In my tiny town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, my family, The McFadden's are known as the musical family. Everyone in my family can sing and we all play various instruments including piano, guitar, and bass. It's pretty fun growing up in a house that revolves around music and I'm here to explain why.
I learned the most about music while in the car with my family. If you've ever seen the movie "Step Brothers", Brennan’s brother Derek and his family in the car is an exact representation of my family. In this scene, Derek and his family break out into an acapella version of “Sweet Child of Mine” with awesome harmonies and solos. It gets pretty intense. If you haven't seen the movie, here's a little video clip for you.
My parents are in a band that plays locally around town. Not to brag, but they can rock and have opened for a lot of big names including The Guess Who and Fran Cosmo from Boston. Sidebar: I also opened for him. When they perform and my sister and I are visiting home, they invite us up to sing with them. This is probably one of my favorite things to do with my family because it’s such a cool bonding moment. The cover image for this article is actually my mom, dad, sister and I performing downtown. If you want to hear them play, come to Jim Thorpe and listen to "Becky and the Beasts" rocking out at the local pub.
Another one of my favorite parts of having a musical family is always having people to sing three-part harmony with. And, fun fact, singing with someone you are related to always sounds better than with someone else. We work perfectly as a trio too because my mom has a lower range, my sister has a higher range, and I chill somewhere in the middle. Every year my town holds this huge St. Patrick’s Day parade which brings in a lot of traffic to Jim Thorpe. The three of us have sung the National Anthem for the past few years at the parade, which is such an awesome experience.
I’m so thankful for having grown up with such a talented family because it really helped me in life as well. Whenever I’m feeling down or upset, I sing a dramatic song or sit at the piano. Music is my life and I don’t know where I would be without it. I don’t know where I would be if God didn’t grant me with the ability to sing. I thank my family for filling my life with this beautiful gift.
