TOPIC: A support song for inner city girls
WHEN A YOUNG GIRL BELIEVES IN HERSELF
| "Leap" - Free Download |
I have become rather transfixed with a non-profit organization that teaches at-risk girls to find their voice, to step forward from a centered and considered place, and to believe in themselves anew. The organization is called Girls' LEAP, and it very specifically helps girls develop a diverse set of responses to violence, beyond the extremes of passivity and escalation. Every time I get near any kind of LEAP event, I find something astonishing happening. And I find tears welling up in me, in response to it.
Leap! (The Girls Leap Anthem)
Anna Huckabee Tull
I am not always certain
I am not always ready for everything coming at me
I got my ways of hurting
I got my aches, just like everybody
But I got something else, inside myself
That lets me dare to speak
And when I find it, I am not afraid
To grab hold of myself
And leap!
Into the quiet of my heart
Into the place where power starts
Where I walk strong and sing my song
And open wide, inside my smile
And I feel the power
I feel the power…of not just me, but
Every girl I see
Here together as we all
Leap!
I got my girls around me
And I’m learning more about me, ‘bout the things I can do
I know how to draw a boundary
And I know how to make a space in my heart for you if I want to
But I got something else, inside myself
That lets me dare to speak
And when I find it, I am not afraid
To grab hold of myself
And leap!
Into the quiet of my heart
Into the place where power starts
Where I walk strong and sing my song
And I open wide, inside my smile
And I feel the power
I feel the power…of not just me, but
Everybody
Here together as we all
Leap!
Strong, Beautiful, Willing, Rising, Confident, Leader, Power, Beautiful
© 2009 Anna Huckabee Tull CustomCraftedSongs.com
Maybe it's because I have sons rather than daughters, and this is a way to connect with young women. Maybe it's because I had such a safe and care-filled childhood, and I know these girls are going at the business of growing up without always having the kind of certainty and love that my parents provided for me. But mostly, I think it's less about me, and more about these girls. They have so much working against them, but year after year, girls emerge from this inner city club strong, and poised, and with a certain look in their eyes that I trust and believe in. And they hit the world running, with impressive college placements and meaningful, heart-based accomplishments. So this song is for them--to celebrate what it means to find a place where there is room to take a deep breath and re-approach from a centered place. The name, LEAP, stands for "Lifetime Empowerment and Awareness Program." But what struck me, as I sat in a room with an intimate circle of these girls, tuning in to their perspectives to help me create this song, was how ready and willing and able they each seemed to be to...LEAP into the world around them with newfound confidence. And thus a song was born:
But I've got something else
Inside myself
That lets me dare to speak
And when I find it
I am not afraid
To grab hold of myself
And LEAP!
But I've got something else
Inside myself
That lets me dare to speak
And when I find it
I am not afraid
To grab hold of myself
And LEAP!
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Anna Huckabee Tull and Anne Tull: Girls Being Girls
HOW DID THIS SONG COME TO BE?
I was moved enough by what I saw at a Girl's LEAP event that I decided to donate a song at their annual auction. I performed a few numbers to help folks understand what it means to commission a song, and then Robyn Young from our Boston NPR station put to the crowd the idea of someone in the audience getting to win a song, to-be-created, about anything their heart might desire. An exciting, feisty, very flattering bidding war ensued! When the winner, a woman named RoAnn, stepped forward to let me know she'd be the one I'd be creating a song for, I began trying to guess in my mind what her topic of choice might be. Anniversary? Family Reunion? Birthday gift for husband? But I was bowled over and delighted to learn that her choice was to commission an anthem for Girls' LEAP! Her generosity and inspiration blew me away! Working on the song was an incredible, uplifting experience! And when all was said and done, RoAnn held a garden party in her beautiful yard, where I was invited to perform the song live for a robust group of girls and supporters. I am delighted to say that with the help of some other long-time LEAP supporters, we have taken it to the next level beyond that, and created the video you see here! Please feel free to share this song and video with anyone you know who believes in a girl!
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Anna Huckabee Tull wrote the words and music to this song and recorded it with Eric Kilburn on instrumentation at Wellspring Sound in Acton, MA. Anne Tull got the video born in Delaware, Ohio. Anna is a Psychologist and Life Coach, and she creates songs on commission to help individuals and groups mark meaningful transitions, passages, and moments of celebration. Her work is performed and broadcast around the world. Anne Tull creates videos to bring songs, and experiences, to life. See Anne's other videos for Anna songs for "I Have a Choice," "Sweet Water" and "Coming True."
I was moved enough by what I saw at a Girl's LEAP event that I decided to donate a song at their annual auction. I performed a few numbers to help folks understand what it means to commission a song, and then Robyn Young from our Boston NPR station put to the crowd the idea of someone in the audience getting to win a song, to-be-created, about anything their heart might desire. An exciting, feisty, very flattering bidding war ensued! When the winner, a woman named RoAnn, stepped forward to let me know she'd be the one I'd be creating a song for, I began trying to guess in my mind what her topic of choice might be. Anniversary? Family Reunion? Birthday gift for husband? But I was bowled over and delighted to learn that her choice was to commission an anthem for Girls' LEAP! Her generosity and inspiration blew me away! Working on the song was an incredible, uplifting experience! And when all was said and done, RoAnn held a garden party in her beautiful yard, where I was invited to perform the song live for a robust group of girls and supporters. I am delighted to say that with the help of some other long-time LEAP supporters, we have taken it to the next level beyond that, and created the video you see here! Please feel free to share this song and video with anyone you know who believes in a girl!
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Anna Huckabee Tull wrote the words and music to this song and recorded it with Eric Kilburn on instrumentation at Wellspring Sound in Acton, MA. Anne Tull got the video born in Delaware, Ohio. Anna is a Psychologist and Life Coach, and she creates songs on commission to help individuals and groups mark meaningful transitions, passages, and moments of celebration. Her work is performed and broadcast around the world. Anne Tull creates videos to bring songs, and experiences, to life. See Anne's other videos for Anna songs for "I Have a Choice," "Sweet Water" and "Coming True."
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