Friday Fave: Ultimate Guitar Tabs App

Ultimate Guitar Tabs App

It’s been awhile since I wrote about one of my favorite apps, so that is exactly what I’m doing today. Tabs is an app for both iPhone and iPad by Ultimate-Guitar.com, which is my go-to source for chords to just about any song you could ever think of.

The app itself costs $2.99, but there is also a subscription fee you must pay before accessing songs. However, the fee is nominal — I paid $5.99 for 12 months of full access to over 300,000 songs.

This is one of the most frequently used apps on my iPad, because my students and music therapy clients are always requesting songs that I don’t know off the top of my head. The app allows me to search for any song or band/artist, transpose songs to any key, look up a chord if I’m not familiar with it, and even auto-scroll the song so that my hands don’t have to leave the guitar or piano.

My favorite features are playlists and favorites. I can save songs to separate playlists for each of my students as well as keep a running list of favorites for myself, which motivates me to sit down and practice when I have a bit of downtime. I have always loved the website, but now instead of printing out sheet after sheet, I can just grab the iPad and play.

Have you tried this app yet? If so, what are your thoughts — and how do you use it? And if not, I’d love to hear your preferred method for finding chords/tabs to songs and using them in sessions or lessons.

How Do I Love My Job? Let Me Count the Ways.

I Love Music Therapy

Yesterday during my presentation at the Sharing a Vision conference, I may have gotten a little carried away explaining just how powerful music can be, and how much I love what I do. If the attendees walked away having learned nothing at all (which I hope is not the case!), at least they will have recognized my genuine passion for music therapy.

And today, for the second time this week, I have the opportunity to educate another person about this field and what it’s like to be a part of it. A high school senior with an interest in music therapy is coming over to talk with me today, which is exciting but scary. I always feel a great deal of pressure when I talk to students, because I want to make sure I represent my field enthusiastically yet accurately.

After all, one of the most influential factors in my decision to do so was a job shadowing experience I had with a music therapist as an undergraduate student. Her passion was apparent; I saw with my own eyes just how much she enjoyed the work she was doing and how it was benefiting her clients.

As much as music therapists are advocates for our profession in the community — to parents, educators, legislators, other kinds of therapists, and the list goes on — I also feel like I have a responsibility to help our field grow. I’ve had many students come to observe or interview me about music therapy, and each time, I hope that I’m influencing them in the same way I was by a music therapist all those years ago.

Sharing a Vision

 You may not even need to take formal voice lessons, but there is nothing wrong with doing so if you want to improve your technique.

Early last spring, I was invited to present at Illinois’ statewide Sharing a Vision early childhood conference. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since, and today is the day! My presentation, Music Therapy Techniques for School, Home & Play, is set to begin in just a couple of hours.

I’ve given similar presentations at quite a few conferences in the last couple of years, yet I never grow tired of sharing my passion with others — especially people who work with children like I do.

The opportunity to educate an entire room full of people about music therapy is priceless, and the fact that I get to make music with them (yes, I am bringing my guitar and a boatload of songs!) is just icing on the cake.

Sunday Singalong: The Scarecrow Song

Singing this song always puts a smile on my face, because it reminds me of one of my former students at The Hope Institute who absolutely LOVED it. He got such a kick out of singing it and finding each body part as it was mentioned in the song!

It’s fun to pull out all my seasonal songs that I haven’t thought about for ages — it’s like rediscovering them all over again. Look for more to be featured in Sunday Singalong videos over the next couple of months!

Friday Fave: It’s Fall, Y’all!

Fall is Here

Happy “First Day of Fall” to you! Summer is officially over, and I have resolved to stop whining about it and fully embrace the new season. After all, it’s hard to deny that this early autumn weather is absolutely spectacular.

Last week, I featured the song Fall Into Fall in my Sunday Singalong video, so today I’ll share another fall fave with you. “All About Autumn” is the newer of the two, and one I always enjoy singing throughout the season.

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I originally posted this song back in 2009, but I’m pretty sure most of you haven’t dug quite that deep into the archives — unless you’ve been reading the blog for that long! I’m going to make a habit of re-sharing some of my older tunes for that very reason, because there are some hidden gems from way back when :)

Do you have big plans for the first weekend of fall? My plan is to spend some quality time with my family, put the finishing touches on my Church Mice music class that begins on Sunday, and do something outside in this lovely weather. I hope you are able to do the same!