by Cacia King | Listen & Learn Music
One of the most important skills all children must learn is appropriate social interaction. Social skills enable us to connect with others, but are often very abstract for children and can be difficult to teach.
Whenever something is difficult to teach children, I always write or look for a song about it (maybe because I’m a music therapist!), and that’s where Listen & Learn Music comes in: if there’s a song I need, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll find a catchy, goal-oriented one that fits the bill.
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by Rachel | Guitars & Granola Bars
Fun fact: both my co-host Jaime and I are total “Disney people” and have been from an early age. As a result, Disney has played a huge role in our lives, from taking Disney vacations, to using Disney songs in our music therapy and early childhood work, to sharing the love with our own children.
In Episode 66 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast, we talk about our favorite ways to incorporate Disney music into our classes and sessions along with our favorite personal Disney experiences.
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by Cacia King | Listen & Learn Music
Every year around this time, many classrooms and early childhood centers gain some new friends in the form of caterpillars. The children love to learn about the life stages of the caterpillars and watch them while they grow.
“Caterpillar Walks Around” is a goal-based song that provides a full body learning experience about the life cycle of a caterpillar, simplified to a level that young children can understand.
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by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
Happy 4th of July! I hope your holiday is filled with family, friends, fireworks and fun (how’s that for alliteration?!). To add to the celebration, I’m giving away a free download of “The July Song” that you can use all month long.
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by Rachel | Guitars & Granola Bars
Children’s books play a huge role in both our work as music therapists and our home life with our own kids. In Episode 65 of the podcast, Jaime and I talk about how we put them to use with our young students and clients, and also how they fit into our family lives.
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by Rachel | Personal Development
This will most likely be the only time you’ll see a literal recipe post from me, as I am definitely not known for my prowess in the kitchen (just ask any of my friends or family members). That said, I felt the need to share this particular kitchen creation after feeling the positive effects of it recently.
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by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music, Resources & Tips
I love a good movement prop, especially one that doubles as an instrument…so when I saw these wrist jingle bells from Bear Paw Creek, I knew I had to have them. Not surprisingly, they’ve been a big hit with my students!
Of course, a new movement prop calls for a new song, and I was immediately inspired to write “Jinglin’ High Five” once I received these beauties. I wanted to play upon the fact that these jingle bells can be worn while also addressing several goals at the same time.
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by Rachel | Resources & Tips
This year in planning for summer at Music Therapy Connections, our music therapist Alisabeth came up with a fantastic idea. She set out to create an enriching experience for both the students and staff with whom she works in a school setting, all while celebrating popular American music over the last 100+ years.
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by Rachel | Guitars & Granola Bars
Summer can be a tricky time for working moms. Our school-aged kids are out of school, everyone’s schedules are out of wack, and life as we know it goes a little haywire.
In this episode, Jaime and I talk about our plans for this summer and how we tackle this time of year in order to stay productive, keep everyone happy, and have fun (a tall order, we know).
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by Rachel | Resources & Tips
Every single week without fail, I receive at least one email asking this very important question:
“Which instruments do you use the most and recommend I should have in my collection?”
Music therapy students, interns, new professionals, preschool teachers, and parents have asked for my input, and though I’ve written blog posts on this very topic in the past, I wanted to create one comprehensive resource I could easily share with everyone.
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