What’s your walk up song?
"Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who, who?!" The song blared through the speaker connected to my phone as my son stood up to bat. He had a smile on his face and his shoulders squared. It was the first annual "Boys vs. Moms" baseball game to cap off the summer season. I wasn't watching from the outfield, but from my post as ballpark DJ. Yep, you read that right.
As soon as I heard about the game, I hesitated to play given the stakes! Let's just say there was a lot of smack talk -- from both sides! -- in advance of the game and I haven't played since approximately 1989. The boys had always wanted walk up music during the season, so yours truly, a tech dinosaur, volunteered to make it happen. It's all about a growth mindset, right? Research yielded the $7 Walkout Song DJ app, which I melded with my subscription to Apple Music, snipped 11 seconds of each song, and voila!
And if you know JMT, you know she's going to speak! So I planned to also wear a second hat as the announcer. Alas, the mic didn't work properly for me to announce the boys and moms, but it was a blessing in disguise. Because I wasn't reading jersey numbers and nicknames (looking at you, "Megadeath"!), I could observe everyone while they got up to bat. After two or three at-bats, I realized: "Everyone needs a walk up song!" Whether it's to psych ourselves up for a tough conversation, get in the right mood before a presentation, or play in a game, the walk up music was transformative.
In fact, it made me realize that I could have played, performance anxiety be darned! Strutting out to 11 seconds of their selected hype song inspired even the most nervous player. They got a hop in their step and held their heads high, regardless of how they played. The music immediately put them in a good mood, set their minds right, and perhaps most importantly, gave them permission to NOT take themselves so seriously.
I had walk out music when I gave a TEDx-style talk at #EmpoweredWomen in 2022. It was an energetic, fun, and a great way to connect with the audience before speaking a word because we all picked songs to complement our remarks. So while I'm not sure Boom Clap would be my choice for walk up music at a baseball game, I know that to this day, it still amps me up.
Batter up!
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