<p>Ugghhh…I am too artistically challenged…I hope some of you can help: </p>
<p>Like many families, we are putting together a slideshow about my daughter’s life-so-far to show at a family party on the day of her high school graduation (mid June). It will be 10-12 minutes and we need some music ideas. Not looking for anything too sappy. (well maybe one song could be mildly sappy) </p>
<p>About my daughter: </p>
<p>-loves all music from Frank Sinatra forward
-adventurer, sometimes thrill seeker
-sport is competitive sailing (continuing in college)
-passion for travel and other cultures
-absolutely fearless about everything
-from a very small town, heading off to a 45000 student university in a huge city
-hardest working person I know
-has not really overcome any significant obstacles
-outgoing, happy all the time, seize- every-moment kind of person</p>
<p>60’s is popular not only with her generation…but ours,too…do you use Pandora dot com online? (FREE!) If you type in 60’s oldies…they will have several suggestions…listen…you may get lost in the music:) I am listening to “Under the board walk…” Then you can purchase and download those you think fit the sequence of the photos…and remember…its the thought that counts…breathe…it will be perfect!</p>
<p>I suggest Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” or the chorus from Styx’s “Sailaway” to accompany any photos of her on a sailboat. Maybe Van Halen’s “Jump” or the chorus of the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” to reflect fearlessness and seizing every moment. If you’re starting with baby photos, “Isn’t she Lovely?” (Stevie Wonder), “You are so Beautiful to Me” (Joe Cocker), or “Whenever I See Your Smiling Face” (James Taylor) would work. On the sentimental side, you could finish with Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance”. You might want to do a Google search for photo montages for weddings, bat mitzvahs, and sweet sixteens–you’ll get lots of ideas.</p>
<p>I copied the lyrics onto a card for both my S’s on their grad. days.
[Green</a> Day - Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) Lyrics](<a href=“Lyrics.com”>Lyrics.com)</p>
<p>Echoing PackMom’s suggestion for Green Day. I have used that for three years in a row now for the graduating senior section of a HS sport team slideshow I produce. </p>
<p>If you have not made a slideshow before, keep in mind that you can edit the song down to the section you like. Many songs have long intros and long endings and you may only want to use the middle minute & a half. I don’t know if you are using iMovie and assume other programs will have a similar feature, but when transitioning between songs, try increasing the fade-in and fade-out times to say 1.5 seconds. It makes the transition less jarring, especially since many songs are recorded at different volumes.</p>
<p>I also like MommaJ’s sailing suggestions–and all others. May steal some of the non-sailiing ideas for a slideshow I am producing this week for a friend’s D’s graduation. </p>
<p>Some random suggestions: U2’s Beautiful Day, Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly, Simple Minds’ Don’t You Forget About Me, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ (but you need to trim the first three plus minutes to get to the part you want), Queen & David Bowie’s Under Pressure (those HS years!), Van Morrison’s Day Like This, Nine Days’ Story of a Girl, Kim Wilde’s Kids in America, and REM’s Shiny Happy People.</p>
<p>I look forward to reading others’ suggestions as I need to get working on mine this week!</p>
<p>There are 2 songs from the musical Wicked that work well. They were very popular for chorus solos at my daughter’s graduation several years ago.
Defying Gravity:
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules
Of someone else’s game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!</p>
<p>I also love “For Good”
GLinda:
I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you…</p>
<p>Elphaba:
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made from what I learned from you
You’ll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart</p>
<p>My son just finished his sophomore year in college and I watched the slideshow I made for him for the first time since I finished it. I don’t think my song selection would be helpful (Lennon’s Beautiful Boy, Louis Armstrong’s It’s a Wonderful World, I’m a Believer), but I wanted to tell you how glad I am I made it, and to suggest you consider adding in a couple of extra “after” pictures; mine ends with a picture of him under his “Welcome Class of 2015” banner from his college move-in day.<br>
It was fun to watch together, even if it still brings tears to my eyes.</p>
<p>Rod Stewart’s version of Forever Young isn’t nearly as good as the original by Bob Dylan. But the best VOICE for the song is the remake by Harry Belafonte. Rod Stewart sounds like he ate broken glass for breakfast.</p>
<p>Other oldies I like for this is Cat Stevens’ Father and Son, Joni Mitchell’s Circle Game, Crosby, Stills and Nash Just a Song Before I Go, and of course, Peter, Paul and Mary’s Puff the Magic Dragon.</p>
<p>A slideshow I saw that I really liked was set to I’ve Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. I just seemed to be about growing up. And I do love I Hope You Dance. It also comes in book form, and I give it to graduates.</p>