Disney Music Makes Me Smile

My friend Angel is amused by me. Whenever I start singing a verse from a Disney song, she stops, smiles and I can see her relax before my very eyes. She thinks it's fun that I know so many songs from the world of Disney, both old and new. Sometimes she asks me to sing her one when she is having a rough day and she is quick to remind me that her "friend Penny knows ALL the Disney songs and she sings them out loud when she goes to Disneyland." This is true. Angel and I have been to "Our Land" several times together and I do sing them... loudly and proudly when I am there.

This love of Disney music started when I was really young. My mom was the secretary for our church, so I spent a lot of time playing in the Sunday School classrooms which also doubled as rooms for the small private school our church operated. One of the teachers had a great collection of Disney soundtrack records that she allowed me to play, and play them I did! Every day during the long summer months, I played album after album while I acted out scenes and sang at the top of my lungs. I knew every beat, every skip and scratch of the record, and inflection of voice... and still do. In those classrooms I was Mary Poppins, Snow White, and Cinderella singing with the little birdies.

When I became a mother, I found some Disney Sing-a-Long video tapes for my kids to watch and together we discovered quite a few obscure songs and fell in love with the classics all over again. They were timeless and wonderful and I loved them still. I picked up several different boxed CD sets and played them often. A couple of years ago I discovered a podcast on iTunes that plays the songs and sounds of the Disney Parks. "A Window to the Magic" showcases the sounds of the Disneyland rides as well as features all music episodes. I play them on my computer at work quite a bit, and have been known to announce to Angel that I am "now on the Jungle Cruise" or "walking down Main Street".

I can't visit the parks as often I like, due to time and finances, but I can take a virtual trip anytime by playing some of my favorite songs or pulling up a podcast and playing one of WTTM's "Where in the Park?" games where the host will quietly enter one of the Disneyland Parks and proceed to an attraction without announcing where he is going. If you listen carefully, you will know exactly where he is based on the music, fountains, ride sounds and more. I can get my fix for free and put a smile on my face for the rest of the day! The magic of Disney is truly magical...

May your day be filled with Sparkle ( and Disney Magic ) from the inside out!