by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I welcomed my first baby (that’s him at five days old) to the world a little shy of two years ago. Not long after he was born, I was inspired to write the song “Welcome to the World” for all of my friends and family who were having babies of their own.
I’ll be welcoming my second baby, a girl, in a mere four weeks (give or take), and I wanted to do something special not only in anticipation of her arrival, but also to celebrate those of you who have welcomed your own beautiful babies into the world.
So I invited readers to send me photos of their newborns, and many of you graciously did! I had so much fun going through the photos and setting them to music for this video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do each time I hit play.
Four weeks seems like an eternity after an already long 9 months of pregnancy, but I’m counting down to having a sweet baby girl in my arms — especially after seeing all these beautiful photos. Thank you so much to those of you who contributed.
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
Last week, I announced my new songbook — Ring, Sing, Strum & Drum! — which releases on May 5. But I wanted to give a taste of this brand new song collection, so I made 3 of the 12 tunes (along with the sheet music) available when you preorder.
One of those tunes is “Gather ‘Round the Drum”, which I wrote specifically for the gathering drum. This is an instrument that I find myself including in sessions and early childhood classes week after week, because not only do my kiddos LOVE playing it, but it’s a great way to foster interaction and address social skills.
This song is a fun way to prompt everyone to come to the drum, and then from there it’s easy to adapt the lyrics so that the children have a chance to play the drum in all kinds of different ways.
Do you use a gathering drum in your own classes and sessions? If so, I hope this song comes in as handy for you as it has for me in the last few weeks I’ve been singing it. Grab your preorder copy of Ring, Sing, Strum & Drum! here.
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I’m pretty sure I’ve reached “fangirl” status when it comes to Bear Paw Creek‘s movement props. This is the 4th song I’ve written specifically for one of their products, because they are SO perfect for my early childhood music classes.
I’m just now getting around to using the balloon ball in my upcoming session, so I’m really excited to see how my little ones will react to it. I think it will be right up their alley — a bright, lightweight “ball” (the balloon inside gives creates its round form) they can toss and roll to each other.
Just like all of Bear Paw Creek’s products, it’s made (in the U.S.) of colorful, high-quality material. My other favorites include stretchy bands, connect-a-bands, and bean bags.
I wanted to make sure this song and activity is as social as it is fun, so I’ll have each kiddo takes turns rolling or tossing the balloon ball to another member of the circle. There are already lots of other ideas floating around in my head for how to incorporate it, but this is a good jumping off point. I can’t wait to put the balloon ball and this song to use in my classes this week!
P.S. Did you know that you can receive a DOWNLOAD of each new Listen & Learn release (including mp3, lyrics/chords, and instrumental track when available) emailed directly to your inbox?
That — PLUS access to the blog archive containing over 150 other songs, lead sheets, visual aides, and valuable resources. Learn more about becoming a Listen & Learn Plus! member.
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
Bonding songs are essential to my early childhood classes, because they foster parent-child interaction and help us wind down toward the end of the session. I wrote this one specifically for my baby (0-18 month) class, though I have most definitely used it with kiddos who are a little older.
Not only does this song encourage directed touch, but it also serves as an introduction to body part identification. I know that my little guy, who will be 2 in June, absolutely loves pointing out his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, fingers, knees, and toes. The song starts with the basics, but of course could be adapted to include other body parts as well.
It’s never too early to start singing songs like these with your children. My son had no choice but to listen to my singing pretty much from the day he was born, and my daughter (coming next month!) will no doubt have that same experience :)
You can find even more bonding songs like this one over at Listen & Learn for Leaders, the early childhood resource created by myself and my partner Katey.
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I’m really lucky that my colleague Katey is crafty, because when it comes to anything involving sewing, I certainly am not. She volunteered to make ribbon streamers for the most recent session of our early childhood classes, and I did my part by coming up with a song for them.
This is a simple song with a repetitive, familiar melody, because the focus is on movement and following directions. Each verse features a different way to manipulate the streamers, and it is so much fun to see our kiddos get creative with their interpretation of each. They also help come up with additional movements.
The streamers that Katey created are perfect for the 0-3 crowd, because they are attached to loose fabric-covered elastics that can be worn around the children’s wrists. While the older kids like to see how many they can pile on to each arm, the tiny ones can participate without having to actually grasp and hold onto the streamers.
Here’s a photo of Katey’s creations, pictured with one of our monkey friends (which we use for this song) from class.
Of course, the streamers can be substituted for fabric scarves or other props you already have on hand. I simply change the words when I use this song with scarves or ribbon rings in other settings.
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
The concept of “cleaning up” was introduced to my son Parker when he was a little over a year old. At the end of Funshop, the weekly mommy & me playgroup we attend, they play the classic “Clean Up” song (courtesy of Barney, the big purple dinosaur) and everyone tackles their assigned area.
Lucky for me, Parker loved cleaning up — mostly because he loved the song so much. I used this to my advantage at home; every time I started singing the song, he would join in and start picking up whatever mess needed to be picked up.
I decided to change things up a bit a few weeks ago, and instead of singing the same old tune, I played my “clean up” song for Parker. He immediately was on board with it, and started cleaning up the mess at hand. Success! Now he requests “Mama’s phone?” every time I ask him to clean up, meaning he wants me to play my song.
It comes in especially handy when he plays with his kitchen, because there’s a verse all about cleaning up your dishes :) When I wrote this song 6 years ago, I had no idea that one day I would be putting it into practice with my own child.
