Shaky Fruit

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

These fruit shakers are the latest addition to my studio’s instrument collection, and I think I’m in love! They’re extremely realistic in appearance, so my students have been surprised to find that they are actually instruments. Once they start shaking, it’s hard to get them to stop.

I wrote a little tune dedicated especially to fruit shakers, cleverly and creatively titled “Shaky Fruit” (well, maybe predictably and unoriginally is more like it). Either way, it’s a fun song. Listen for yourself:

Doot-doot-do-doot, shaky fruit,
Apple orange, lemon and banana.
Doot-doot-do-doot, shaky fruit,
From Mississippi to Indiana.

Shaky apple, shaky apple,
Red and crunchy too.
Shaky apple, shaky apple,
Doot-doot-do-doot-doo.

CHORUS

Shaky orange, shaky orange,
Round and juicy too.
Shaky orange, shaky orange,
Doot-doot-do-doot-doo.

CHORUS

Shaky lemon, shaky lemon,
Yellow and sour too.
Shaky lemon, shaky lemon,
Doot-doot-do-doot-doo.

CHORUS

Shaky banana, shaky banana,
Yellow and tasty too.
Shaky banana, shaky banana,
Doot-doot-do-doot-doo.

CHORUS

I apologize in advance if you find yourself humming it over and over all day, as I’ve been doing for the last week or so! I’m already brainstorming for a song about veggies, which I’ll write after I purchase the vegetable shakers…

Today it is September

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Can you believe it? I barely had time to get used to August, and it’s already over! It has felt like September for the last few days (seriously, 40-degree temps at night), but hopefully we’ll have at least a few more summery days before fall really sets in.

This is going to be one busy month…my calendar is almost full and it’s only day #1. I have several performances lined up, the start of Church Mice, a big event at the Hope Institute, and lots more to look forward to. Bring it on, September!

If you’re a regular reader, then you know that I begin each month with a song all about that particular month. Since Listen & Learn made its debut almost a year ago, I have already shared my “September” song. You can refresh your memory by listening to it here. So today, in the spirit of all things fall, we’re counting apples!

Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little apples in a row,
Now let’s count them nice and slow:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

How many apples?
10 little apples,
All lined up in a row!

How are you welcoming the new month? Do you have your own September song? I’m off to go refresh my own memory (it’s been a while since I’ve sung it!) before my first class. Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Click, Clack!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

colorful castanets

Wow, has it been a busy week! Between the students at the Hope Institute returning to the classroom and long rehearsals every night for Guys & Dolls, I was ready for a weekend-long nap. I didn’t have that luxury, though; there were four performances and lots of work to be done, instead. It was exhausting, but here I am on Monday morning, ready for a brand new week at school and the start of the fall session at my private studio this afternoon.

In addition to my classes at school last week, I was also able to write a couple new tunes in preparation for the coming month. The first is one meant to accompany my new instruments: castanets! I purchased them through Musician’s Friend (see them here) and I think they are going to be a hit. Hopefully the song will be, too!

Click, clack, clack, click,
Move your fingers oh so quick.
Click, clack is the sound you get
When you play the castanet.

Left hand, click, clack,
Up and down and forth and back.
Left hand, open and close,
Click clack is how it goes.

CHORUS

Right hand, click, clack,
Up and down and forth and back.
Right hand, open and close,
Click clack is how it goes.

CHORUS

Both hands, click, clack,
Up and down and forth and back.
Both hands, open and close,
Click clack is how it goes.

CHORUS

For many of my students, the concept of left and right is very foreign and not yet within their grasp, but it’s never too early to start working on it. Listen to and read about another song I wrote on this very subject here.

I have more new songs in the hopper, so make sure to come back tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy your Monday! Oh, and the last day of August…can you even believe it??

Friday Fave: Guys & Dolls in Concert!

by | Uncategorized


I know this is not music therapy or children-related, but I just had to mention the wonderful production that I’m a part of, which happens to open tonight! It is being put on as a fundraiser for the Hoogland Center for the Arts, which is a hub for all things theater and arts-related in Springfield. The center is facing some financial difficulties, and we are hoping that this show helps secure its future.


The cast of Guys & Dolls includes Eddie Mekka, who you might remember as Carmine from “Laverne & Shirley”. I’ve never seen the show, but it has been fun to share the stage with a former TV star. He plays Nathan Detroit, and is supported by local actors filling the roles of the other characters. If you live in Springfield and want to come see the show, you can call 523-ARTS for tickets.

So that is what I will be doing all weekend. I’m a bit overwhelmed with all of the work I need to finish in the next couple of days (in between shows) but as always, it will get done. What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they are, I hope you have a good one!

Music Therapy: A Hybrid?

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That is exactly how it is described in an article from Time Out New York, which I found via a blog post by Brown Music Therapy. The article is titled “The New Hybrids” and leads in as follows:

We’re not talking about eco-friendly cars, but innovative fields that blend disciplines in unexpected ways – and could kick-start your career.

Other “hybrid” jobs mentioned in the article include narrative medicine, urban agriculture, and food media. I’ve never used that particular term to describe music therapy, but in a way, it sort of fits. Music therapy is still considered to be a new and, for some people, unconventional field, and there is always a lot of curiosity at the mention of it.

If you are a music therapist, you know how difficult it can be to explain your job to someone who is completely unfamiliar with the field. I still struggle with this, even after almost three years. I’ve read so many magazine and newspaper articles where music therapy is either misrepresented or poorly explained, so I was impressed with the short write-up featured in this article. Read it for yourself here.