As I type this blog post, iTunes is currently uploading my music library into the cloud. Actually, it’s uploading the songs that aren’t available in the iTunes store — about half of my 8,741 song collection.
With that much music in my library, it’s always been a struggle to decide which songs to sync with my devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad) and which ones to leave off. Inevitably, the song or album I’m looking for on a given day hasn’t been synced, so I can’t listen to it unless I’m at my computer.
That’s why I was so excited for the launch of iTunes Match, which makes my entire song collection available across all of my devices. For $24.99 a year, it’s a pretty sweet deal.
So now I’m utilizing two paid music services: iTunes Match and Spotify (for which I’m paying $10 a month). Spotify allows me hear songs I don’t already own, which comes in handy during lessons and music therapy sessions or just listening for pleasure. I can access them on my computer as well as on my iOS devices, whether I’m online or not. iTunes Match lets me do the same, only with the songs I already own. And since they’re stored in the cloud, I now have more space available on my devices.
I’ve also been reading about Google Music lately, which is similar to iTunes match except for the fact that it’s free. Have you tried any of these services?
November is one of my very favorite months as far as music therapy goes, because I have all sorts of fun Thanksgiving-related songs to use with my students. And as excited as I am about the holiday, I’m a little bummed that it is here so soon — because that means I’ll have to stop singing about it.
This month has honestly been a whirlwind, between my trip to Minnesota, preparing for conference, and spending the last 5 days in Atlanta (more on that soon). I feel like I barely had an opportunity to do the Turkey Dinner Dance or break out my favorite Thanksgiving tune of all: The Ten Days of Thanksgiving.
I only have two days with students this week before the holiday break, so I’ll be getting as much use out of it as possible in between today and tomorrow. By Thursday I’ll be more than ready for turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the yummy foods I’ve been singing about! Yum. What songs and activities are you using in the last few days before Thanksgiving?
There are lots of reasons I love attending the national music therapy conference, but today I’m adding a new one to the list: the opportunity to record my first-ever guest edition of Sunday Singalong!
Actually, it’s kind of funny that I had to come all the way to Atlanta to see Meryl Brown, who lives an hour north of me in Bloomington, Illinois. Meryl and I were in the graduate program at Illinois State University at the same time, and have since kept in touch via our state association and social media. She runs a successful private practice, Developing Melodies, and always has excellent professional advice to share with me.
When she told me about her scarecrow song on the first night of conference, I immediately asked her if she would mind sharing it in a video. She agreed, and Andrew Littlefield volunteered his guitar for her use. I must say, us music therapists are excellent team players!
Be sure to check out Meryl’s website and follow her on Twitter. I happen to know that she has many more fun songs like this one up her sleeve, and you never know…she just might be making another guest appearance here in the future.
As I type this, I’m sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane to Atlanta. #AMTA11, baby! (That’s the American Music Therapy Association’s national conference, for those of you non-music therapists).
I already wrote about the things I’ll be doing while in Atlanta, so I thought today I’d fill you in on how I pass the time while up in the air. Isn’t that an exciting blog topic!? ;)
Candy is a must. I’m usually a pretty healthy eater, so I get my candy fix while traveling. Today I have a package of sour jelly bellies in my purse. Yum!
Good tunes. I just bought She & Him’s “Volume 1” and “Volume 2” albums and have them loaded on my iPhone to listen to during my flight.
Reading materials. I don’t have much time to read for fun, so I always stock up on magazines and bring whatever book I’m reading on the plane.
Something to work on. For this particular flight, my project will be putting together my conference schedule (better late than never, right?).
And that’s really it. I always try to sleep on planes but rarely ever succeed. I’m hoping to catch a quick nap this time, especially, because a busy week lies ahead. Oops, gotta pack up…it’s almost time to board!
No, not at all? Okay, great…glad we got that settled! At least, that’s my opinion. I consider November 1st to be the day on which I can officially start listening to holiday music without getting funny looks from my husband. Now that we’ve just about reached the middle of the month, my Christmas playlists are in heavy rotation.
Last year I wrote about my 8 favorite Christmas albums, and this year I’ve added a few more to the mix. My current favorite is one that just came out last month: A Very She & Him Christmas (I pre-ordered it on iTunes for $9.99, but you can get it on Amazon for $5 by following that link). You’ve probably heard of the actress Zooey Deschanel, who makes up one half of this duo. The other half is M. Ward, and together they have this great 60’s throwback sound that I really dig.
The sweet sounds of holiday music are already filling my studio, too. Just last Friday, one of my students recorded “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for a Christmas album we’re putting together as a gift to his parents. And I just picked up some new holiday piano books, which for some reason always motivate my students to practice much more frequently than their regular repertoire.
But I’m not skipping over Thanksgiving by any means — I’ll stick with turkey day tunes in music therapy sessions until December. The Ten Days of Thanksgiving is the perfect precursor to all the Christmas songs that I’ll be breaking out in a few short weeks.
What is your take on the official start of the holiday (listening) season? My husband just popped in and added his two cents: “No Christmas music until Thanksgiving!” Do you agree with him?
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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