August Activities

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Whew! What a whirlwind this last week has been. I can’t believe that I haven’t posted in so long – I’ve missed my little blog. Let me tell you what I’ve been up to since the month began…

Zach and I attended the out-of-town wedding of our good friends, Doug and Jill. We got to see lots of old friends, and the entire weekend was a blast.

Our nephew, Mason, turned 1! We attended his birthday party, and I don’t think I’ve seen more toddler toys in one room than I did at this celebration. Mason is one spoiled little boy :)

We celebrated our one-year anniversary with an amazing weekend in St. Louis! Zach planned the entire trip, and each element was a surprise. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, where he proposed to me two years ago, and we visited the Botanical Gardens, the City Museum, and Forest Park along with several delicious meals. Oh, and our wedding cake still tasted great.

More Mason! We attended the little guy’s christening this past Sunday, and boy was he a good sport. Thank goodness he has a real affinity for water…he wasn’t bothered one bit by the ritual.

I’m pretty sure that my life is going to slow down a bit after the recent flurry of events; at least I hope so. Once I go back to school (next Thursday!) I will settle into a routine, and that includes regular blogging. Though I definitely have mixed emotions about the end of summer, I am looking forward to having a schedule on which I can depend. But for now, it’s time to get back to work! I need to take care of business so that I can enjoy the last carefree days of summer come Friday :)

Music Therapy in the News

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If you live in Springfield and happened to watch the news tonight, you’ve already seen this. But for my long-distance readers: you can see the story for yourselves HERE. I’m so proud to share the work I do with my community, especially since music therapy is not as established in Springfield as it is in other places. Any chance I get to spread the word about the positive effects of music, I gladly take it!

If you are new to Listen & Learn, thanks for visiting. Please let me know if you have any questions about music therapy or the songs I write by sending me an email. Also, be sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!

Kickstarter Update

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I was thrilled – overjoyed, actually – when my Kickstarter project reached $1,000 in donations. You can see it in my face, right? The pledges continued to roll in until I hit $1,200, where I’ve been for the last few days.

In order to give my Kickstarter quest a bit of a kick into gear, I’m offering a free song download of your choice to those of you who contribute to my cause (recording and distributing a CD especially for children with autism and other disabilities) between now and Friday. You have four days! Just be sure to shoot me an email with your song choice after you’ve made your pledge. Unlike the song download that is rewarded to those who donate if and when the project is completed, this one will be available as soon as I receive your email.

So GO HERE to make a pledge, or to read more about my project before you make your decision. Oh, and as always, thank you for your support!!!

On the Disney Channel

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


A while back, I mentioned a contest going on over at Listen & Learn Plus! which involved subscribers coming up with topics for fun summer songs. The first winner is Alison, and this was her idea:

“I have been thinking that for a lot of my kids it would be really cool to come up with a song about all of the different Disney shows. I have a lot of older kids who like Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock, etc. I think they would get a kick out of a NEW song about all of those different popular shows combined instead of just singing theme songs from each. The same could apply for my younger kids with cartoons; Dora, Diego, The Wiggles, Spongebob are just a few of their favorites. Plus coming up with visual aids should be easy enough!”

Alison won a Custom CD for her topic idea. This is the song I’ve come up with using her great suggestions.

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
Hannah Montana was performing just for me.
Miley Cyrus plays the part,
And I can sing “The Best of Both Worlds” by heart,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Jonas Brothers were singing a song to me.
I watched Camp Rock and saw their show,
Starring Kevin, Nick and Joe,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Suite Life was playing in front of me.
Zach and Cody, what a pair,
Are so cool with their long hair,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Wizards of Waverly Place were casting a spell on me.
Selena Gomez plays the role
Of Alex in this awesome show,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
Sonny With a Chance was entertaining me.
Demi Lovato is the star
And we all know she’s going far,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

If your child or student has another favorite Disney show, this song can be easily adapted to include it. And Alison is right – making the visual aides to accompany the tune would be a snap.

You probably noticed that my audio player has changed…for the better! Now you can not only listen to the entire song, but you can share it with others or download it for yourself. It will take some time to have all my songs switched to the new format, but I’m working on it. In the meantime, have a wonderful Tuesday!

August Already?

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Why is it that the winter months seem to last forever, while the summer flies by and is over in the blink of an eye? I know it’s not over yet, but as soon as August hits, I’m reminded that these lazy days are dwindling. Not that my summer has been lazy; actually, quite the opposite is true. But the sunshine and warm temps make life a little easier, no matter what is going on.

Well as you know, with each new month comes a song, and August is no exception. Here’s a tune to celebrate month number eight; take a listen:

Hot and sunny days are here,
And the end of the summer is near.
August is month number eight
And all thirty one days are great.

We’ll take a break from school days,
Everyone swims and plays.
Summer will be leaving soon,
So we sing this happy tune:

CHORUS

Time to get ready for the school year,
But there’s nothing for us to fear.
Class is fun and we learn a lot,
And in case you forgot:

CHORUS

Let’s pack up our book bags
And greet our teachers and friends.
Soon enough it will be fall,
But until the summer ends:

CHORUS

Last year around this time, I was knee-deep in wedding plans, parties, and other related celebrations. I have a feeling this August will be a bit more calm in comparison :) We are celebrating our one-year anniversary next weekend in St. Louis, so I’ll have that to look forward to as I jump right into another work week. Enjoy your Sunday evening!