This week’s video is my first-ever to include the lyrics as subtitles! When a reader requested I add them so that her son could follow along, I thought to myself, “Duh!” Why didn’t that occur to me before? It is called Sunday Singalong, after all.
I introduced this singable story to my students at The Hope Institute this week, and we are having a blast with it. My goal for those with verbal skills to sing the phrase “perhaps she’ll cry” as a starting point, since it is repeated so often throughout the book. Then as they become more familiar with it, I’ll prompt them to fill in more words and phrases.
When I present a singable story to a group of children, I like to turn it into a team effort. The guitar accompaniment helps hold attention, so while I play, I have a teacher or other staff member hold up the book so that everyone can follow along visually. If I’m working with a student individually, I’ll ditch the guitar and use the book alone.
The wonderful thing about singable stories as teaching tools is that you can adapt them to the level of each group or individual student. I can ask “wh” questions, have students point to certain objects, read sight words, and so much more. What singable stories have you and your students been enjoying lately?
I spend a lot of time in this chair, at this desk, in front of this screen. But after divulging a little too much information in yesterday’s post, it looks like that time is about to increase.
I wrote my first blog post for Listen & Learn Music in September 2008. In 2009, my first full year of blogging, I wrote 234 posts. In 2010, I upped the ante by 1 post, totaling 235. In 2011, my goal is to write 365 blog posts. Yep, you read that right.
So here’s the million dollar question: can I increase my year’s total number of posts by 130? I was going to make a half-hearted effort…until I received several tweets and emails from readers who happened to notice when I made my goal public knowledge. Now I have no choice but to go all in!
This is post #10 of 2011, which means I’m already ahead of the game. Here’s hoping that I can keep up this momentum for the remaining 357 days of the year. You can help: since I’ll need plenty of topics to write about, please suggest one (or more) below.
Thanks in advance for your encouragement and readership as I make the leap from blogging enthusiast to blogging maniac!
There’s no better way to start the first week back to work after a long vacation than with a student who can barely contain his excitement at the sight of you :) “Miss Rachel! Miss Rachel!” Jake exclaimed as he sprinted to the front door of my studio with his piano books in hand.
(Jake recently graduated to the next level, so after we took his picture for the studio bulletin board, we took some silly shots…including the one above, which I artsied up a bit.)
I’m a person who appreciates routine, so it felt good to slip back into the one I’m so used to — as hectic and exhausting as it might be! Of course, it took a little more adjustment for many of my students, but I think after almost a full week, we’ve all found our groove.
And this morning, as I slid through the snow all the way to work, I mentally took stock of the first 7 days of 2011, which have included:
Writing at least one blog post per day (one of my goals for the year!)
Preparing for a big presentation, to be given this Tuesday
Yep, I’d say I’m back in saddle, all right. Although I do have to admit, as wonderful and productive as this week has been, I’m certainly glad it’s Friday! How was your first week of 2011?
As secretary and program chair of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy, my duties include planning continuing education events twice per year. This winter, I’ve had the pleasure of working with faculty at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where we will hold our upcoming five-hour CMTE, Multicultural Music for Music Therapists, next month.
If you’re a music therapist in Illinois, please mark your calendars for Sunday, February 13th. OTS faculty will present the following workshops to music therapists in attendance:
Children’s Songs En Español
Blues Guitar
Middle Eastern Music
Concurrently, members of IAMT will present informative workshops to attendees from OTS. Lunch will be provided to music therapists (included in registration fee). At the end of the day, both groups will meet for socializing and maybe even some jamming :)
This promises to be a wonderful event (and I’m not just saying that because I planned it!). If you’re interested and able to attend, you can download the full program and registration info below:
Early-bird registration (which includes a discounted cost) must be postmarked by February 1st. I sincerely hope you’ll join us. Oh, and please spread the word. See you in the windy city!
State task force members unite at the 2011 AMTA National Conference.
Silly me…that was literally my first thought when asked back in 2009 to join the Illinois Association for Music Therapy’s State Task Force. Our organization was in the process of submitting a bill to implement a statewide music therapy registry, and the committee is responsible for spearheading government relations.
Despite the word “government” striking fear in my heart, I agreed to join. And I’m so glad I did, because it turns out that government relations is all about advocacy, something I do for the field of music therapy on a daily basis anyway.
What is advocacy?
Advocacy is for everyone. It happens everywhere, any day of the week, any time you are engaging in a professional capacity. You can advocate at every level (e.g. from grassroots to state agencies and governors to national legislators). Any opportunity, any conversation is a way to advocate for the profession.
IAMT held a Lobby Day at the state capitol last March, and that day included visiting legislators to talk with them about our bill and music therapy in general. It was way less intimidating than I thought it would be, because I knew the topic well. The key is to know your audience and tailor your advocacy skills for that audience. It’s just like tailoring your clinical skills for different clinical populations.
The Next Steps
The State Recognition Operational Plan is a national initiative being implemented jointly by the Certification Board for Music Therapists and the American Music Therapy Association. The Plan involves increasing awareness of what it means to be board-certified. The ultimate goal is that, in all situations, the MT-BC be a minimum requirement as a service provision in every work setting.
For those of you who aren’t music therapists: let me explain the MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified) credential. These are the letters that go after a music therapist’s name once he or she has completed a music therapy degree (including an internship) and passed the national board certification exam. There are individuals who call themselves music therapists, and are even hired as such, without having the proper training and experience. This can be detrimental to our field, as you can imagine, which is why the Plan was put into action.
Every music therapist can be a part of this initiative from a more personal perspective. By attending state meetings, reading and responding to state task force emails, and initiating communication with your individual state legislators, you can help to increase awareness of music therapy and the MT-BC credential.
And if you’re not a music therapist? You can still help. If you’re a parent of a child who has received music therapy, write to your state legislators about the positive effects of those services. The same goes if you are a colleague of a music therapist, or even just a supporter of the field. A little effort goes a long way!
Keep your eyes peeled for more ways to join the cause and advocate for music therapy throughout the blogosphere during the month of January. The Music Therapy Maven is a great place to start, along with my Facebook page and Twitter feed!
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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