When Cydney returned to lessons after winter break, she informed me that her cousin had asked her to sing several songs at her wedding reception. (If I was Cydney’s cousin, I would have done the same…she has an amazing voice!)
Her cousin had picked out ‘The Only Exception” by Paramore, “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, and “At Last” by Etta James. Cydney already had a good handle on the first two, so we concentrated on the Etta James classic.
Etta James passed away the week following Cydney’s performance at the wedding reception, so as a little tribute, we recorded her rendition of the song.
This girl’s voice gives me chills! “At Last” is not an easy song to sing, but I think she definitely did it justice…especially considering her age (she’s 17). I love that my students are willing to tackle big challenges like this — they make me proud!
This weekend as I was brainstorming ideas for today’s new song, I thought back to a lesson I helped a teacher at my former job teach to his students. The topic was clapping at appropriate times, which may seem very basic to most, but for students with developmental and behavioral issues, it wasn’t so simple.
I don’t remember exactly which songs I wrote or used in that particular case, but the lesson was my inspiration for I Like to Clap — the latest song here at Listen & Learn.
The song touches upon several different occasions on which clapping is appropriate and encouraged, and of course, includes hand claps and applause (at the very end).
Hopefully this is one that your kiddos can have lots of fun with, and learn from as well. I’m looking forward to singing it with my students this week!
I’m a sucker for Broadway musicals, so it comes as no surprise that I’m a fan of a show all about the behind-the-scenes drama of creating and producing a Broadway musical.
Katharine McPhee, who was an American Idol finalist back when I still watched that show, stars as an actress auditioning for the lead role in a new musical about Marilyn Monroe. The rest of the cast is pretty impressive and includes Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, and Anjelica Huston among others.
I watched the pilot of Smash last week, and can’t wait for the series to start on Monday. Have you watched the pilot yet, and if so, are you as excited as I am?
Are you ready for the most info-packed song about penguins you’ve ever heard in your life? Okay, so I probably didn’t have much competition when I wrote this, but I do have to admit I’m pretty proud of the amount of penguin facts I managed to include — and they rhyme, no less!
You might be wondering: why penguins? The answer: why NOT?! Actually, this was written as a custom music therapy song for Rene, a 1st grade teacher who is teaching a unit on penguins this winter. Thanks to the fact sheet Rene sent along with her custom song order, I was able to wrap up the most pertinent information into a fun tune that I hope her students will not only learn from, but also enjoy.
And since I figured who doesn’t love penguins, I decided to go ahead and share “Penguin Party” with all of you, too. It’s a little long, but it’s catchy! And educational!
Writing custom songs is one of my favorite things to do, because I get to tackle subject matter that I otherwise might not even think to write about. And now I’m off to ponder next week’s song topic…hmm…this one is going to be hard to top!
This song is an oldie, but honestly, it might be one of my favorite Listen & Learn originals. I like the melody, and I also like that it explains the concept in a relatively easy-to-understand manner.
I debated including a picture-in-picture view of the actions as I sing them, but decided it would probably be confusing since my left is the opposite of your left. When I sing this song with my students, I turn around so that our left and right are the same.
Do you have any go-to songs or methods for teaching the concept of left and right?
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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