All the Candy I’ll Eat

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

When I was a kid, the best part of Halloween was coming home from trick-or-treating, dumping my bag of candy on the floor, and taking inventory of all the goodies. My brother and I would sort out our candy and make trades, and then I usually proceeded to eat way more candy than one should ever consume in a single sitting.

Well, apparently Tip Top Tom and I had a lot in common as children, because this is what he had to say:

This is a simple idea that can bring lots of cheer. Counting candy! As a kid that was one of my favorite activities on Halloween.

His simple idea just happens to be winning song topic #2! It didn’t take me long to come up with a song based on it; in fact, I had to leave out a couple verses. I could feel my sweet tooth aching as I sang this:

I just got home,
It’s Halloween night.
My costume gave my neighbors a fright.
But it did the trick, because I got a treat,
Just look at all the candy I’ll eat.

Ba-doop-a doo,
I see some Snickers bars,
Butterfinger, Hershey’s and Mars.
So much chocolate, what’ll I do?
I guess I’m gonna share with you!

CHORUS

Ba-doop-a-doo,
I see some lollipops,
Gummi bears and lemon drops.
So much sweet stuff, what I’ll do?
I guess I’m gonna share with you!

CHORUS

Ba-doop-a-doo,
I see a toothbrush there,
And a lot of toothpaste to share.
I think I’ll need it and so will you,
After all the candy we’ll chew!

CHORUS

Sound-Off: SleepPhones

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Remember when I first told you about sleephones? Well I received my own pair in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and I am addicted! The picture above is a reenactment of pretty much every single night since I got my sleepphones; they are so comfortable that I completely forget I’m wearing them. I plug them into my iPhone, which charges on my nightstand while I sleep, and the music puts me to sleep almost instantly. Of course, my extremely long days working with kids might have a little something to do with that, but I’ll give most of the credit to my sleepphones. Several readers have told me that they ordered a pair for themselves, and I’d love to hear what you think of them.

I can tell you that Sadie is a HUGE fan :) If you want to order a pair for yourself or your child, you can do so through their website.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few new Halloween songs to write. The two remaining contest winners will be announced tomorrow, along with the songs they inspired. Enjoy your Sunday!

My Grandma

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I want to thank you all for the thoughtful comments and emails I’ve received over the last couple of days. As I mentioned in my previous post, my grandma passed away this week. And as difficult as this has been, it really is a blessing that she is at peace now.

My grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease thirteen years ago, just as I was beginning high school. She was only in her early sixties, and had to move into a nursing home a couple years later. As time went on, her memory became worse and so did her ability to recognize me and my family. But the one thing that she never lost was her love of music.

It really was amazing how she came to life when she listened to Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and anything else she’d loved before she got sick. In fact, I was so blown away with the effect music had on her that I began looking into music therapy, even though I was less than a year away from graduating college with a degree in voice performance. After shadowing a music therapist for a couple of months, I decided to graduate early so that I could get started in a music therapy graduate program. My first practicum took place in a nursing home, and I knew I was in the right place from day one.

Even though I had always planned on working with seniors (specifically, those with Alzheimer’s) I ultimately decided that I wanted to specialize in music therapy with children. But I have my grandma to thank for sparking that interest in me. It was so neat being able to share that with her; I will never forget the transformation I saw when I started playing my guitar and singing familiar songs to her. She sang along to every single one of them, and knew all of the words.

I’ve spent a lot of time this week going through old pictures, and listening to my dad and uncle tell stories about my grandma. I’m lucky to have so many memories of her as the person she really was. As sad as I am that my grandma is gone, it’s comforting to know that her disease no longer has a hold on her.

I’m ready for life to get back to normal this week, and that includes picking up where I left off here at Listen & Learn. I will announce the other two winners of the Halloween song topic contest either tomorrow or Monday (a holiday for me!) so check back in soon.

A Personal Note

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I was hoping to announce the winners and share the songs that came from their topics this week, but unfortunately, that will be held off for a few days. My grandmother passed away on Tuesday, and I have been spending time with my family and preparing for the funeral and reception, which will happen tomorrow.

My grandma was the reason I decided to become a music therapist, and I am going to write a post dedicated to her in the coming days. So please continue to visit, and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

Two Pumpkins in a Patch

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


Happy Monday to all of you lovely people! Today is the last day to enter the Halloween song topic contest, so I am hoping you’ll do so if you haven’t already. And just because I couldn’t wait any longer, I’ve already chosen one of the three winners…so congrats to Emily! This is what she had to say:

Hi Rachel! I stumbled onto your blog and really enjoy it! I think a cute song topic would be the life of a pumpkin in the patch that gets to be a jack-o-lantern! My daughter’s birthday is Halloween, so I didn’t think much of it till she came along. Now I get excited because that’s when my “punkin” came into the world!

I absolutely loved her idea and ended up writing the song shortly after I received her entry. She will be receiving a custom Listen & Learn CD, and you can too! Just leave a comment or send an email describing your idea for a creative Halloween song topic (kid-friendly, of course).

And now, without further ado, here is the song that came of Emily’s great idea. It’s called “Patrick & Polly Pumpkin” and I hope you like it!

Patrick and Polly were a pumpkin pair,
In the patch sitting side by side.
Together they grew from tiny sprouts until
They were big and round and wide.

“I wonder who is going to pick us?”
Patrick and Polly would say.
As they watched the people in the pumpkin patch
And hoped it’d be their turn someday.

Patrick and Polly were the very same size,
With skin of orange so bright,
Alone they sat while all their friends got picked
And taken out of sight.

CHORUS

Patrick and Polly were the last ones left
Two pumpkins in an empty patch.
When along came a boy and a girl
Looking for a perfect match.

Patrick and Polly got picked right up
By the children, laughing with glee,
“We found the best little pumpkins in the world,” they said.
“One for you and one for me.”

“I’m so happy they picked us!”
Patrick and Polly would say.
As they sat on the porch, talking happily.
Side by side on Halloween day.

Several of my students went pumpkin-picking this weekend, which of course made me think of Patrick and Polly, sitting in the patch hoping to be chosen :) Now get busy thinking of your own song topic, and share it with me ASAP!