Happy Face, Happy Voice

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Whining. We all do it from time to time, whether you’re a child, mature adult, or my dog at 4 in the morning.  For kids, whining comes naturally in unfavorable situations, or even just when they’re tired and cranky.  How many times have the words “stop whining!” come out of your mouth?  Probably quite a few if you’re a parent, teacher, or anyone else who spends time with children on a regular basis.

But that phrase may fall upon deaf ears after awhile, so how about a new way to help nip this bad habit in the bud?  That was the strategy for one of my consult clients, who requested a custom-written song about using a “happy face and happy voice” instead of whining.

When you are unhappy and feeling blue,
There are just a few things that you need to do.
Just listen up, and you’ll be fine,
As long as you don’t whine.

First you need to find your happy face,
Then you need to find your happy voice.
When you talk without a whine,
And smile, you shine.
You’re making the right choice!

Simple and to the point. It’s amazing how such basic songs can be so effective, as long as the message is clear. What other bad habits might be addressed through a song like this?

SONGBOOK SALE!

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It’s regional music therapy conference time, and we (myself and songbook publisher Michelle Erfurt) are celebrating by offering a limited-time-only sale on my songbook, Listen & Learn: Songs for School, Home and Play.

From March 15 – April 16, when you purchase a songbook for $25, we will also include the supplemental CD (usually sold separately for $10) and free shipping. Also, a portion of all Listen & Learn songbook sales will be donated to the music therapy clubs of Colorado State University and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (you choose which university you’d like to support when you make your purchase).

Listen and Learn: Educational songs for School, Home, and Play contains 24 of my most popular songs. It includes the melody line and chords for songs that address goal areas such as counting, daily care, directions, transitions, friendships, and more, along with activity suggestions for each one. It was developed for other music therapists, educators, parents, or anyone who works with children. I made a video in which I talk more about the book and sing a song from it; you can watch here.

Even the Penguins are Maraca Rockin’

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Seriously, how cute is this?  Illustrator and graphic designer Naomi Robinson sent me an email last week, asking for my permission to use part of the lyrics from my song “Maraca Rock” in this adorable picture, and of course, I said yes.  We’re already talking about more ways in which we can collaborate! To see more of Naomi’s artistic creations, visit her flickr stream.

Friday Fave: Sibelius

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Those of you who are non-musicians might not find this particular “Friday Fave” very interesting, but I’ve been spending so much time using this program (and loving *almost* every minute of it) lately that I just had to share.  Sibelius – named after Finnish composer Jean Sibelius – is a scorewriter program that can do just about anything you could think of when it comes to producing or editing sheet music.

I actually have my mom to thank for my version of Sibelius.  My contribution was my student discount, which she was able to apply when she purchased the program a few years back, during my undergrad days.  I’ll say that the price is definitely a bit steep, but it has been worth every penny.  I used Sibelius to create all of the sheet music for my songbook, after all!

The learning curve for this program is also steep, especially if you are used to more basic software like Finale Notepad (which is what I used prior to Sibelius).  But the key is sitting down and experimenting; the more you  use it and explore its features, the easier it gets.  Here are some of the cool things you can do with Sibelius:

  • Scan in printed sheet music and edit it
  • Input music using a microphone, keyboard, or other MIDI instrument
  • Record playback and turn it into an audio file
  • Create worksheets (comes in very handy for studio teachers like me!)

And the list goes on and on.  I haven’t even touched half of the plug-ins that come with Sibelius, but I’m hoping to get around to that someday.  In the meantime, I’ll stick with my current project: creating sheet music for each and every Listen & Learn song written thus far.  I compose my songs in lead sheet form, but now that I have more and more orders coming in for sheet music (you can place yours here), I decided to convert my entire library.  I’ve been using Sibelius so often that I’m even having dreams about it, but hey, I could think of worse things :)

Sunday Singalong: That Yellow Bus

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“That Yellow Bus” was a February staple in my music therapy classes, and quickly became a student and staff favorite.  (I think the main reason is because it shares a title with a certain Justin Roberts song I did last year – that one still gets requested all the time!) Like I mention in the video, it was written specifically for a little guy with bus transitioning issues, but since many of my students do ride the bus, they were able to benefit from it, too.

That is the beauty of what I do: there is so much crossover from one part of my job to another, and so many different situations in which to apply the same therapeutic interventions, activities and songs. For example, many of the tunes I’ve written and shared on this very blog are also included in this semester’s Church Mice class, which is actually where I’d headed in just a little bit. 

Which leads me to wonder…is it already Sunday afternoon?  This weekend has certainly flown right by, as they usually do.  After Church Mice, my husband and I are heading to my parents’ for a cookout with my brother (who is in town for spring break) and his fiancee, and then I’m looking forward to vegging out on the couch and watching the Academy Awards.  What are you up to tonight?