Cleaning Up

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Clean Up Album CoverGood morning! It’s Monday, but hey, we’ll make the best of it :) I had a wonderful trip to Chicago – the parade was packed with people but the weather and the atmosphere definitely made it worthwhile. It was so nice to spend time with our friends, and my husband’s awards banquet was super fun as usual. We returned last night, and after a whirlwind weekend it was a little difficult getting back into the groove.

Today’s song is another new one, and this time we’re singing about cleaning up. I know this is certainly not most kids’ favorite activity, but a song can make just about anything reasonably enjoyable. I wrote this song so that you can add verses to cater to the specific clean-up task being tackled. I included just a couple sample verses (picking up toys and clearing away dishes) but feel free to make changes as needed.

Clean up time, clean up time,
Lend a hand and sing this rhyme.
Clean up time, so do your part,
Ready, get set, now start!

Clean up your toys, put ‘em away.
Put ‘em away, oh put ‘em away.
Put ‘em away, where they belong,
Cleaning up is the name of this song.

CHORUS

Clear away your dishes, take ‘em away,
Take ‘em away, oh take ‘em away.
Take ‘em away, where they belong,
Cleaning up is the name of this song.

Clean up time, clean up time,
You lent a hand and sang this rhyme,.
Clean up time, your part is done,
Cleaning up can be such fun.

Do you know any other clean-up songs? They come in so handy for my students when it’s time to put away instruments or other materials used in music therapy sessions.

Friday Fave: My New House!

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Okay, okay…I know this is not music-related, but it’s hard to think about much else right now! After our closing yesterday (which went very smoothly), we went straight to our new house and began unloading box after box of stuff. I finally got to open all of our wedding gifts and put them away in the kitchen, and it was so much fun! A little overwhelming, but luckily we had the help of our wonderful parents.

Today the painters are coming to repaint all of the bedrooms and my new office, and then next week we are getting a brand-new kitchen floor. Next Saturday, all of our new furniture will be delivered and we will finish moving our stuff in, and we will spend the first night in our new house! I can’t wait.

As for this weekend, Zach and I are taking off for a fun trip to Chicago, where we will meet up with friends, go to the St. Patty’s Day parade, and attend his company’s annual awards banquet. It should be a blast. I hope you all have a great weekend, and see you back here on Monday!

Jermaine

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There’s a student at Hope named Jermaine. Jermaine is probably the most enthusiastic student I see all week, both at school and in private practice. In fact, his clapping was so enthusiastic that his teachers asked him to tap his knees instead, so that his peers weren’t distracted during music therapy.

Jermaine absolutely loves music, and over the last two years I have made him countless CDs of my songs. He knows all of them by heart, and will often request the songs by name. Today he asked me to sing the song “I Will be Your Friend”, which I hadn’t sung or even thought about in months and months. But another student echoed his request, so I began singing the song. I got through the first verse, and then completely blanked on the second verse. Jermaine was there to save the day – he took over as lead singer, and belted out the second and third verses.

When the song was through, Jermaine raised his hand. I called on him. “Yes, Jermaine. Do you have a question?” (He will often ask me questions in between songs.) He replied, “Miss Rachel, you encourage my heart every time you sing.”

Actually, it’s the other way around…do I really need to explain why I love my job?

Ten Little Shamrocks

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so today I thought we’d count shamrocks. If you’re a regular here at Listen & Learn, you should be very familiar with this tune by now. But if you’re new, welcome! Won’t take you long to catch on to this simple tune. It’s counting time, so off we go:

Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little shamrocks in a row,
Now let’s count them nice and slow.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

How many shamrocks?
Ten little shamrocks.
All lined up in a row.

My husband and I will be in Chicago over the weekend for his company’s awards banquet, which means we’ll also be able to catch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It should be a fun day! In the meantime, this is quite a busy week and I have lots to do, so goodbye for now :)

Boys and Girls: We’re All Equal

by | Listen & Learn Music

Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Well I didn’t, until a teacher brought it to my attention at the end of February. I did a little research, and discovered that Women’s History Month traces its roots back to the first International Women’s Day, which was celebrated in 1911. In 1981, Congress passed a resolution making Women’s History Week a national holiday.

So that is the background for today’s tune, “Boys and Girls”. I wanted to write a song that conveyed the general message of Women’s History Month yet could still be understood by my students. “Boys and Girls” teaches that we all have equal rights, and that we can do many of the same things.

If you’re a boy, or you’re a girl,
Then you should know that we’re all equal.
There are certain things about us that are different, it’s true,
But our rights are the same, for both me and you.

Girls can wear pants, boys can too.
Boys can wear hats, girls can too.
Girls can wear sandals, boys can too.
Boys can wear sneakers, girls can too.
There are certain things about us that are different, it’s true,
But our rights are the same, both me and you.

Girls can be teachers, boys can too.
Boys can be pilots, girls can too.
Girls can be doctors, boys can too.
Boys can be nurses, girls can too.
There are certain things about us that are different, it’s true,
But our rights are the same, both me and you.

Girls can go to school, boys can too.
Boys can go to work, girls can too.
Girls can cast a vote, boys can too.
Boys can cook dinner, girls can too.
There are certain things about us that are different, it’s true,
But our rights are the same, both me and you.

If you’re a boy, or you’re a girl,
Then you should know that we’re all equal.
There are certain things about us that are different, it’s true,
But our rights are the same, for both me and you.

Maybe next year I’ll write a song that goes a little bit more in depth with this topic. Another song to check out is Sufferin’ Til Suffrage (a School House Rock favorite). Enjoy, and happy Women’s History Month!