The first time I sing this song with a group of kids, it catches them off guard — which is exactly what I was going for when I wrote it. There they are, all ready to wiggle their fingers/toes/knees/etc. and BOOM! I drop the “W” bomb on them.
No child likes to wait, but learning to be patient is an important skill even at an early age. So is listening carefully, which are two goals for the song Ready, Set, Wait. The other include body part identification, motor skills, and following directions.
Once my students get used to hearing “wait” before it’s time to wiggle, I like to change it up on them and skip right to “go”. This is an excellent way to test their listening skills (and give them a good giggle).
I included this song in our current early childhood music class session, and it’s been an earworm around our studio these last couple of weeks. As annoying as that can get, it’s also the sign of an effective song…especially where kids are concerned!
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
I’m only a couple weeks out of 2nd trimester, and I miss it already. It really is the “sweet spot” of pregnancy, especially after my rough 1st trimester and all the morning (a.k.a. all-day) sickness I battled.
Despite feeling super big compared to my first pregnancy, I really didn’t have anything to complain about for those 13 or so weeks. I was super busy with work and settling into the new house, so there were many days when I honestly forgot I was even pregnant!
And that’s probably the reason why our nursery is still empty. I have yet to choose and purchase furniture or any baby items at all. There are bags and bags of baby girl clothes sitting in my basement waiting to be sorted, courtesy of my sister-in-law. I did go through the latest Pottery Barn catalog and choose some bedding and curtains, which I tasked Zach with ordering — it’s a start, right?
With spring just a couple weeks away, it’s beginning to hit me that this baby is coming sooner than later. I have so much on my plate right now work-wise, and a house that is FAR from being “done” (as in, we still need a kitchen table and many other basics), but I need to get in gear and make some progress on the baby front. I have high hopes for 3rd trimester…
When I think back to my internship, I really do wonder how I made it through those 9 months. As amazing an experience as it was, it was also super stressful — I was learning the ropes of being a professional music therapist, driving all over the city of St. Louis to work with clients, and making the 2-hour drive home on the weekends to teach lessons and lead early childhood classes.
So I honestly can’t imagine how this week’s podcast guest felt during her internship, doing similar work while PREGNANT. What a champ!
In addition to discussing her experience being pregnant while completing her internship, Carrie Friddell talks about her decision to take time off to raise her children, and how she is slowly but surely building up her private practice now that they are a little older in Episode 7 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Carrie, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device. Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.
During a brainstorming session for an upcoming early childhood class, my partner Katey mentioned that she had written a song about monkey sounds. She suggested picking up some cute stuffed monkeys to use as props, which sparked the idea for this song.
I’ve been a longtime fan of the book Eight Silly Monkeys ever since adding it to my singable story collection during my internship. So I took the tune I use for that book and changed up the words, which resulted in a fun new instrument song for our younger kiddos.
Since our early childhood classes have more than five children in them, we usually up the number of monkeys in the song to reflect our class size. I took a quick video of Katey putting this song into action last night:
The monkeys are a huge hit, if you couldn’t tell from the video! We ordered them here, and we use our Remo Gathering Drum (though I think it’s time to invest in an even bigger one!).
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
I can tell you that Parker’s answer to this question was a resounding YES. He’s been talking about Frosty nonstop since he made his debut in our home at Christmas time, so seeing him in the flesh — er, snow? — was a pretty huge highlight in Parker’s young life.
But Frosty isn’t the only snowman in town these days, thanks to Frozen. We weren’t sure if he would name his snowman Frosty or Olaf, since the latter has been getting a lot of airtime around here lately. Frosty ended up winning out, but his love for Olaf is still strong.
In fact, this song is edging out the almighty “Frosty the Snowman” (which up until now has held the title of the most-sung song at our house).
As we touched down on the runway after a quick Florida vacation yesterday, Parker looked out the window of the plane and exclaimed, “Snow!” He loved the beach and all, but apparently it just can’t compete with the white stuff. He’s in luck, because right now there are 8 inches of it in our backyard.
This mama, however, is over it and ready for spring! We’re going to have to find some new songs to celebrate the sunshine, flowers, and birds singing…any suggestions?
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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