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Guitar Lessons With Amy Benton
I met Amy Benton at Illinois State University, where we were both music therapy students. I was always impressed with her talent as a guitarist and songwriter, not to mention her lovely personality. I was thrilled to find out she had moved to Springfield, and it was...
Swing Into Spring
On one of the few nice days we've had so far this spring, Parker and I took a walk to the park and tried out the swings for the first time ever. I had a feeling he would like it, and I was right! Parker has loved the outdoors since the very beginning -- as a newborn,...
“Make This Count!”
A couple weeks ago, I was talking to a friend whom I have a lot in common. Like me, Mallory Even is a music therapist, business owner, and mom. During the course of our conversation, I mentioned that I had recently started saying "no" to work-related opportunities...
Agent of the Year
Back in 2007, Zach and I attended his first AAA awards banquet in Chicago. Last weekend, we went to our EIGHTH banquet in a row, and for the fifth time, he received the "Agent of the Year" award. Pretty amazing, my husband. Zach's parents have been coming up with us...
The Long March Out of Winter
As of this month, Parker has been an outside baby for longer than he was on the inside. And even though my pregnancy seemed to fly by, I still find that hard to believe. How did that big boy ever fit in my belly? Parker is actually still on the little side for his...
Coming Soon: Spring Into Summer
Right around this time last year, I got the urge to create a digital songbook -- the result of which was Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! Maybe this will become a yearly spring project, because I'm currently working on the next one! Spring into Summer: Warm Weather...
Burning the Midnight Oil
For almost my entire adult life, I have been an early riser. My alarm went off at 5 am every weekday morning, and then I'd go to the gym, come home, and spend the next couple of hours writing, working on songs, or other creative projects. Those morning hours were when...
Grow, Flower, Grow!
I've been working with children long enough to know that movement is ESSENTIAL to a well-rounded music therapy group or early childhood class session. I've used all kinds of movement props, including scarves, streamers, bean bags, stretchy bands, to get my kiddos...
So Glad I’m Here
No matter how many original songs I write, there will always be a few covers that stay in my rotation solely because I love them so much. One of those is a sweet little tune I've used as a greeting in my early childhood music classes many times. "So Glad I'm Here" is...