“To All The Little Girls”
Using words from Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, a group of young girls record a song and music video that is sure to move you.
When 13-year-old Isolde Fair was given an assignment in her music theory class at Sol-La Music Academy in Santa Monica, CA, she had no idea how impactful her song would become.
Teacher Mary Ann Cummins had noticed the class of about 12 girls had become a bit glum after the election, so she assigned them the task of writing a song using part of Hillary Clinton’s November 9, 2016 concession speech. Isolde knew she had to come up with something great.
"I am so glad my music teacher gave me this assignment but it was more than an assignment. The message I want to share and what I loved about the words in Hillary's speech is that it talks about how girls should feel empowered, loved and confident about who they can become.”
Isolde’s mother, Starr Parodi, said that she had noticed a crumpled-up piece of paper sitting on their home piano for a few days. When she asked what it was, Isolde told her about the assignment and how she had an idea but that it was always so hard to get started.
Once she finally sat down at the piano, the words completely resonated with her and it simply flowed out of her. She wrote the song and the music in no time, and when she played it for her class at school, her teacher was moved by how powerful it was. Cummins asked Isolde if her parents would help write a string arrangement to accompany the song, so that the entire class could play it together.
It didn’t stop there … Cummins approached her long-time friend and Oscar winning director, Terry Sanders to listen to the song. He too was moved and stated that he wanted to create a music video of the song.
Starr and her husband, Jeff Fair, are music composers, orchestrators, and arrangers. They arranged the rest of the music for the song, and recorded each girl’s part in their recording studio in Los Angeles. Next, Terry and his assistant cameraman came in to record the video. In just 4 days from the time the song was arranged, the entire class (ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old) had learned their part, recorded the song and filmed a music video that is sure to inspire and empower little girls and women across the world.
Growing up in a musical family and spending time in the recording studio since she was a toddler, Isolde felt right at home recording the song and video.
"It really meant a lot to me for so many of my friends, who I have been studying music with for all my life, to come and play and sing with me and hopefully inspire other kids.”
Parodi stated how excited the parents were and how empowering it was for them to help create this music video with their girls. Many of these girls had been practicing since the age of five, and had never been in a recording studio. She also mentions how she remembers having to fight for her rights as a woman, and she has seen these girls starting to feel the social pressures to act and be a certain way, and this assignment became a way for them to understand that they do have a voice and power to be whoever they want to be.
"I'm really grateful to my parents, my music school and teachers, and to everybody who helped me with this. I hope a lot of people will listen and can relate to the message." — Isolde Fair
*** Watch the video, and please share! Let’s make this amazing group of young girls VIRAL! ***
Here are Hillary's actual words in her speech that Isolde wrote to:
And to all the little girls who are watching this –
never doubt that you are valuable, and powerful and deserving,
of every chance and opportunity in the world
to pursue and achieve your own dreams
Isolde’s lyrics used with permission of her mother, Starr Parodi.
Verse 1
Never doubt that you are valuable, and powerful and deserving
of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue -----
chorus
And to all the little girls, who are watching this
And to all the little girls, who are watching this...............
verse 2
Never change about who you are, invincible and confident
leading to a deeper plan, possibilities coming true .....
chorus
And to all the little girls, who are watching this
And to all the little girls, who are watching this...............
verse 1 repeat
Never doubt that you are valuable, and powerful and deserving
of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue -----
chorus repeat
And to all the little girls, who are watching this
And to all the little girls, who are watching this
Amy Zellmer is an award-winning author, speaker, and advocate of traumatic brain injury (TBI). She is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, and has created a private Facebook group for survivors and also produces a podcast series. She sits on the Brain Injury Advisory Council (BIAC) through the Brain Injury Association of America’s and is involved with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance. She travels the country with her Yorkie, Pixxie, to help raise awareness about this silent and invisible injury that affects over 2.5 million Americans each year.
In November, 2015 she released her first book, “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal” which received a silver award at the Midwest Book Awards in May, 2016. Her second book, “Surviving Brain Injury: Stories of Strength and Inspiration” is a collection of stories written by brain injury survivors and caregivers and was released November 2016. for more information:www.facesoftbi.com