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!
I have been dying to spend some time playing my new ukulele ever since I got it for Christmas, but this first week back to the studio has been a little more than busy! Luckily, I found a few minutes to learn and record this song — a favorite that I featured as a Friday Fave a few months back.
I’ve been brainstorming other songs that would be fun to cover on the ukulele…any suggestions to add to the list?
My purpose for starting Listen & Learn (all the way back in 2008!) was to share my educational songs for children. Since then, I’ve posted over 150 of them — but only about 20 or so in 2011. Turns out I was so busy blogging every day that I didn’t have the time to write and record as much as I would have liked.
2012 is the year I return to my original mission: to provide musical resources on a regular basis. Every Monday, you’ll find a brand new song, which will be available for purchase along with the instrumental track and lyrics/chords.
It should come as no surprise that I’m kicking off the year with a song about the year itself, just as I did in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. I’m excited about all the possibilities that 2012 holds, which I think is reflected in this fun, upbeat tune:
I’m looking forward to writing, recording, and sharing at least 51 more songs with you in 2012! If you have any topic requests, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. Here’s to a musical new year!
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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