Friday Fave: Audible

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When I was in elementary school, I only got in trouble for one reason: reading Babysitter’s Club books during class.  Not much changed throughout the years; I always had books in my desk, locker, and bookbag, because I loved to read and couldn’t get enough.  It frustrated my parents to no end, because they would buy be a new book and I would finish it that very same day.

I still love to read, but these days, I just don’t have the time.  How sad is it that I’ve had the same two books laying on the nightstand for two months now?  But late last fall, my friend Kimberly S. Moore (a.k.a. Music Therapy Maven) introduced me to a whole new way of “reading” books.   Audible is a website that sells audiobook downloads (either a la carte or through a membership) and I am hooked!

As an AudibleListener Gold member, I receive a monthly credit which allows me to download almost any audiobook I want.  Not only is the price completely reasonable ($7.49/month for the first 3 months, and then $14.95/month thereafter) but the selection is amazing.  I have a huge wish list of audiobooks I plan to download in the coming months.

The #1 reason I love audiobooks is the convenience factor.  I listen to them on my iPhone, which I have with me all the time.  A few of my favorite times/places to listen: the gym, getting ready in the morning, in the car, while I’m cleaning or cooking, and the list goes on.  I recently finished the book Getting Things Done by David Allen (which I’d recommend to anyone), and right now I’m in the middle of Excuses Begone! by Wayne Dyer.

I’d be curious to hear if anyone else has discovered the beauty of audiobooks, or if you stay true to traditional printed books.  Any Kindle readers here?  I’d love to try that out, although I’m not sure how much I’d love having one more thing to carry around with me.

Well that does it for this week’s edition of Friday Faves!  Thinking ahead: let me know if there’s a song you’d like to see/hear featured in my Sunday Singalong video…it could be one of my own or a cover (think Jack Johnson, Justin Roberts, Laurie Berkner, Jim Gill, etc.).  It’s a happy, sunny day here, and I hope the same is true for you!  See you again soon.

Wave Goodbye to Winter

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


Warning: I might be contagious, so don’t come near me unless you want to catch…spring fever! Here are a few of my symptoms:

  • jumping for joy at the appearance of sunlight
  • impatiently counting down the days left of winter
  • the urge to hug the weatherman for predicting warmer temps
  • spontaneously breaking into songs about spring

I’ve come down with a very serious case, and it’s only getting worse with each passing day.  But I take comfort in knowing I’m not alone in my suffering; it seems that spring fever is running rampant.  Have you fallen victim?

The good news is that my spring fever inspired me to write a new song, and every time I sing it, I can’t help but feel giddy at the prospect of birds singing in the trees, warm sunshine on my face, green grass, and blooming flowers. 

Wave goodbye to winter,
Say hello to spring.
Clap your hands,
Oh, clap your hands,
Oh, clap your hands and sing!

Sing because spring is almost here.
Sing because the sky will be blue and clear.
Sing with the birds, up in the tree,
Sing and (clap your hands) with me!

Wave goodbye to snow,
Say hello to spring.
Sway side to side,
Oh, side to side,
Sway side to side and sing!

CHORUS

Wave goodbye to cold air,
Say hello to spring.
Wave your arms,
Oh, wave your arms,
Oh, wave your arms and sing!

CHORUS

Wave goodbye to gray days,
Say hello to spring.
Tap your toes,
Oh, tap your toes,
Oh, tap your toes and sing!

In 17 days, we can officially wave goodbye to winter and celebrate the official start of spring.  But for now, I’ll settle for a week of sunshine, 40-degree (and climbing) temperatures, and best of all, little to no precipitation.  It’s the small victories, you know?  After this brutal winter, I’ll take whatever I can get!

Marching Right Along

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

 


Is it just me, or did February seem to drag on and on?  Thankfully, that dreary winter month is finally behind us and March is here!  On the horizon: SPRING, a weekend in Chicago, my puppy’s first birthday, and a week-long break (during which I’ll be recording a CD in St. Louis).

I was so excited about the advent of month #3 that I even recorded a new version of my “March” song.  I wanted to pep it up just a bit, so I added some drums, bass and harmonies and this was the final result:

March is here, yes March is here,
The third month of the year.
Thirty one days march into spring,
And that is a wonderful thing.
Yes that is a wonderful thing.

St. Patrick’s Day will come around,
Find four-leaf clovers on the ground.
Leprechauns and rainbows too,
Clothes of green for me and you.

CHORUS

Get ready for the start of spring,
And all the fun that it will bring.
Soon enough we’ll have spring break,
Let’s celebrate, for goodness sake!

CHORUS (2x)

Even though today is a holiday, March is off to a busy start for me!  This whole week is going to fly by, in fact.  The clock is ticking, so it’s time for me to get a move on.  Happy first day of March (and Casimir Pulaski Day), everyone :)

{List}en & Learn

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I’m a list-maker.  I usually have at least two or three lists going at once: on my phone (I love the app “A Check List” for the iPhone), in my planner, and on a piece of notepad paper.  Not to mention the stacks of lists I’ve made containing ideas and future plans that have their own place on my desk.  Saturday is my designated day for tackling those various lists, but I thought I’d make one more before I get to work on them!

1. SleepPhones Giveaway winner Joann wrote to say, “The SleepPhones arrived in Friday’s mail. I used them last night. They are amazingly comfortable and the sound quality is pretty good. Thank you so much.”

2. My Facebook page is hoppin’ lately!  Hard to believe there are almost 700 fans…are you one of them?

3. This YouTube video has gone viral, and it’s easy to see why.  Who can resist an adorable elderly couple showing off their mad skills on the piano?

4. The Laurie Berkner Band’s blog is a new addition to my blogroll, and definitely worth a visit.  I love getting a peek behind-the-scenes of one of my biggest inspirations!

5. Read the Feed!  The easiest way to keep up with Listen & Learn is to subscribe to my RSS feed.  I subscribe to all my favorite blogs, and then read them all in one place via Google Reader.

I think that’s it for now.  My husband and I are finally tearing ourselves away from our Saturday Lost marathon (thanks, Netflix streaming!) so that we can attend to our respective to-do lists.  See you tomorrow for this week’s Sunday Singalong video!

Friday Fave: The Magic of iMovie

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I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but it’s true: this Friday Fave is devoted to yet another piece of Apple technology.  Again, let me remind you that I am in no way compensated for my frequent Apple/Mac related posts; I just really, really love their products :)

iMovie is a part of the iLife package that comes with every Mac, and I recently upgraded to iLife ’09.  Up until then, I had used only the most basic features of iMovie to create the occasional YouTube video, but I have since discovered many more of the cool things this program can do.  Experimenting with music tracks, still photos, transitions and titles has been way too much fun….it can almost get a little addictive!

I spent some time this week creating a video about my songbook, incorporating many of those aforementioned iMovie features.  It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m still learning. Take a look:


What do you think? I had a blast making this video, from taking the photos, to recording the music, to even the tedious editing process. Now I just have to come up with excuses to create more like it…any ideas?