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That’s why I started writing my own music therapy songs — my other options were extremely limited. I began sharing them in the hopes that it would help other people like me, and that’s how Listen & Learn Music came to be.
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Written by Listen & Learn Music creator Rachel Rambach, MM, MT-BC, Innovative Income for Music Therapists combines her own experiences with those of other trailblazing music therapists to illustrate the virtually endless ways in which to generate revenue using your unique training, knowledge and skills.
Recent Blog Posts
My Word for 2023
The older I get, the faster the years go…so it makes sense that 2022 flew by in a blink. In comparison with previous years, this was a really, really good one, though it was not without its challenges. My word for the year was PERSEVERE, which I chose with the intention to “just keep going” no matter what curveballs came my way. As has been my practice for the past several years, I didn’t set any big, lofty goals; rather, I wanted to focus on living my word without any extra stress (because my regular daily life brings more than enough of that!).
Unfollowing for My Mental Health
For the last few years, I’ve viewed Facebook as a necessary evil. It’s an easy way to update my friends and family and vice versa. I belong to a number of personal and professional groups, including a fitness accountability group that I post in daily. I have pages for my business, and rely on other pages for info about my kids’ extracurricular activities.
But over the last few months, scrolling my Facebook feed has become an increasingly negative experience. I’m not even talking about political posts and arguments in the comment sections. What I mean is that consuming bit and pieces of other peoples’ lives has led me to question my own career, social life, accomplishments…everything. I found myself constantly living in comparison mode, and the worse it got, the more addicted to scrolling I became.
The March Session Plan is Here!
Part of that has been cutting way back on my social media consumption (more about that in this blog post), which has resulted in having more time to get ahead on both my schoolwork and work-work :) The latter includes a new session plan, which drops today!
The February Session Plan is Here!
How is the new year going for you? If it’s anything like mine, it’s probably been a little (or a lot)…bumpy. COVID-19 is raging once again, which has posed issues for my private practice, children’s school, and just about every other area of life. It’s beyond frustrating, and I know for some, this resurgence has been devastating. If you are in that position, my heart is with you. There has to be some light at the end of this tunnel, right?
Pandemic or not, monthly session plans continue on—next up, for the month of February. I’ve already been using quite a few of these songs (including the companion hello/goodbye songs, which I wrote on the spot during a telehealth music therapy session last week) throughout January, and will probably still be singing them in March, too :)
My Word for 2022
Where oh where do I begin? I’ve sat down to write this post at least 4 times throughout the past week, and the words just haven’t come. 2021 has been…something, and it isn’t going out without a fight. Here we are, just 3 days away from 2022, and COVID-19 is raging yet again, leaving us to hibernate at home like we’ve done so often over the last almost 2 years.
My word for 2021 was EMPOWERED. I was ready to have more control over my life after spending most of 2020 having barely any whatsoever, and overall, I think I lived this word well. Most notably, I took control of my future by diving head-first into a full-time graduate program, working towards a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
The January Session Plan is Here!
I don’t know about you, but it’s right around this time every year that my creative energy and brain power start to lose steam, and all I really want to do is eat delicious treats while watching Christmas movies. It’s especially true this year, having just wrapped up the first semester of my counseling master’s program (finals are no joke!).
But alas, there is still work to be done. I’ll be leading classes and providing music therapy until Wednesday of next week, at which point I’ll take a highly anticipated break until the start of the new year. Speaking of, it’s time to share the first monthly session plan of 2022!
50% Off Sale + Free Song Pack with Every Purchase
It’s that time! I’ve been doing Thanksgiving Week sales here at Listen & Learn Music for a decade now, but this year, I wanted to step up my game for you.
Now through November 30th, get 50% off EVERYTHING in the L&L store (including song packs, books, and courses) AND with every purchase, you’ll receive my free 6-song pack, “Feeling 2022”, which includes the mp3, instrumental track, lyrics, chords, and facilitation guide for 6 songs to lead us into the new year.
The November Session Plan is Here!
I have to say, I am very excited for Thanksgiving. Pretty much all the holidays in 2020 were a huge bummer, but now that my family is vaccinated (and hopefully the kids will be soon, too!), we are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving and Christmas together this year.
I know we still have plenty of time — I didn’t forget about, you Halloween — but putting together the November session plan had me thinking a few weeks ahead. It’s been so much fun pulling out all of my fall favorites for my music therapy sessions and classes (especially the in-person ones that I missed so much last year), and I’m pumped to see “Turkey Dinner Dance” and other Thanksgiving songs in action soon.
Adventures in Going Back to School
Back in August, my friend told me that she was going back to school for her PhD in speech-language pathology. I have a lot in common with this friend: we both have two kids (our boys play competitive travel soccer together), busy careers, and full social lives.
So when she shared this news with me, the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh wow, I could never do that.”
I’ve been saying that for years. I went straight to graduate school after finishing undergrad, so the only life I knew was student life. That served me well, and helped me stay focused as I earned my master’s degree in music therapy. My mom went back to school for her doctorate shortly after turning 50, and I was just in awe of her ability to do so. I couldn’t imagine the rigorous schedule and responsibilities of being a student ON TOP OF regular life.
After that conversation with my friend, though, I rethought my words. Why couldn’t I do it? School was my thing; the only B I ever got — like, literally ever — was in a dance class my freshman year of college, and I’m still not over it. (Kidding, kind of.) I love to learn, and I had been feeling the itch for professional growth over the last year or so.
A few days later, I found myself googling “counseling programs” and taking copious notes. Wait, what? Did I want to become a counselor? Apparently, yes I did.
The October Session Plan is Here!
Turns out that if you enroll in a full-time graduate program and take on a new telehealth contract ON TOP of everything else you already have going on, the days and weeks suddenly speed up and disappear before your eyes. That’s how my fall is going so far…how about you?
Truth be told, this *very* full schedule isn’t actually as stressful as I thought it would be. Having so many things on my plate has caused me to find a space for EVERYTHING on my calendar, and since there are no hours (or minutes, lol) to spare, I simply don’t have the option to procrastinate. It’s working well so far, and hopefully will continue to, since this is my life for the foreseeable future.
If your plate is just as full as mine, hopefully I can help give you back some of the time you might otherwise spend planning for your music therapy sessions, circle time, or classroom music. That was my whole reason for creating monthly session plans in the first place, and why I’ve continued to do so for 3+ years!