{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 45

GGB Episode 45: Amanda Ellis

I’ve written a lot of songs, but this week’s podcast guest may have written just as many — if not more! Amanda Ellis works in an educational setting and is constantly coming up with new songs to teach all kinds of topics, which is how we first connected many years ago.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know Amanda through social media and watching her son Robert grow up on Facebook, so it was really nice getting the chance to chat about both professional and personal aspects on her life for the podcast.

Amanda talks about her approach to providing music therapy to 30+ classrooms each week, her son’s impressive musicality as the child of two musicians, and the importance of communication between working parents in Episode 45 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Amanda, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Serenade Designs, which is owned by board-certified music therapist Julie Palmieri. Julie helps her fellow music therapists create, enhance, and rock their online presence.

Through Julie’s website design services, social media and online marketing services, and virtual assistance, she’s here to help you rock your online presence — while making it all feel effortless. She assists music therapists in having a strong representation on the web so that they can focus on working in the field they love — music therapy.

Julie understands what it’s like being a busy business owner as well as a Momma. :) You can learn more about how Julie can help you with your online presence at serenade-designs.com.

Counting My Blessings on Thanksgiving

Family at Thanksgiving

It’s been a wild ride of a year, and I haven’t had much time to take a step back and really think about all the reasons I have to be thankful. But if ever there was a time to do so, it’s today. My husband took the kids to his parents’ house for breakfast, so I have just enough time to drink a cup of coffee and write a quick note to you on this Thanksgiving morning.

I’ll start by saying thank YOU for reading my blog — whether you’ve been here since the beginning in 2008 or just found your way here recently. I can’t express how grateful I am for every comment, email, song purchase, membership, and friendship formed over all these years.

I’d also like to thank you for your support as my business has evolved and grown, but especially in these last few months as we opened our first facility. One of my biggest blessings in life is my business partner, Katey; together we have taken Music Therapy Connections to a level that I only dreamed was possible — and we aren’t stopping there.

I’m also thankful to every single family who walks through our doors, because they are the reason we do what we do. They bring us so much joy and fullfillment every day, and help Katey, myself, and the rest of our team support our own families.

And that leads me to my ultimate blessing in life: my family. My husband Zach, our son Parker, and our daughter Mia are my world, and I’m so lucky to be living this adventure with them. But of course, our adventures wouldn’t be nearly as smooth and enjoyable without the rest of our family, most of whom live in our neighborhood :) We are eternally grateful to our parents for all that they do for us, from taking Parker to school every morning to buying endless clothes and toys to cooking for us throughout the week.

I’m looking forward to spending this holiday with all of them, and I hope you have the opportunity to spend the day with your loved ones, too. Thank you for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Speaking of counting blessings, click here to download my song “Count Your Blessings” for free. I use it all holiday season long to help my students realize the blessing in their own lives.

Free Download + Thanksgiving Super Sale!

Thanksgiving Super Sale

You guys, I am so excited about Thanksgiving. I look forward to this holiday every year, but this one is special — it’s my daughter Mia’s first Thanksgiving, and my son Parker is old enough to (mostly) understand why we’re celebrating.

I always offer some type of deal or discount here at Listen & Learn Music to kick off the holiday season, and this year I’m going all out with two big ones.

  1. Free “Early Childhood Programs: Create, Market, Make Music!” Online Course ($75 value) when you join Listen & Learn Plus, my membership site where I provide hundreds of music therapy songs, resources, downloads, biz advice and more.
  2. 50% off the entire Listen & Learn Music Store when you use the code THANKS50 at checkout.

Oh, and I have a free download (mp3, instrumental track, & lyrics/chords) to share with you as a little Thanksgiving gift. I wrote “Count Your Blessings” specifically for the Thanksgiving season, but it is perfect for use throughout all the holidays!

Claim the specials and your free download here.

These two specials are available now through November 30. Thank you so very much for reading, sharing your feedback, and supporting Listen & Learn Music throughout the years. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Bear Says Thanks

Bear Says Thanks Children's Book

One of my favorite books to read to Parker is Bear Snores On, because I love the way the words flow and the phrase “…and the bear snores on” repeats. So when I was browsing online and found that there were other books in this series, I got really excited.

I was in search of a Thanksgiving-related book to use in our early childhood music classes, and Bear Says Thanks was the perfect choice. It’s a little bit longer than our usual singable stories, but the repetition makes it easy for everyone to join in. The illustrations are lovely and the hard copy version is nice and big.

The tune I came up with is a mash-up of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” and “Turkey in the Straw” — kind of random, I know, but that’s what came out when I first tried setting the words to music :) I like using familiar melodies for singable stories, because they are easier to remember.

There are a few other books I love to pull out at Thanksgiving time (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie and Ten Fat Turkeys are favorites) but this one is currently at the top of my list.

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 44

GGB Episode 44: Emily Wangen

Like last week’s episode, this one was also recorded live and in person at the AMTA national conference in Kansas City. It features one of my favorite people, Emily Wangen, who has so much to share related to both her personal life and her career in music therapy.

I think you’ll be just as inspired by Emily as I am — she is someone I look up to as a fellow mom, business owner, and person in general! She has faced and overcome some significant challenges, which she discusses candidly in the episode.

Emily talks about her experience with pregnancy loss, how long commutes and inclement weather affected the development of her private practice, and her ideal vision for the future in Episode 44 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Emily, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Serenade Designs, which is owned by board-certified music therapist Julie Palmieri. Julie helps her fellow music therapists create, enhance, and rock their online presence.

Through Julie’s website design services, social media and online marketing services, and virtual assistance, she’s here to help you rock your online presence — while making it all feel effortless. She assists music therapists in having a strong representation on the web so that they can focus on working in the field they love — music therapy.

Julie understands what it’s like being a busy business owner as well as a Momma. :) You can learn more about how Julie can help you with your online presence at serenade-designs.com.

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