“‘Cause I’m fierce, Girl!”

So sayeth my daughter.
She’s 14 and awesome. However, she still struggles with self-esteem just like all teenagers. Although, unlike most teenagers, my daughter has a solution to her darker days.
She says that when she is feeling down and unsure. She puts on her 70s disco music and reminds herself that a drag queen would say, “Girl, I am fierce!” Complete with the snapping fingers and the “Walk like an Egyptian” dance head swivel. She also watches RuPaul’s Drag Race as a pick me up.
A lot of people would condemn their child for emulating a drag queen, but not me. I have a very great friend who is a drag queen and if my daughter wants to follow in the intrepid footsteps of one who will be themselves no matter what, then I say “YOU GO, GIRL!”

Advertisement

Goosebumps from a Gob of Teenagers

Imagine this 285 teenagers gathered together for a common goal of playing music. WHAT?! You say?

Last night we drove through lovely spring storm to Choteau, MT in order to attend the Mass Band concert. 11 schools from our part of Montana came together so that the 6th, 7th and 8th grade band students could play in one massive band. Now I know that in some schools 285 kids is not that large of a group but you need to understand this is rural Montana. This is a flippin’ huge bunch of kids!

I attend every concert my daughter or son are in and it is awesome. Hearing all these kids get better and better each time is fantabuloso! (Yes I know that is not a real word.) The opportunity to play in such a large group that these teenagers are being given is sheer magic. They come away with new friends and a sense of confidence that they are really learning something that can span all walks of life and culture. They played all kinds of songs and got to experience music that may not have come across their path otherwise. Once they return home to play again with their school mates in their smaller home town bands their skills will have improved and they will become even more excited about music.

I am so proud of all the students from all the schools! I got goosebumps from a couple of the songs that they played and I can’t wait to got to the Mass Choir concert at the end of April!