I had a magical experience when I played my ukulele at the beach last weekend.
I was sitting in the sand with friends at the end of a beautiful, sunny day. My husband arrived with his friend Felipe, and Felipe’s daughter, Gabi. They live far away in the North of Brazil, but they came down to Floripa where I live to visit family.
I had met Gabi once before 6 years ago. She was only 1… I knew she wouldn’t remember me, but I sure remembered her. We formed a special connection that time.
When I approached them I said, “Hi Gabi! You probably don’t remember me, but we met a long time ago!”
Her Dad said, “Oh, she knows you. We sing your songs all the time, like Garbage Truck.”
I was honoured. Still, Gabi was very shy. She didn’t say much and she clung to her Dad the entire time.
I tried to play some songs on ukulele to see if she would loosen up and get interested. I tried Hakuna Matata - a classic!
Even though my husband and friends loved it and sang along, I noticed that Gabi was silent. Didn’t even smile. That’s when I realized - she’s too young for that song. It was a classic for ME, from my childhood - but she probably hasn’t even seen The Lion King movie.
Then I decided to try Garbage Truck, my song from my album Love Is Everywhere. As soon as I started singing it, her whole face lit up in a smile and she started singing along. It was incredibly precious and made me so happy. I sang a few of my other songs too, like Hi Hey Hello, The Cow Song, and I’ve Got Love. She and her Dad sang along and it was awesome.
As we were singing and playing a girl about 10 with down syndrome walked by us with her family and she started dancing and smiling. We danced even bigger to include her. There were huge smiles all around.
Later I thought, “That was so cool. Gabi didn’t know Hakuna Matata, but she knew my songs.”
That right there is one of the most magical feelings for me. And it’s because of music and all that goes with it.
Just wanted to share that with you. For me, that’s what music is all about. Making connections with humans of all ages and abilities.
You can listen to my positive songs for kids + adults on YouTube HERE.
Thanks for reading, and remember, if you need help learning ukulele, be sure to check out my Beginner Course and other resources at LindsayMuller.com/Ukulele