by Rachel | Uncategorized
No, this isn’t a lesson in zoology. “Elephants And Deer Grow Big Ears” is actually the sentence I teach my guitar students to help them memorize the order of strings (lowest to highest) on the guitar.
When I first started learning to play, I just memorized E-A-D-G-B-E. But in the middle of a 7-year-old student’s first lesson, I realized I was going to need to find a way to make it stick. So I came up with my sentence on the spot, wrote it down for my student, and have been using it ever since.
I was curious as to whether anyone else uses that same sentence, so I googled it. I didn’t come across my sentence, but I did find these:
- Every Ant Does Good Bad Everyday
- Elvis Always Dug Good Banana Eating
- Every Apple Does Good Being Eaten
- Every Athlete Does Good Before Events
- Every American Dog Growls Barks Eats
- Eat All Delicious Green Beans Everyday
How do you remember and/or teach the order of strings on the guitar? Some people go the opposite way, starting with the highest string. In either case, I’d be curious to hear other mnemonic devices for guitar. Please share yours in the comments!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
The first time my student Carrie and I listened to the Jonas Brothers song “Introducing Me” during her lesson, I told her that it reminded me of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Every time we worked on the song, I remarked that we should do a mashup of the two tunes.
It only took two months, but I finally got around to working out the arrangement so that we could tackle it at today’s lesson. Carrie and I had a lot of fun recording our mashup, starting with both of our guitars and then adding the vocals. Here is the finished version:
Carrie and I both love the show Glee (at least a couple minutes of each lesson are devoted to rehashing the latest episode), which is what inspired this first mashup. I have a feeling there are more in our future!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
As you might have previously read, I got an iPad 2 for my birthday. The primary reason I wanted one was for use in my studio, and I didn’t waste any time putting it into action yesterday.
Up until this past spring, I’ve sent my students home with written assignment sheets and lesson or music therapy session notes in their binders. However, with so many students to see every day, I hated the thought of going through so much paper — not to mention all the time spent handwriting notes.
So I whipped up a notes template on Pages (a word processing app I have on both my Macbook Pro and iPad 2) and then created a document for each day of the week. Each document has a page dedicated to every student I see on that day, with the notes templates all ready to be completed during lessons and music therapy sessions.
At the end of the day after my last student has left, I copy and paste each student’s lesson/session note into an email to either the student (if he/she is an adult) or the parents. That way, we both have an electronic record of everything that happened in the lesson/session, as well as any assignments.
I also include a reminder at the bottom of my notes template to students and parents that they can log practice time, comments, and questions about that week’s lesson/session in their account on my website.
I knew the iPad 2 would be great for educational music apps and playing and recording music, but this use of it is worth the price alone. Do you use your iPad or another electronic device to write and share lesson or session notes, or do you stick to paper and pen?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Four months ago, I sat down to dinner with my husband at our favorite Thai restaurant and proposed that we renovate two rooms of our house, turning them into my new studio. He looked at me like I was nuts, but I kept talking, and eventually he warmed up to the idea.
Now that it’s complete, Zach couldn’t be happier. He can see how thrilled I am with the finished product, and he gets to reclaim the main part of our house. A win-win situation.
It’s actually a win-win-win situation, because I am positive that my students and their families will love it, too. The entrance is right off of the driveway, there is a dedicated waiting room with plenty of comfy seating, and the studio is bright and inviting.
But instead of just telling you, I want to show you what I mean. I took pictures of every last nook and cranny, and posted all 99 of them on my Facebook page. Go take a look! And be sure to let me know what you think.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
The MTRT, better known as the Music Therapy Round Table, is a podcast hosted by myself, Michelle Erfurt, and Kimberly Sena Moore. We’ve been working together from our respective states (Illinois, Florida, and Missouri) for the last year and a half, and finally decided that we needed to get together in person — other than at AMTA National Conference.
Since Michelle lives in Florida, naturally that was our first choice destination. So Kimberly and I flew in this morning, and the three of us have been making plans and catching up all afternoon. We’re very excited to fill you all in on our big plans for the podcast and the Music Therapy Round Table in general!
