Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

January Calendar Song

Lately I’ve had quite a few readers ask about my work at The Hope Institute, a residential school for children with multiple disabilities where I’ve headed up the music therapy program for the last (almost) 4 years.

I’ll be writing about the program in more detail throughout the year, but today I thought I’d share a simple yet important song that remains a staple in many of the classrooms with which I work.

Calendar time is an essential part of the school day around here (as it is in many schools), and I incorporate calendar songs of all varieties into my music therapy sessions.  Here’s one I’ve mentioned before — spruced up a bit for the new year:

Today is ______,
Today is ______.
Today is ______, January _____.
Yesterday was ______,
Tomorrow’s ________.
But today is ______, January _____, 2011.

So when I sing this with my students this morning, the lyrics will be:

“Today is Monday, today is Monday.  Today is Monday, January 10th.  Yesterday was Sunday; tomorrow’s Tuesday.  But today is Monday, January 10th, 2011.”

Each month, I record a new version with the correct month already included.  That way, when the teachers sing this song with their students on a daily basis, they fill in the day and date themselves.

I’ve been using this song (which I came up with it on my own, though I’m positive others have done something very similar if not identical) for years now, but am always up for new ideas.  If you’ve got another daily calendar song to share, please do!

Sunday Singalong: There Was an Old Lady

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This week’s video is my first-ever to include the lyrics as subtitles!  When a reader requested I add them so that her son could follow along, I thought to myself, “Duh!”  Why didn’t that occur to me before?  It is called Sunday Singalong, after all.

I introduced this singable story to my students at The Hope Institute this week, and we are having a blast with it.  My goal for those with verbal skills to sing the phrase “perhaps she’ll cry” as a starting point, since it is repeated so often throughout the book.  Then as they become more familiar with it, I’ll prompt them to fill in more words and phrases.

When I present a singable story to a group of children, I like to turn it into a team effort.  The guitar accompaniment helps hold attention, so while I play, I have a teacher or other staff member hold up the book so that everyone can follow along visually.  If I’m working with a student individually, I’ll ditch the guitar and use the book alone.

The wonderful thing about singable stories as teaching tools is that you can adapt them to the level of each group or individual student.  I can ask “wh” questions, have students point to certain objects, read sight words, and so much more.  What singable stories have you and your students been enjoying lately?

A Lofty Goal for 2011

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Rachel's Desk

I spend a lot of time in this chair, at this desk, in front of this screen.  But after divulging a little too much information in yesterday’s post, it looks like that time is about to increase.

I wrote my first blog post for Listen & Learn Music in September 2008.  In 2009, my first full year of blogging, I wrote 234 posts.  In 2010, I upped the ante by 1 post, totaling 235.  In 2011, my goal is to write 365 blog posts.  Yep, you read that right.

So here’s the million dollar question: can I increase my year’s total number of posts by 130?  I was going to make a half-hearted effort…until I received several tweets and emails from readers who happened to notice when I made my goal public knowledge.  Now I have no choice but to go all in!

This is post #10 of 2011, which means I’m already ahead of the game.  Here’s hoping that I can keep up this momentum for the remaining 357 days of the year.  You can help: since I’ll need plenty of topics to write about, please suggest one (or more) below.

Thanks in advance for your encouragement and readership as I make the leap from blogging enthusiast to blogging maniac!

Friday Fave: Back in the Saddle

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Jake & Rachel Being Silly During Piano

There’s no better way to start the first week back to work after a long vacation than with a student who can barely contain his excitement at the sight of you :)  “Miss Rachel!  Miss Rachel!”  Jake exclaimed as he sprinted to the front door of my studio with his piano books in hand.

(Jake recently graduated to the next level, so after we took his picture for the studio bulletin board, we took some silly shots…including the one above, which I artsied up a bit.)

I’m a person who appreciates routine, so it felt good to slip back into the one I’m so used to — as hectic and exhausting as it might be!    Of course, it took a little more adjustment for many of my students, but I think after almost a full week, we’ve all found our groove.

And this morning, as I slid through the snow all the way to work, I mentally took stock of the first 7 days of 2011, which have included:

  • Writing at least one blog post per day (one of my goals for the year!)
  • Welcoming several new members to Listen & Learn Plus
  • Introducing countless new songs and interventions to my music therapy students
  • Penning my first custom song of 2011
  • Adding several new students to my studio waiting list
  • Recording episode 12 of the Music Therapy Round Table (it will be out soon!)
  • Preparing for a big presentation, to be given this Tuesday

Yep, I’d say I’m back in saddle, all right.  Although I do have to admit, as wonderful and productive as this week has been, I’m certainly glad it’s Friday!  How was your first week of 2011?

Calling All Illinois Music Therapists!

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Old Town School Folk MusicAs secretary and program chair of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy, my duties include planning continuing education events twice per year.  This winter, I’ve had the pleasure of working with faculty at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where we will hold our upcoming five-hour CMTE, Multicultural Music for Music Therapists, next month.

If you’re a music therapist in Illinois, please mark your calendars for Sunday, February 13th.  OTS faculty will present the following workshops to music therapists in attendance:

  • Children’s Songs En Español
  • Blues Guitar
  • Middle Eastern Music

Concurrently, members of IAMT will present informative workshops to attendees from OTS.  Lunch will be provided to music therapists (included in registration fee).  At the end of the day, both groups will meet for socializing and maybe even some jamming :)

This promises to be a wonderful event (and I’m not just saying that because I planned it!).  If you’re interested and able to attend, you can download the full program and registration info below:

CMTE: Multicultural Music for Music Therapists

Early-bird registration (which includes a discounted cost) must be postmarked by February 1st.  I sincerely hope you’ll join us.  Oh, and please spread the word.  See you in the windy city!