A Week From Today…

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2010 AMTA National Music Therapy Conference Cleveland…my plane will be touching down in Cleveland for the 2010 AMTA Conference!  This national music therapy conference is something I look forward to all year long, not only because it is an amazing learning opportunity, but also because I get to reunite with so many of my music therapy friends (and meet many for the first time in person).

This will be my second time attending national conference, and I’m even more excited about it this time around.  Compared to last year’s conference in San Diego, now I know more people, have a better idea of what to expect, and have even more to do.  Here are some of the reasons why I can’t wait to get to Cleveland:

  • The Music Therapy Round Table. Kimberly, Michelle and I formed the Round Table and launched our podcast last January after coming up with the idea during AMTA’s 2009 conference.  We will be meeting up for the first time in person since then to brainstorm new ideas, record the next episode of the podcast, and…
  • CMTE Q: Music Therapy in a Web 2.0 World. The three of us will be teaching this CMTE on Thursday, November 18 at 1:30 pm.  I hope to see many of you there!  If you’d like to attend but can’t for one reason or another, we are planning to offer the CMTE as an online course in the near future.
  • The Erfurt Music Resource. Michelle Erfurt will be hosting a table in the exhibit hall with many of the merchants from the Erfurt Music Resource…including me!  I will have Time to Sing Hello CDs and copies of my songbook on hand, and it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll find me there frequently throughout conference.

For those of you who are on Twitter, be sure to follow the hashtag #AMTA10 for the latest happenings and news during the week of conference.  I know I will have my iPhone handy at all times, updating both Twitter and my Facebook page.

I’m going to have a hard time concentrating on much else this week now that I’ve caught conference fever.  There is so much to do before I board my plane on Wednesday morning, but I’ll try my best to squeeze in a few more posts between now and then!

Custom Song: Help Me, Rhombus!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

beach-boys-help-me-rhonda

I’ve written songs on many unique and interesting topics, but when I received a request for a custom song about a certain parallelogram, I knew I was in for a bit of a challenge.  At the suggestion of my clever customer, I turned to the Beach Boys for help.

rhombus

I also turned to the knowledge I gained in my 9th grade geometry class (thanks, Mr. Nuding!) — I now admit that I was wrong when I said I’d never need to know that stuff as an adult :)  Shapes can be fun…whether you’re just learning the basics or venturing into more exotic territory as we are today.

I wanna sing about a shape
That I can’t get outta my head.
It has four sides, yes four, that’s what I said.
Rhombus, you’re one of a kind,
So tell me would you mind,
Oh could you, help me Rhombus,
Help me learn what you are.

Help me Rhombus, help help me, Rhombus. (5x)
Help me Rhombus, yea, I wanna learn what you are.

Well a rhombus and a diamond,
They look the very same.
One single shape that goes by two different names.
We use the word Rhombus at school,
Diamond is a nickname that’s cool,
Oh could you, help me Rhombus,
Help me learn what you are.

CHORUS

A rhombus has 4 pointy angles that connect its sides.
Just like a kite, in the air up high it flies.
Rhombus, I can illustrate,
Your shape, and I’d appreciate,
If you could, help me Rhombus,
Help me learn who you are.

CHORUS

This song was written for pre-kindergarteners, but I think the recognizable melody and peppy beat will appeal to older students as well. The key to teaching just about any concept is to make it enjoyable, as I have learned and been reminded time after time.

Thanksgiving Goodies: Song + Visual Aide

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There’s a certain song I look forward to singing as soon as the leaves start turning colors, but I always hold out until November. The first line goes like this:

“On the first day of Thanksgiving, this is what I ate: some turkey on my plate.”

There are 9 more verses where that came from, all of which many of my students know by heart.  Not surprising, considering this is the 3rd year in a row I’ve sung this song with them during the month of November.  Even my fellow coworkers were asking about the 10 Days of Thanksgiving song way back in September.

10-days-thanksgiving-song-visual-aideMy original recording is flying off the virtual shelves of Songs For Teaching, but I decided to give both the song and the visual aide (a 10-page PDF with pictures and lyrics for each day) that goes with it a facelift.  I was so happy with the results that I wanted to make both available to you, as well as the instrumental version of the song.  All three of these downloads, plus the full lyrics and chords, are available in a single album: 10 Days of Thanksgiving.

I use the visual aide two ways: 1) as a flip-book while I sing the song with one student or a small group, and 2) as individual pages that I pass out to a larger group for students to take turns holding up as their verse is sung.  The song is great fun either way!  Download it today for $6.00 and start using it with your own students in these next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

Click here to listen, learn more, and get your copy!

What Are You Thankful For?

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

thankful-thanksgiving-song-children

Happy November! I woke up this morning with a huge smile on my face, knowing that I could tuck the Halloween songs away for another year and start the new month out right with a new Thanksgiving tune.  Not only am I sharing it with you here today, but I’ll be introducing this song to my students later this morning.

The idea is to kick off this holiday season with an attitude of thankfulness; I want to get my students thinking about the things and people for which they are thankful.  Some of them will be able to respond verbally and some will not, and that is perfectly fine.  I have plenty to be thankful for, as you will hear:

What are you thankful for?
What are the things that make you smile?
The things in your life you appreciate,
People who go the extra mile.
What are you grateful for?
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I will start: speaking from my heart,
I am thankful for you.

What are you thankful for?
What are the things that make you smile?
The things in your life you appreciate,
People who go the extra mile.
What are you grateful for?
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I will start: speaking from my heart,
I am thankful for you.

Your family and friends at school,
And the teachers who help you learn
Are all people to be thankful for.
Now it’s your turn:

CHORUS

Your bed at night, and where you live,
And the clothes and shoes you wear
Are all things to be thankful for.
Now it’s time for you to share:

CHORUS

The food you eat at every meal,
And the table where you sit
Are all things to be thankful for.
Can you think of more:

CHORUS

A few more things I’m thankful for this month: my brother’s wedding next Saturday, the opportunity to participate in this year’s Children’s Miracle Network radiothon, and my upcoming trip to Cleveland, where I’ll be presenting at the AMTA national conference.  Happy November, indeed!

Sunday Singalong: 20 Slides, 20 Seconds

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For those of you who were hoping for one last Halloween video today…sorry to disappoint! The truth is that after an entire month of Halloween songs, I’m ready for a change.  Today’s video is quite a departure from my usual “Sunday Singalong” fare; I gave this presentation earlier in the week at Springfield’s Pecha Kucha Night.

Enjoy your Halloween!  I’m spending it with my best friend in Chicago, where we’ve been shopping, eating and having a blast all weekend.  Come back tomorrow for a brand-new song to kick off a month of giving thanks and the start of the holiday season.