Ok, so I won’t be lounging on some tropical beach during my spring break, but I do have some pretty exciting plans. I have four lessons to teach after school today, and then SPRING BREAK ’10 will officially begin! Let me tell you all about what’s going down these next two weeks.
Radio Interview
This weekend will be pretty low-key; I’ll have some time to relax before I kick into high-gear. The ball will start rolling on Monday morning, when I head to Capitol Radio Group to record a radio interview with Bob Murray, who hosts a weekly 25-minute program called Focus. I’ll be talking about music therapy, my blog, projects I’m working on, and my involvement in the Springfield community. The show will air next Sunday (Easter!) morning on 5 local radio stations, including my personal favorite, WDBR.
Recording My CD
Right after the interview, I’ll hit the road for St.Louis, where I’ll be spending the rest of the week recording my CD at Jupiter Studios. I’ve chosen ten songs to include on the CD, so hopefully we’ll have time to finish all of them. It’s going to be an intense 4 days: I’ll be in the studio from 12 pm to 10 pm (yes, ten straight hours!) working one-on-one with Jim Callahan, the owner and head sound engineer. Since I’m an early riser, I’ll probably spend my mornings at Panera, fueling myself with caffeine and blogging about my recording experience. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, as I’ll also be tweeting frequently throughout the week!
Jet Setting
My school’s spring break officially ends on Sunday, April 4. I’ll be back to work for a quick two days, but then Zach and I are taking off to San Antonio for five days of much-needed R&R. This trip is courtesy of AAA, for whom my husband works as an insurance agent. Every year, they send their top agents somewhere warm for a fabulous vacation…so far we’ve been to Palm Springs, Hilton Head, and San Diego. I tell Zach that he can never leave the company, because they treat their employees so well (and I get to benefit from Zach’s hard work!).
Back to Reality
Life will get back to normal on April 12, when the regular schedule resumes. However, at that point there will only be eight weeks of the school year remaining, and those always fly right by. Heck, I’m already planning my summer music therapy and lessons schedule!
There is a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, and I hope the same is true for you. Even if you’re not on Spring Break (or if there’s no such thing for you), at least the weather is getting nicer. That’s enough for me. Have a beautiful Friday, and if you haven’t already, go enter my giveaway to win the newest Model Me Kids “Going Places” DVD, which features musical narration by yours truly!
Last week, I announced my involvement in Model Me Kids‘ newest social skills modeling DVD, Model Me Going Places. My original songs narrate the 12 scenes in the video, which is described on the Model Me Kids website as follows:
The Model Me Going Places™ video features children, ages 2-8, involved in activities in the community. It is designed to familiarize children with locations that may be challenging, and to help teach appropriate behavior in these locations through peer modeling. Each scene lasts between 2-4 minutes, depending on the chapter. At the end of each chapter is a storyboard summarizing the locations shown.
This video is narrated with music developed for the Model Me Going Places™ DVD by Rachel Rambach, a Board-Certified Music Therapist. This unique merger of video modeling and Music Therapy is designed to help teach skills in a way that appeals to the strengths of children with developmental disabilities.
Graphics and music are used to make the video appealing to children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. A high production value helps keep the child’s interest so that he or she will want to watch many times.
I couldn’t be more proud of my association with Model Me Kids, having provided musical narration for both this DVD and previously, Model Me Faces & Emotions.So I’m thrilled that this wonderful company was willing to provide a copy of the newest DVD to one lucky Listen & Learn reader.
It couldn’t be simpler: to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment (including your email address) on this post between now and Sunday, March 28th at 8 pm. I will use random.org to select a completely random winner, who will be announced on Monday. Teachers, parents, and therapists…I’m talking to you! Enter now for your chance to win this effective (not to mention fun and entertaining) resource.
It’s heeeere! Spring, of course. I spent the weekend in Chicago, where the first day of spring was 34 degrees with 30 mph winds and a snow/rain mix, but hey, at least I can say that winter is technically over.
Two years ago, I wrote new lyrics to the traditional tune “This Little Light of Mine” for a song all about spring. I don’t do much piggybacking (changing the words of existing songs) these days, since writing the music myself is much more fun; but I still pull out “Spring is in the Air” every March.
This year, I decided to breathe new life into it, adding some instrumentation and changing the key of the previous version. I can’t wait to sing it with all of my students tomorrow!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone, let’s go outside, it is spring!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers grow, no more snow, it is spring!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm days, sun’s rays, spring is here!
Only one more week of the normal routine before life gets a little crazy (in the best possible way). The following week is my spring break, which I’ll spend in St. Louis recording my first studio album. Then the week after that, Zach and I are jetting off to San Antonio for a few blissful days of vacation. No wonder there’s a spring in my step!
Every Tuesday evening, Rusty and I spend 30 minutes playing, writing, recording, and expressing ourselves through music. He is very interested in technology, so recently we’ve been using Garageband, iTunes, and iMovie to bring his musical creations to life. He continues to impress me with his good nature, musical talent, and creativity!
I love the fact that so many of my students want to incorporate technology into our work together, whether it’s music therapy or voice/piano/guitar lessons. Just today, I used the Flip Ultra HD Camcorderto record a student singing a new song, and we critiqued the video afterwards in order to improve her stage presence and facial expressions. I use the “voice memos” app on my iPhone to record vocal exercises, piano accompaniment, and even entire lessons, which I can email to my students (or their parents) right then and there.
If you want to see more of Rusty, check out this YouTube video, which was filmed by and for our local newspaper, The State Journal-Register. He is very proud of his status as a YouTube star!
Last summer I had the privilege of writing and recording songs to narrate the Model Me Kids video, Model Me Faces and Emotions (read my post about it here). It was a tremendously fun project; in fact, I was a little sad when all the work was done and the songs were completed. So you can imagine my how thrilled I was to be invited to narrate yet another new video.
I spent a good part of January and February working on new songs for Model Me Going Places, a video in which children model appropriate behavior in a variety of community locations. I am so happy with the finished product, which I received in the mail earlier this week!
Included is the DVD, CD-ROM, and the lyrics for all 12 songs. There is even a free iPhone/iPod Touch app that goes along with it, for which I provided piano melodies. My one and a half-year-old nephew loves it, and he’s too young to be biased!
Here are both DVDs (front and back), which are wonderful additions to my collection of resources. Many of my students were already familiar with Model Me Kids before they even knew about my involvement; one little boy came to his piano lesson shortly after the first DVD came out and said, “Miss Rachel, I listened to you on TV. You’re famous!” Hey, if I’m famous in the eyes of my students, then I’ve reached the top :)
You can order any of the Model Me Kids DVDs (there are 9 altogether) from their website, and be sure to go download the free iPhone/iPod Touch app!
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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to record a student singing a new song, and we critiqued the video afterwards in order to improve her stage presence and facial expressions. I use the “voice memos” app on my iPhone to record vocal exercises, piano accompaniment, and even entire lessons, which I can email to my students (or their parents) right then and there.
