Dearest Daughter,

Your mother used to have the worst taste in music.  I was trying to think of something else to say – something cute that might take the sting out of that statement, but I came up with nothing.  It was pretty much all poppy crap and every car ride was an exercise in anger management.  We don’t always see eye to eye and that’s okay.  (Your mother put RATM on the “Do Not Play” list at our wedding.  I married her anyway.)

In 2004, a few years before we got married, I stayed behind in Los Angeles when your mother moved north for law school.  Soon after, I decided that it was my duty to expand her musical horizons.  I sent her good music that spanned genre and time.  In retrospect, I think it was more a means of staying connected to her versus an effort to “reeducate” her.  I tried to focus on strong female voices, especially those from women who had impacted the world through both song and social conscience.  These voices closed the distance between your mother and me.  In them, I felt your mother’s strong spirit, and that made me feel less alone.  I honestly have no idea how much impact it actually had on her in the end, and I can’t even remember most of the songs I sent.  Still, we danced to Alison Krauss on our wedding day, and I can’t help but take credit for that.

This is my short list of female singers that I hope you are familiar with.  If not, I’ve been a horrible father.  Sorry.

• Aretha Franklin
• Grace Slick
• Janis Joplin
• Etta James
• Karen O
• Patsy Cline
• Florence Welch
• Alison Krauss
• Eva Cassidy
• Norah Jones
• Pink – When she screams in her songs, I REALLY felt like your mother is next to me…  (Kidding.)

You will find other voices that speak to you.  Explore them all.  Most importantly, don’t just listen to music – learn the contexts around songs, what they signified, who they were aimed at, and what deeper messages they might have.  By the time you read this you will know that you did not inherit any vocal talent from your mother and me.  Maybe you will develop some on your own; maybe you won’t.  Either way, I hope you are never afraid to let your voice be heard.

Love Always, Dad