Listening to Their Voices: What's Really in Their Hearts

My blog was silent all last week. I wear three main hats…parent, writer, and music teacher… and last week I wore my parent hat and myteacher hat pretty much exclusively. It happens that way sometimes. 
But it's interesting how sometimes those three hats"intersect" in unexpected ways.
Last week was the annual KY Music Educators Conference, andin conjunction with that, several ensembles of All-State musicians cometogether to practice and present performances. One of my high school studentswas selected for the Sr. High All-State Chorus, and my oldest son was selectedfor the Jr. High All-State Chorus. So, in addition to attending the teachers'conference, I was also the parent and teacher of an all-state singer.  (Pausing here for proud moment!)
At my son's Jr. High All-State concert, the group of 200+singers performed the world premier of "Listen to My Voice", by Amir Zaheri.  Mr. Zaheri was the pianist accompanyingthe choir (as he'd been the year before), and this piece of music had beencommissioned by the KY Music Educators Association especially for the Jr. HighAll-State Choir that my son was a member of. 
It was at my son's concert where my three "hats"intersected. There I was, sitting in the Kentucky Center for the Arts, enjoyingthe marvelous performance of my son's All-State Choir, when they began "Listento My Voice".  The pianointroduction was beautiful… sweetly haunting.  And then came the lyrics.  I won't print them here word-for-word, because I'd neverwant to infringe on Mr. Zaheri's copyright, but I can paraphrase the message ofthe song.  "Love me… accept me…value me… don't you know that's what I need from you?"  I was moved to tears.
As a parent of a teenager, I know that's what he most wantsfrom the people in his life, whether it be family, friends, or teachers.  As a teacher, I know that despite thefact that teens act otherwise, they really DO want to please you and have yourapproval, and not having it affects them deeply.  And as a YA writer, it's something I strive to portray in mystories.  Even the mostwell-adjusted teen from the most normal, loving family struggles with theseissues.  They all experience thosefeelings of being unloved, unaccepted, and undervalued. It's one of the thingsI most want to address in my books.
And at that concert, while my son and the rest of the choirsang "Listen to My Voice", those feelings were expressed so beautifully through the mediumof music. The beauty of Mr. Zaheri's melody… the poetry of his lyrics… broughtto life the very heart of young people. The message wasn't lost on them. And it wasn't lost on me.
Sometimes my three hats seem to be so far apart.  Thank you Amir Zaheri for showing methey overlap… in a big way.

Music expresses that which cannot be saidand on which it is impossible to be silent.~ Victor Hugo