Are you ready for the most info-packed song about penguins you’ve ever heard in your life? Okay, so I probably didn’t have much competition when I wrote this, but I do have to admit I’m pretty proud of the amount of penguin facts I managed to include — and they rhyme, no less!
You might be wondering: why penguins? The answer: why NOT?! Actually, this was written as a custom music therapy song for Rene, a 1st grade teacher who is teaching a unit on penguins this winter. Thanks to the fact sheet Rene sent along with her custom song order, I was able to wrap up the most pertinent information into a fun tune that I hope her students will not only learn from, but also enjoy.
And since I figured who doesn’t love penguins, I decided to go ahead and share “Penguin Party” with all of you, too. It’s a little long, but it’s catchy! And educational!
Writing custom songs is one of my favorite things to do, because I get to tackle subject matter that I otherwise might not even think to write about. And now I’m off to ponder next week’s song topic…hmm…this one is going to be hard to top!
This song is an oldie, but honestly, it might be one of my favorite Listen & Learn originals. I like the melody, and I also like that it explains the concept in a relatively easy-to-understand manner.
I debated including a picture-in-picture view of the actions as I sing them, but decided it would probably be confusing since my left is the opposite of your left. When I sing this song with my students, I turn around so that our left and right are the same.
Do you have any go-to songs or methods for teaching the concept of left and right?
There have been many occasions on which I wished I was able to accept credit card payments. Here are just a few: when selling my CDs and songbooks at conferences, peddling demos at gigs, when a parent of a student forgets his or her checkbook and has no cash…the list goes on.
So when my friend and fellow studio owner Lisa Casciola told me about the Square Credit Card Reader, I was intrigued. I went to the website, where I found out that I could order the tiny little device for FREE, start an account for FREE, and immediately begin accepting credit card payments.
The square accepts all types of major credit cards and charges a flat 2.75% rate for every transaction. The best part is that the money is transferred to your bank account the next day. How convenient is that? The Square app can be downloaded to the iPhone, iPad and Android for free, and is super simple to use. Here are a couple screen shots of the app in use:
You simply enter the dollar amount and title of your transaction and then either swipe the card or enter the card number. It seriously couldn’t be any easier, and better yet, each transaction is completely secure.
For each item or service you sell, you can upload a picture that is displayed as an icon next to the item name. You can also personalize your receipts and let customers choose between paper (you can print wirelessly if using the iPad), email, or text. There is also an option for customers to add a tip. You can create reports to track sales and income, and even set up custom rewards programs for certain credit card types.
This device has opened up lots of new possibilities for me! Have you tried it yet, or do you use another method of accepting credit card payments on the fly?
On Tuesdays, the mp3, instrumental track, and lyrics/chords for the newest songs are available to Listen & Learn Plus members for download. In addition, members are always welcome to request existing Listen & Learn songs and new song topics.
When I introduced “Clackin’ On the Ice” to my kiddos, many of them caught on quickly to the concept of tapping their rhythm sticks very loudly at first, and gradually getting softer as the song goes on. Of course, there are a few for whom the idea of playing “softly” is foreign, and that’s okay…we’ll keep working on it :)
I have grown fond on this song myself, especially the part about the ice melting away. It has in fact melted away in my neighborhood, but we continue to sing it.
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Last week’s song featured a picture of a ukulele on a sandy beach…so this is just about as opposite as it gets! But it is January, after all, so I’m getting in those wintery songs while I can. I actually wrote “Clackin’ On the Ice” in just a few minutes while putting together my Church [...]
I love fake books — so much so that I have an entire shelf of them here in my studio. The latest in my collection, pictured above, was a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law. And like most non-musicians, I’m pretty sure they have no idea what a fake book actually is. A fake [...]
Last night at Jake’s lesson, we were talking about quarter rests. As I was trying to describe how to draw one for an exercise in his theory book, Jake said, “I know…it’s like a lightning bolt with a C at the bottom!” I looked at the quarter rest, and realized he was exactly right. How [...]
On Tuesdays, the mp3, instrumental track, and lyrics/chords for the newest songs are available to Listen & Learn Plus members for download. In addition, members are always welcome to request existing Listen & Learn songs and new song topics. I love the comment that fellow music therapist Amy Kalas left here at Listen & Learn [...]
Every January, I find it so funny that my students are so interested in hearing about what I got for Christmas. This year has been no exception, and I’ve been playing a lot of show-and-tell with my new ukulele. Of course, just seeing it isn’t enough — my students want to hear it, too! Their [...]
Ask any of my friends or family and they’ll tell you: Rachel is NOT a winter person! I despise the cold and am deathly afraid of driving in any kind of hazardous weather condition. So when I saw that snow was in the forecast this past week, I ran all of my errands and did [...]
It’s no secret that I love my iPad and use it for tons of music and music therapy-related purposes, from taking lesson/session notes to organizing and displaying my gig music to teaching my students music theory. One of the first apps I downloaded when I got my ipad was Garageband, and I’ve used it many [...]
It’s Social Media Advocacy Month! I’m one of over two dozen bloggers and podcasters using social media to talk about and get people excited about advocacy throughout January. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’ve been a music therapy advocate since September of 2004. That was the year I became a music therapy [...]
On Tuesdays, the mp3, instrumental track, and lyrics/chords for the newest songs will be available to Listen & Learn Plus members for download. In addition, members are always welcome to request existing Listen & Learn songs and new song topics. No winter wonderland here just yet…today the sun is shining and the thermometer says it’s [...]
Would you believe that even though we’re entering the second week of January, I’ve only seen one honest-to-goodness snowfall? And the snow didn’t even stick on the ground! Personally, I am not a fan of winter weather at all…but my students are, which is why I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll have a chance to [...]
I have been dying to spend some time playing my new ukulele ever since I got it for Christmas, but this first week back to the studio has been a little more than busy! Luckily, I found a few minutes to learn and record this song — a favorite that I featured as a Friday [...]
This picture reminds me of the old days here at Listen & Learn: back when I was cranking out song after song, sometimes 3 or more in one week. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed being a songwriting machine — until I wasn’t one anymore. So that’s why 2012 is all about getting back [...]
Are you ready for the most info-packed song about penguins you’ve ever heard in your life? Okay, so I probably didn’t have much competition when I wrote this, but I do have to admit I’m pretty proud of the amount of penguin facts I managed to include — and they rhyme, no less!
