Colors in the Morning

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Colors in the Morning Album Cover

It’s an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning; the sun is shining in the bright blue sky, which reminded me of a great song I’ve been waiting to post. A couple weeks ago, a reader named Jamie emailed me with a great idea for an activity he was planning for a group of kids (his own included). The song is based on Donovan’s “Colours”, whose lyrics he changed to focus on color identification.

Yellow is the color of the bright, bright sun,
In the morning, when I rise,
In the morning, when I rise,
That’s the time, that’s the time,
I love the best.

Blue is the color of the clear blue sky…
Green is the color of the dewy grass…
Purple is the color of the lilac bush…
Pink is the color of the flowers that bloom…
Red is the color of the cardinal bird…
Orange is the color of the butterfly…

He suggested the use of scarves for each color in the song, and then the thought occurred to me to make a poster with images for each item in the song, attachable with Velcro. Here is what I created:

I used half of a foamboard and covered it with colored construction paper. Then I attached Velcro (the prickly side) with a sticky back.

Here is the back of the images I made for each item in the song. I laminated each and attached Velcro (the fuzzy side) to the back.

The finished product. I added a verse about an ant (the color “black”) so that there would be enough colors for each child in my group.

Thanks, Jamie, for sharing this wonderful idea! I tried it with one of my groups at the Autism Program last week, and it went over really well. I can’t wait to do it again next week!

Something to Celebrate

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It’s June 5th, which means I’m one year older today. 26! Even though I don’t love these growing numbers, I do love celebrating my birthday. I was awakened by my husband and puppy singing “Happy Birthday” to me (well, Zach was doing most of the singing, and Sadie was mostly just licking). and then we took her for a walk around the neighborhood. I’m going out to lunch this afternoon, and then hopefully spending some quality time by the pool :) Tonight my friends and family are gathering for a little shindig, topping off the perfect birthday.

Have a great day…I know I will!

School’s Out for the Summer

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Can this really be true? Well, judging from my near-empty, cleaned out music room and the big smiles on all of the teachers’ faces, I guess it is! This school year has been an exciting one, and today marks the end of my second full year here at Hope. This afternoon during my end-of-the-year evaluation, my principal asked, “You WILL be coming back in the fall, right?” Of course I answered with an emphatic YES…I’m thrilled to be able to keep my position going, especially since it was originally funded by a two-year grant.

This morning was our annual school talent show, in which I participated with a couple of the Junior classes. They wrote an “American Idol” themed skit, and I was one of the contestants. Unfortunately, I lost to a student, which just goes to show how talented our kids are :) Watching the rest of the acts, it made me realize how much I’m going to miss this place over the summer. I love our kids, and the staff is amazingly supportive of me and my program. It’s a wonderful place to be a music therapist.

Today’s the last day of school, but it’s the first day of music therapy at The Autism Program. I started this in the summer of 2008, and I am so excited to be back for a second summer. We have three different sessions to accomodate all ages, and though each session is only three weeks long, we make the very best of it. Can’t wait to get started this afternoon!

Hooray for June!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

At last, my very favorite month of the year has arrived. This first week of June is an eventful one: Tuesday is the last day of school and my first music therapy session of the summer at the Autism Program, Thursday I’m going to a Cardinals game with my dad and brother, and Friday is my birthday! Let the fun begin.

Aside from being the first day of June, today marks another momentous occasion – this is my 200th blog post! Holy cow, I can’t believe that in the last 9 months, I’ve written 200 posts. I hope you’ll stick around for the next 200 :)

But let’s get down to business. As you know, every month has its own song, and June is no exception. I think the June song might just be my favorite of the 12, but I’ll let you decide for yourself which one is your favorite.

Let’s all sing a happy tune,
And celebrate because it’s June!
Month number six for thirty days,
So go outside and catch some rays.

For part of June, we’re out of school,
Let’s go swimming at the pool.
But when our summer break has passed,
The days are fun and they go by fast.

CHORUS

Next to come is Father’s Day,
Whether near or far away.
We’ll thank him for the things he’s done
And tell him that he’s number one.

CHORUS

This is the month when summer starts,
That’s one of the best parts.
The days get longer as they go,
Which helps the flowers bloom and grow.

CHORUS

I have lots of last minute things to do before I say goodbye to school for a couple of months, so I’d better get to it! Enjoy the first day of June :)

Friday Fave: Graduation

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Today is another special day at the Hope Institute…graduation day! Several students from the senior classes will be taking the next step in their lives after the time they’ve spent at Hope, whether that is moving back home to be close to family, being placed in a development-appropriate job, or joining an assisted living community. It’s a proud time not only for the students themselves, but also for the parents and teachers who have helped them get here. It’s always a bittersweet day, though – many of the students who graduate have spent years at Hope, making it hard for us to say goodbye.

My first experience at Hope was actually at the 2007 graduation, right before I became an employee. My principal asked me to sing a couple of songs, and I have been the official graduation day singer ever since. It’s a nice job to have :)

Today I’ll be singing “You Raise Me Up”, a Josh Groban song that I think perfectly embodies the spirit of this day.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.