Staying Connected Through Music

Early in 2020 I noticed a music trend circulating on social media called the 30 day song challenge. There were quite a few different versions, but the general idea was a chart that listed a different category for each day to be shared over the course of one month. Here's an example:

As the pandemic continued I was looking for ways to stay connected to my close friends who live across the country, and it occurred to me: maybe we could do this song challenge over text. We'd go through the categories listed. I figured we'd MAYBE make it through the month.

We've now made it over 200 days.

It has been one of the coolest and most special ways of keeping in touch with friends I've experienced in a long time. We take turns suggesting categories and each person sends their song of the day.

Some of our song categories were simple:
A song featuring:

a color
clapping
trains
the song that was number 1 the day you were born
a song that you don’t know where it came from (I have songs in my iTunes that I swear I have never listened to in my life)

Some involved a lot of thought:
a song you wish you could change something about
a song with a great descending bass line

Some were nostalgic:

A song from your very first concert
A song that reminds you of someone in this group

Some celebrated real time milestones:

A lullaby in honor of new baby!
A song featuring a drone sound (for the cicadas that came to the east coast)

And some sparked significant debate:

Your least favorite Beatles song

Sometimes we all get busy and we go a week or two without checking in. It has certainly become harder to come up with categories now that we've been doing this so long! But we continue to stay connected, share in our love of music, learn new songs and remember old favorites.

I share this in the hopes that it inspires you all to find ways to stay connected with your friends and family through music. Perhaps a song challenge over text, during dinner, or with your patients and clients. Feel free to reach out if you discover a new favorite :)