Last night at Jake’s lesson, we were talking about quarter rests. As I was trying to describe how to draw one for an exercise in his theory book, Jake said, “I know…it’s like a lightning bolt with a C at the bottom!”
I looked at the quarter rest, and realized he was exactly right. How come I didn’t think of that?! All of these years I’ve been teaching, yet never once had a good way to explain how to draw quarter rests. Thank goodness for my students, with their fresh perspectives and boundless creativity.
Have you been enlightened by any of your students lately?
Every January, I find it so funny that my students are so interested in hearing about what I got for Christmas. This year has been no exception, and I’ve been playing a lot of show-and-tell with my new ukulele.
Of course, just seeing it isn’t enough — my students want to hear it, too! Their newly discovered interest in the ukulele inspired me to write a song all about it. The song turned out to be almost as fun to sing as my ukulele is to play.
I’ve been letting my students try out the ukulele, and they love it because it’s just their size. They think it’s hilarious when I tell them that’s why I like it, too ;) I’ll always love my guitar, but what’s not to love about an instrument that is easy to carry, hold, and play? Not to mention that sweet, sweet, sound!
Ask any of my friends or family and they’ll tell you: Rachel is NOT a winter person! I despise the cold and am deathly afraid of driving in any kind of hazardous weather condition.
So when I saw that snow was in the forecast this past week, I ran all of my errands and did my grocery shopping for the week. The next day I was able to admire the freshly fallen snow, only because I didn’t have to step foot in it. Have I mentioned how much I love working from home?!
I know that all of my students are enjoying the (very delayed) first real snowfall of the year, and I’m happy that all of these snowy songs are getting some play. But come February, I think I’ll be ready for spring! ;)
One of the first apps I downloaded when I got my ipad was Garageband, and I’ve used it many times in sessions with music therapy clients. But I never preferred using my Macbook version of Garageband when it came to recording myself and my voice students, because the iPad version was missing one thing: a real microphone.
However, that has changed — all thanks to Bonnie Hayhurst of The Groovy Garfoose. I had no idea that there was a way to connect my beloved Blue Snowball USB microphone (the mic I’ve been using and recommending since 2008) to the iPad, until I read her “12 Apps of Christmas” series. Bonnie featured the Camera Connection Kit for iPad and mentioned that she was using it to connect her Blue Snowball mic and record with GarageBand.
Thanks to this little guy, I’ve been recording up a storm using my iPad. The Camera Connection Kit also comes with an adapter meant to read SD cards, if in fact you actually want to use it for it’s main purpose of transferring photos. It’s SO much easier to record my students with the iPad rather than the laptop, and they love it too!
The next item on my iPad-related wish list is a 1/4 inch adapter for my guitar. I’ve been researching but haven’t decided on one yet…any suggestions? Bonnie? :)
Would you believe that even though we’re entering the second week of January, I’ve only seen one honest-to-goodness snowfall? And the snow didn’t even stick on the ground! Personally, I am not a fan of winter weather at all…but my students are, which is why I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll have a chance to make this song come true very soon.
I have Listen & Learn Plus! member Nell H. to thank for this week’s song topic. It’s such a fun idea — what child doesn’t enjoy catching snowflakes on his or her tongue?
I don’t think we’re going to see much snow in the next few days, considering the forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s. We’ll just have to keep waiting, I guess — and enjoying the warmer weather in the meantime!
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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