how it was done.

This post is satire. Please do not take it seriously. The real Ryan Ross, who is an individual, actual person, is alive and well and researching literature of the transition from medieval to middle English through USC. (Well, who knows but that seems like something he might do)

[fallin-flcwer]

HANSE “COOPER” JANG

Name: Jang Han Se (Cooper Jang) Age: 20 (Born Feb 18th - Aquarius) High School: Homeschooled University: Diamond Bridge (2nd year) Studies: Music (vc: keshi & dean) Parents: An American mother with the maiden name "Cooper" & a Korean father with the surname "Jang" LMAO Faceclaim: Hansol Vernon Chwe

(click for connections list)

(tw: mentions bullying, racism/xenophobia & anxiety)

BACKSTORY:

Hanse was born in New York to an American mother and a Korean father, moving to Gangnam, South Korea - where he grew up. Even from an elementary-school age Hanse had realised that his background wasn't something that people were fond of. He was teased by kids in his year group for having lighter skin, brown-hazel eyes and brown hair. At first he was naïve about it but as the years went on the comments became more disturbing to him, with kids outright disrespecting his mother, and ignoring the fact that he indeed had Korean heritage so that they could continue branding him as the white boy, even though he spent almost all of his life in S.K. and told them continuously that he identifies more as Korean. Over the years, it was evident that he started to lose confidence, becoming quieter and more reclusive. Hanse never spoke up mostly because he didn’t want to bother his parents, nor did he want it to have an influence on his little sister, Hanbi, who never had to face the same level of torment in school as he did. It wasn’t until the beginning of eighth grade that he said anything, after his father witnessed him having a anxiety attack in his room after school. After a long talk with both of his parents, it was decided that they pull him out of the high school and start homeschooling him.

VIOLET SPRINGS // DIAMOND BRIDGE

When he was 17, his family ended up moving to Violet Springs after his mother got a teaching job at Springs Park. Wanting to start fresh, he started going by his mother’s maiden name “Cooper”, reserving his actual name for his family and the very few that he felt comfortable with sharing it to. Since he never went to school in VS, he'd kinda just be seen working at a cafe or something and just chilling around town wherever. He'd still be kinda quiet, but found that he’s a little bit more open to talking when they don't know much about him and his past. Being interested in music, Cooper had taught himself the guitar, singing and rapping whilst being home schooled. Learning through word of mouth that fame universities exist, he auditioned for a couple of universities received an offer for Diamond Bridge. Since starting university, Coop has come out of his shell a bit more, but is still somewhat of a mystery to a most people. His name is often credited as a songwriter for other artists and sometimes drops his own songs occasionally here and there. He has yet to perform his own music due to his anxiety, which he has discussed with the academy privately for the sake of keeping his place, but still isn't comfortable talking about publicly.

[boyinthestreet]

a scream into the void || chapter one

a.k.a vine disasters part 3.

summary: the worst project to ever exist is making kids write and perform their own songs and this teacher is particularly demented. who in their right minds groups off kids into bands and has them create albums?

a sanders side human!au inspired by @asofterfan's infamous punk!au but probably wouldn't fit into it tbh.

there's a second chapter posted that i can't link to because mobile for life!

warnings: meme, depression mention, homophobia.

music class was potentially the worst part of any day if you asked virgil - not that anyone did. he hadn't originally planned on taking the course but when you transferred mid-semester you took what you could get, he supposed. he also guessed that it wouldn't be half as bad if the other students weren't all such drama queens though none were as bad as roman prince.

virgil was pretty sure the other was the bane of his existence; refusing to use his name instead replacing it with subtle jabs and taunts. couldn't he just allow him to keep his head down instead of drawing unnecessary attention to the already self-conscious teenager? apparently not, and now for some blasted reason they all had to perform songs that they had written so the teacher could force them into groups to create albums together.

and virgil was asking whatever gods above to keep roman from commenting on the bags under his eyes or the way his hands were shaking ever so slightly. somehow the other did, too busy talking to his friends who seemed to swarm around him in every class; they were always asking for advice on lines or with prep for auditions and yet virgil never saw them together outside of class.

maybe it was because the other wasnt the typical prep-kid - even now virgil could see the edge of a tattoo peaking out of the collar of the others button up shirt and well he wasn't stupid, there was definitely a punk-style to the other. none of this had been reason to speak to the other more than occasional quips though, the more goth teen preferring to stick to himself due to past experiences.

his eyes travelled over to the only familiar face in the room, a chill runs up his spine as his cousin turns to meet his gaze. "oh shit," he murmurs to himself before snapping his attention back to the front in an attempt to ignore all of the feelings that were beginning to well up inside of him. and it worked for the teacher began to talk for a few moments before introducing the first singer - and on the upside it seemed that they might be going in alphabetical order meaning virgil might be getting off scot-free.

and then alex ( or whatever his name is ) starts to sing and virgil immediately wishes that it would stop. "i'll never stop loving you, bitch." is the line that catches virgil's attention but the teacher oddly doesn't seemed bothered - just how much room were they getting for creative liberty?

the song ended quickly enough though, mainly repeating the same words with a few misogynistic jokes thrown crudely in ( and those draw disapproving tsks from the teacher and the students ). and then roman was prodded to perform and with a sinking feeling virgil realizes that they are most certainly not going in alphabetical order.

but the other's voice is extremely soothing and the genre that he chose manages to distract virgil from the feeling of impending doom. "some princes don't become kings," god did he just sing a self-referential pun and pull it off? it's so obvious that his classmate is a born performer and virgil is admittedly very jealous because there is simply no way he'll pull that off.

and luckily the teacher decides to spare him, instead calling up a student who sings another ridiculous song. oh god, should he not have written something so serious? "two guys sitting in a hot tub, five feet apart 'cause they're not gay" is echoing in his mind so loudly that he only just hears the teacher say that he's up next.

with shaking hands and a noticeably pale face, he drags himself to the front of the class feeling relieved that he at least had a backing track. thank god for the small mercies, right? he tries to crack a smile and awkwardly jokes, "I wrote a song called ‘My Life’ and it’s just four minutes of uninterrupted screaming."

and that joke fell completely flat, dear god where did the tender mercies disappear to. "that was a joke, anyways." and he plays the backing track and it's almost easy to disappear into the music rather than feel the weight of all of his classmates staring.

"so i walk alone down the darkest roads," he sang, voice wavering slightly as the fear and adrenaline seemed to mix in his stomach. fading into the beat was easy sure, but he couldn't help but wonder if he had chosen to write something too angsty, too personal. no going back now, maybe he could sneak out after he was done or go to the bathroom and simply never come back.

dropping into his chair after he was done, it felt like there was lead in his lungs and the silence in the room made it all that harder to breathe. god they thought he was ridiculous, and trying way too hard. the post-performance anxiety distracted him from the rest of the songs, head only snapping back up when the teacher announced that she had chosen the groups. had everyone even gone? that seemed impossible but surely she knew what she was doing - wait no, he took it back she had just said his name and roman's in the same sentence.

that was bound to be a disaster.

[twigstarpikachutroll22]

3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and since you keep forgetting, when i send you an ask it is for both of you

"I've been mostly staying out of music asks because Twig and I listen to all the same songs so I keep wondering if I'd really have anything all that unique to put in, but y'know what? We can take this as an excuse to get in more than song per question! Which I KNOW Twig struggles not to do."

Ha. XD XD XD

3.    a song tied to a specific moment in your life

"Ooooh, a question I actually know I CAN give unique input on! Hmm. I do sometimes think The Middle of a Moment from James and the Giant Peach fits me deciding to leave my hometown."

For me, Imma say... Problem Child, by Simple Plan? Reminds me of some of my worst times in 6th grade.

"Yoof."

Yeah. Anyway, next question.

4.     a song that is not sung in your native language

That song from the end credits of The Cat Returns.

"H@ppy Together from Fresh Precure."

5.     a song over 5 minutes long

I feel like we know some showtunes that are over 5 minutes...

"Yeah. Like, isn't Beautiful from Heathers one of them?"

*i go and check*

Yeah! Clocks in at over 8 minutes!

"Heck yes! Now your turn, since I came up with that one."

Um... Oh! The Cell Block Tango! 'Bout 7 and a half minutes!

"Ooooooh, nice! ...Mine's longer though."

Shut up. *smirks and shoves her* XD

OH WAIT, I JUST REMEMBERED THE PERFECT POKERAP BY BRAIN DAVID GILBERT IS LIKE 9 MINUTES LONG

"TOO LATE, WE ALREADY DID ONE EACH, NO TAKEBACKS OR CHANGING ANSWERS!"

6.     a song under 2 minutes long

Look Who's Inside Again, by Bo Burnham.

"I Suffer More, by Elise Ecklund."

HA! XD XD XD

You really just heard "under 2 minutes long" and decided to go for a song that's literally 3 WORDS long and was written with the INTENTION of making the shortest song ever, huh?? XD XD XD XD

"Yep! What can I say, gotta go above and beyond!"

11.   something you’d give ANYTHING to hear performed live

I mean, the entire Hamilton soundtrack might be nice. We've seen the proshoot, but it's a totally different thing to see these things live onstage.

"Same sentiment goes for the entire Six soundtrack."

16.   something to SCREAM ALONG to

"Lesbian Ponies With Weapons, by Vylet Pony!"

Yeah! Listen, Lesbian Ponies With Weapons is the most brazen and unapologetic song in existence, it just goes "Imma CRASH through everything and everycreature in this town with ALL the chaotic energy and I don't give a pair of underpants what you think, make way for the hugs and arson monkeyflippers!!" If you're gonna sing it, you gotta sing it loud and proud and shove it right in the face of anycreature who'd call it cringey, or else it defeats the entire point.

"Could not have said it better myself."

Anyway, for mine since you already took that one, I'm gonna say... The Greatest Show from The Greatest Showman.

"Also good!"

18.   a song that demands lipsyncing into a makeshift microphone

Lip synching but not actually singing? Do we do that?

"I mean...you do that if you're feeling a little too shy or self-conscious."

Man, there's a LOT of songs that come to mind for this... Hmmm...

I dunno, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun maybe???

"You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift?"

19.   the last song you had stuck in your head

I've got I Dare You by Bea Miller stuck in my head right now.

"I mean, due to this sort of psychic bond we have and all, more often than not if she has a song stuck in her head, chances are the same song'll be in my head. So...same."

20.   a song you’re dying to master all the words to

"The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku!!"

HA!!!!!!! XD XD XD XD FJDKLGHFKLJGSDL okay YES, that would be absolutely EPIC and AMAZINGBALLZTASTICAL. KLJFLKGJFIK

"I know, right? Your turn now."

Hmm. I haven't QUITE memorized the lyrics to Don't Rain On My Parade yet, and it's one of those songs that's basically my theme song, and I think once I do get all the words down I could sing it super well, could be a pretty great karaoke or audition song to have in my pocket.

21.   a song that you could SLAY at karaoke

Okay, I'm gonna say we each have to say one song for ourselves as a solo and one song for the two of us together.

"Sounds reasonable to me. Also, you can't say Don't Rain On My Parade again. No using the same song for two questions."

Okay. Then, Imma go with...I'd Rather Be Me, from Mean Girls?

"My first thought was My Grand Plan, from The Lightning Thief, but I mean, I've said that SO many times already, it'd be too obvious and played out of an answer. So I'm gonna say...Secure.Contain.Protect., by Madame Macabre."

Nice!

One song for both of us could be Take A Hint from Victorious.

"Oh, totally! Also Rocks At My Window, by Bridgit Mendler. We've been thinking about that a lot, only reason we haven't made a karaoke post of it is because there's a part towards the end that gets sung OVER the chorus, like, one of us would be singing the chorus and the other would be singing some other lines at the same time, and it's like, hard to type out stuff like that, y'know?"

23.   a song that makes you want to dance on a table

CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!! by Justin Timberlake! I mean, duh. XD

"New Romantics, by Taylor Swift! I like, keep thinking of whole dance routines I can do to it."

25.   a song with a great music video

Ooh, I have a whole playlist of these! Imma pull that up real quick...

"Don't Make Me, by Malinda Reese!"

OHHHH yeah!

"Princess overhears her prince plotting with his friends to kill her, recruits her own friends-slash-ladies-in-waiting to help her, and when the prince comes to kill her in her sleep, she's ready with her own sword to fight him while her friends fight his friends, and she ends up killing him in the fight instead! What's not to love???"

Oh! Also ME! by Taylor Swift!

"OHHHHH HECK YES, I don't think anything can beat THAT honestly XD"

Hands-down, it is THE most color and imagination I've EVER seen in ANY music video that's not Trolls and I vibe with it so, SO hard.

"Yep!"

27.   a song with counting

TEN DUEL COMMANDMENTS, FROM HAMILTON!

*she starts singing* "One, twO, three, fOur, five, sIx, Seven eIGHT NIIIIINE!"

*i join in her singing, taking the lower part in the harmony* It's the ten duel commandments!

It's the ten duel commandments!

NUMBER ONe--

"Okay okay okay, we should probably stop for now, we still got a bunch of questions to get through."

Yeah.

"Okay, I still gotta give a song for this one, so... Paper Rings by Taylor Swift! End of the prechorus!"

Heck yeah, our second-favorite song from Lover! Top favorite is ME! obviously. XD

35.   a great song you discovered thanks to a movie

"I'm gonna say to make this a challenge, we can't say songs that are FROM a movie or written specifically FOR a movie, just ones that were featured in a movie and that's how we first heard it, or ones that some kind of domino chain starting with watching that movie ended up leading us to."

Sounds all right to me.

Hmmm... what about... You, by Hollywood Ending? Discovered that through a post saying it has broppy vibes.

"Oh yeah! Same story with Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, or at least the Boyce Avenue cover, which is the only version we listen to. So, that's another."

36.   a great song you discovered thanks to television

Same rule as the above question, I assume?

"Yes."

Hmmmmmm... Oh! Sweet But Psycho, by Ava Max! Found that through a Ducktales AMV!

"YES!!! Also One Woman Army, by Porcelain Black, we found that one through a Star vs the Forces of Evil AMV!"

37.   a song you’re ashamed to have in your music library

Hmm. Well, one guilty pleasure song is Made In America, by Cimorelli. Like, it's so catchy and fun and has such happy summertime vibes, but also, I can't help thinking on some level, these girls really didn't know how poopy this country is in a lot of ways when they wrote this, huh? :-/

"Yeah. Another one's God Made Girls, by RaeLynn."

OOOOFFF, yeah...

"Like, it's supposed to be female empowerment, not even in a corporate way, just like, genuinely from her heart, you can tell. But so many of the lyrics are just about what a girl can do for her male partner??"

Yeah! And some of them are so stereotype-y, and the whole thing just like, REEKS of cishet, y'know? Plus I'm kinda uncomfy with the sort of religious aspects of it.

"Yeah. Why does it also have to SOUND so GOOD? And have SUCH a pretty music video??? And why does the genuine heart behind it, however warped the message is, have to be so resonant???? Y'know????"

Right?!?!?!?!

38.   ok what’s the song you were too ashamed to even post for #37

Honestly, we don't have anything for this. I like. Legit can't think of anything.

"Yeah, there's like, barely anything we're ashamed of listening to really."

May edit this at a future point if we do remember something.

39.   the most played song in your music library

I have no freaking idea. We listen to SOOOOOOOOOOOO many songs, and SOOOOOO many of them have been listened to tons of times over, it's like, impossible to tell.

"Yeah. Although, I think if there IS a most played song, my money's on either Get Back Up Again or CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!! for that. Knowing you."

Mm. Fair.

40.   favorite disney song

Honestly, to this day, what comes to mind is Let It Go.

"Iconic. Truly a classic."

"Hmm. For me, Imma go wiiiiiiith... How To Believe, by Brigit Mendler?"

Huh. Didn't occur to me to go outside classic Disney animation, but...

"It IS from Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Which IS Disney."

Yeah, that's fair, I'd say it counts.

"Woop! That was fun! I really should participate in more of these XD XD"

YEP.

[michael-radi-the-glamorous-life]

"Get Your Education, Don't Forget From Whence You Came"

Lin-Manuel Miranda has often spoken about origins: His own, his family’s, his musicals’, Alexander Hamilton’s, etc. He has written about them in lyrics, including the one above from “Alexander Hamilton” and his well-noted “we were that kid” rap in the 2013 Tony Awards opening number: “Bigger.” It’s a common theme of his interviews, whether he is the interviewee or the interviewer. Clearly Mr. Miranda seems to think our origins are important.

And I agree.

Particularly when it comes to the arts and educating young people. I firmly believe that our experiences and exposures as children have an incredible and lasting impact on how we interact with art for the remainder of our lives. And this includes formal and informal educations, extracurricular activities, time experiencing art with family and friends, exposure to all forms of entertainment, financial abilities, general access, community practices, and much much more. Every experience in life involves art in some way, and every exposure is another puzzle piece in a child’s education.

So how do we best serve young people? What kind of education do they need or should they have? What if some want to pursue the arts and others just want to enjoy them? What about those who have fewer resources available or greatly reduced ability to access art? Where does it all begin?

Once Upon A Time…

Most artists that I know or that I have heard interviewed (and I listen to many a podcast!) have a certain experience in their lives they can point to as the moment where they realized they could be or wanted to be an artist. An “Aha!” moment, if you will. And for many this is true.

However, I find that when I am asked this question, I cannot put my finger on one moment. For me it was more a collection of experiences.

I grew up in Central NY in a time and an area where arts education was not just not a focus, it was relatively lacking. And I only know now how lacking it was because of living in other places and seeing what kind of access children had, and have, in other areas of the state and country. Yet here I am.

How did that happen?

I had a decent music program in school and was given the ability to study music outside of school through a Yamaha early childhood program, but that was the majority of my music education. We did not have a robust theatre program, though one did exist and I did take part. Our area placed little emphasis on visual art, though I was privileged to grow up with a professional artist and art teacher as a grandfather. Boys in my area were not encouraged to do much more than play an instrument, and I was often made fun of for singing well and enjoying anything else artistic. And boys certainly did not dance (unless you count avoiding a tackle on the football field, that is).

So if I didn’t grow up with the opportunities that many grew up with, how did I end up an artist? How do people with far fewer opportunities than I had end up as artists? Where did these educations come from?

From what I have gathered as an artist and an educator, it comes down to 2 main things:

It’s All Relative

It is no secret that family plays an incredibly important role in the development of children, and where the arts are concerned it is no different. The opinions and attitudes of our families toward the arts are very powerful and influential - not just in a general sense, but also in terms of what we are ultimately exposed to and how our tastes develop.

If you have parents who love movies and take you to them often, chances are that you will have a particular affinity toward movies. If you have siblings who tease you or anyone else who does theatre, you may stray away from stage performance. These are, of course, very general statements and patterns, but they should sound relatively familiar (familial?).

But now I’d like to broaden the definition of family past blood relation to also include anyone a child trusts, feels comfortable with, respects, spends large amounts of time with, and feels love for.

How does this broader definition begin to redefine our education and exposure? Does this increase a child’s chance of experiencing more? I believe so.

The people we spend the most time around have the greatest influence on us. And those people may come in and out of our lives as we grow and develop, but they are a huge piece of our educations as people. And if those people have opinions about art, they will influence our opinions about art.

As children we may not have much control over the types of people we spend the most time with - generally the adults in charge of a child’s care have that control - but as we grow older we can begin to make those decisions for ourselves. And by seeking out people, opinions, and experiences that are different than our own, we can increase our exposures and give ourselves a better education.

People say that you can choose your family, and in the arts this tend to be true. We often call our artistic families our “people” or our “tribe.” We all enjoy spending time with people who share our beliefs and our passions, and these people remain a tremendous influence on us long after they are gone from our lives.

Formative Experience

As an arts educator, I continually marvel at how young people talk about their most formative experiences. And the reason I marvel? Most of them began as casual, everyday experiences which suddenly sparked something new within them. A movie. A play. A song in chorus. A Youtube video. A random TV show they scrolled onto. A painting. A building. A particularly excellent day. It could really be anything at any time.

And this is what makes this category tough, especially from a parental point of view.

You never know what is going to be a life-changing experience for a child, and you cannot possibly give every child every experience. Variety is the key.

The more that we are able to give to children, especially experiences that will be brand new to them, the more they learn and grow. How can they possibly know the depths of what they will and will not enjoy if they haven’t seen or heard or felt them yet?

And of course this is where our education and economic systems in this country fail our children. Where you grew up and where you live have an astounding impact on what you are able to experience. If we could fix this (no small feat), a variety of exposure would be available to everyone and our entire society could be more educated and well-rounded. As it stands now, we can only do what we are able for the young people in our lives.

Wait, But What About You?

I began by saying that I did not have one ultimate experience that brought me to this path, but many. So how have Family and Experience shaped me into who I am? In too many ways to write down, but here is a little taste:

Family

My grandfather was a Visual Artist and an Art Teacher

Multiple family members Sang and Played Piano, and often

My family was heavily involved in the artistic-based sport of competitive Baton Twirling - my sisters were champions and my mother taught and judged competitions (and still does!)

We all loved to watch Musical Movies - they are some of our most played VHS tapes

My father often sang Musical Theatre references - something I wouldn’t understand until I was much older - which came down to him from family members singing often in his childhood

Musical ability was genetically passed down from both sides of the family

My mother was always with me at my Yamaha classes and for my at home practices

I found my first Theatre Family in middle school and it was life-changing

Etc.

And there is so much more! My biggest takeaways here are that, yes, I was surrounded by artistic influences in my family, but I was also incredibly well-supported. I am quite lucky.

Experiences

In first grade, seeing the High School put on a production of one of my favorite musical movies: Annie

My third grade field trip to the 1 nearby professional theater, the Cider Mill Playhouse, to see Little Shop of Horrors

Watching every musical Disney movie in theaters (from Beauty and the Beast onward)

Playing piano in general, but particularly Christmas carols with my mother and then later realizing I could play musical theatre songs on piano as well

My fourth grade chorus teacher encouraging me to audition for the American Boy Choir (I got in but did not attend) and to write my own piece of music (my very first!)

Getting my first solo in a choir concert in fourth grade

My first time onstage as the Wizard in The Wizard Of Oz

My first lead role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the 7th grade musical

My first ever Broadway show at 6 years old: Beauty and the Beast

And SO many more

“We Were That Kid”

It’s true. Everyone who is professionally in the arts was once a kid who lived for as many artistic experiences as we could possibly get our hands on. We found something that sparked life and joy and energy and desire into us, and we asked for me. And luckily, we got it.

Every child should be so lucky.

As an arts educator I try to do 3 things:

Encourage young people to find what excites them.

Encourage parents to encourage their children and their children’s passions.

Provide as much variety in their education as I am able.

Even if only a handful of my students go on to do this professionally, they have all received experiences that told them “yes I like this” or “no, I’d like to pursue something else,” and that’s worth every moment they spend learning with us.

Let’s find more ways to provide all young people with as much experience as we possibly can. After all, they are our future.