I am deep in the editing process for the second Annie in April video, and thought it might be fun to dive into a bit of a niche topic today: how to find the right song for a family video! I’ve heard from several of you over the years who’ve been inspired to try your hand at a family video, or even a series of videos, after seeing ours, and that just tickles me. It’s really not hard, and the reward is so sweet. I’ve shared my step-by-step process for editing a family video before – and have edited more than a dozen yearly videos of our kids so far myself – but there’s one key step that still always feels like a big hurdle: choosing the perfect song. It feels daunting because the song sets the video’s tone; also, whatever I choose will become a part of our family’s shared history. I need something that captures the feel of the footage and the personality of our child in that particular season, something that won’t feel dated and that I won’t regret using in two years. It’s a tall order! I’ve compiled a few best practices over the years for finding great songs for family videos and am happy to share them with you here, plus a list of the songs we’ve used so far for our videos and a few that I’ve already marked as potential songs for future videos. Tips for Finding the Right Family Video Song 1. Keep a running list If all goes according to plan, I will have created 54 yearly videos for our kids by the time all three reach 18 (!). That is A LOT of just-right songs to find! Therefore, I am always on the hunt for our next movie’s soundtrack.