When people find out that I write my own music therapy songs, they usually have lots of questions. How did you start writing songs? Is it hard? Do you prefer using your own songs to others’ songs?
These questions came up again last week during a presentation for speech & language pathologists, and I made a note right then and there to share my thoughts here on the blog. So here it is: my “Adventures in Songwriting” series, starting at the very beginning (a very good place to start, if you ask Julie Andrews).
When I started my first practicum as a new music therapy graduate student, the first place I went for help was the internet. I’d never written a song in my life, and had no idea where to start. I was to work with seniors in a nursing home, so I typed “music therapy hello songs for seniors” into Google. Can you guess how many results that yielded? Yep…not many.
That was the moment I realized I was going to have to start writing my own songs. I started with a simple hello song, which ended up taking less time than learning an existing song would have. It wasn’t great, but I used it throughout that entire first practicum. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and what amazed me most was that by the end of the semester, the whole room was singing along. To a song I wrote. It was a pretty cool feeling.
Even with a few successful songwriting experiences under my belt, I still didn’t feel 100% confident as a songwriter. I continued to rely on Google to lead me to songs I could use in music therapy practicum sessions. But the more specific the goals and objectives for my clients, the harder it was to find the right song that fit each unique situation.
It wasn’t until beginning my internship that I began to feel comfortable sharing my songs with people other than my clients. The positive feedback I received from my supervisors definitely helped, as did the fact that my clients were making progress because of the songs I was writing just for their needs. Not to mention that the more I wrote, the easier it got. Isn’t that the case with so many things in life?
In my next installment of this series, I’ll talk about the actual process I use to write my songs. In the meantime, if you have any songwriting questions you’d like for me to answer, please leave them in the comments!
Today is more than just a day off from school and work. It’s an opportunity to honor a great man (as I mention in my January song) who did big things, and to observe how far our country has come as a result.
I wish I could say that I have a song for this occasion to share with you, but I don’t (maybe next year). However, I will send you over to Songs For Teaching, where there are quite a few tunes dedicated to MLK Jr. Here are just a few worth noting:
How do you teach your students (or children) about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his important work? Do you do anything special to commemorate this day in your classroom? If so, I want to hear about it.
There’s only one way to describe central Illinois in January: COLD. And yes, the temperatures here merit capital letters. So when it came to choosing a song for this week’s video, it was really a no-brainer.
I’ve provided on-screen lyrics for the second week in a row, and so far I’ve gotten some great feedback. What do you think…do they make for an easier “singalong” experience? I hope so!
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. If you’re currently experiencing frigid weather, well, I feel for you. And if you’re lucky enough to be somewhere warm and sunny, then I don’t want to hear about it. (Just kidding. I’m happy for you!)
When I revealed my blogging goal of 365 posts in 2011, I received an influx of topic requests. A suggestion that came up more than once: how do you put yourself out there in the music therapy world upon graduating?
Being a new graduate is scary and overwhelming. But it’s those feelings of excitement and hope and promise that will push you in the right direction, whatever that may be for you.
I know, because I was there a mere 4 years ago. I had already finished my undergraduate degree in vocal performance, but music therapy was a whole new world (picture me as Jasmine flying through the air on a magic carpet). As I neared the midpoint of my nine-month internship, it hit me that I was on my own pretty soon.
So I told everyone I knew and everybody I met that I was going to be a professional music therapist soon. I talked to nursing home administrators, who offered for me to come visit and share music experiences with their residents. I emailed former teachers and principals, hoping they would have leads for me. I chatted up the manager at my local music store, where I had previously taught voice lessons. I spread the word at my church, where I was already on the children’s music staff.
And then in January, five months before I was to officially graduate with a masters degree in music therapy, I received an email from the principal of a school for children with disabilities. He’d heard through the grapevine that I was returning to Springfield soon, and was wondering…would I be interested in applying for the full-time music therapist position they’d just received a grant to fund?
Now I will admit that my story sounds like something out of a fairy tale, where full-time music therapy positions grow on trees and sunshine and rainbows fill the sky. But I have no doubt that the networking I did prior to receiving that email led to where I am now.
And it didn’t stop there. I got that full-time job, but I also continued to get phone calls from other people and places. A mom of a child with down syndrome, wanting to form a music therapy group for other families like hers. The Autism Program, wanting to offer music therapy services in the summer. Referral after referral for private adapted lessons, sent by the music store manager.
We always hear how important networking is in any career, but it’s even more so in a field as unique as music therapy. People remember you once they hear your story, what you do (or want to do) for a living.
Music therapists sometimes have to create their own jobs. And that’s okay. Scary, but wonderful and exciting and sky’s the limit. Our field has evolved in the short time that I’ve been in it, and it will continue to grow and expand and provide more opportunities for creative work. (You’re looking at one of them, right here on this blog.)
Now what stories and pearls of wisdom can you share with new professionals who are asking the question, “I graduated…now what?’
Lately I’ve had quite a few readers ask about my work at The Hope Institute, a residential school for children with multiple disabilities where I’ve headed up the music therapy program for the last (almost) 4 years.
I’ll be writing about the program in more detail throughout the year, but today I thought I’d share a simple yet important song that remains a staple in many of the classrooms with which I work.
Calendar time is an essential part of the school day around here (as it is in many schools), and I incorporate calendar songs of all varieties into my music therapy sessions. Here’s one I’ve mentioned before — spruced up a bit for the new year:
Today is ______,
Today is ______.
Today is ______, January _____.
Yesterday was ______,
Tomorrow’s ________.
But today is ______, January _____, 2011.
So when I sing this with my students this morning, the lyrics will be:
“Today is Monday, today is Monday. Today is Monday, January 10th. Yesterday was Sunday; tomorrow’s Tuesday. But today is Monday, January 10th, 2011.”
Each month, I record a new version with the correct month already included. That way, when the teachers sing this song with their students on a daily basis, they fill in the day and date themselves.
I’ve been using this song (which I came up with it on my own, though I’m positive others have done something very similar if not identical) for years now, but am always up for new ideas. If you’ve got another daily calendar song to share, please do!
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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