The “La La” Song

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The "La La" Song

Earlier this year, I had the chance to see one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Eilen Jewell, in concert. Pokey LaFarge was the opening act, and I haven’t been able to get his song La La Blues out of my head ever since.

So I used that to my advantage and wrote The “La La” Song! Only my song isn’t about the blues — it’s about being happy, singing, and working towards speech goals.

I used all kinds of consonants throughout the song, but the idea is that they can be changed to accommodate a child’s unique and specific speech goals. I wrote a greeting song a few years back that followed the same model, and was able to adapt it for use with many of my students throughout the years. I’m thinking I can do the same with this one.

Side note: I’m really digging the piano lately! Sometimes it’s refreshing to put down the guitar and use another instrument, not only for recording, but for music therapy sessions as well. I need to do that more often :)

The Magic Word

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The Magic Word

We all heard it as children, and most likely even say it now: “What’s the magic word?” It’s probably the most frequently used method for reminding a child to say “please” — so I wrote a song about it.

The idea for The Magic Word came to me as I was brainstorming language and social skills topics last week. I was surprised to realize that I hadn’t touched on this particular topic in all my years of songwriting! But now I have, and here is the finished product:

As I was writing the song, I wanted to include specific examples of the “magic word” in use. What I like about the verses is that you can easily replace those examples with your own sentences and questions, targeted to the specific child or group with whom you are working. Or better yet, let them come up with their own!

To check out the entire Listen & Learn song collection, click here. And remember, I’m always up for song topic suggestions, so feel free to share your ideas with me.

Warming Up and Chilling Out

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Westin Kierland Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ

Every year, my husband and I look forward to our April vacation.  In years past, we’ve gone to Palm Springs, Hilton Head, San Diego, San Antonio, and this year…Scottsdale (that’s our hotel, the Westin Kierland, pictured above).  What do all five of those destinations have in common?  They’re all much warmer than where we’re coming from.

Even though it’s April, it’s still not very spring-like in central Illinois.  Seriously, temperatures in the 50s and low 60s…ugh.  But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is why I’m optimistically posting this song today:

Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

It’s warm outside, right in between
Spring is here, the trees are green
And so today we’ll play outside
Hop on our bikes, and take a ride
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s
Warm, not hot, not cold, just right.
Enjoy the day, it’s shining bright.
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

Whether or not it actually starts to warm up here in the Midwest, I’m not worried about the temperatures where we’re headed tomorrow.  Hello, 80 degrees and sunshine!  Perfect weather for chilling out in the lazy river at our hotel (how cool is that?!) and exploring Scottsdale.

I most definitely won’t be spending much time on the computer while I’m away, but not to worry…I have blog posts ready and waiting to be posted.  After all, vacation is no excuse to slack on my 365 in 2011 goal!

Is it warming up yet where you are?

Mammals In the Water (A Custom Song)

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

First came The Texas Pledge song, then Help Me, Rhombus, followed by A-Z (What You Mean to Me).  My #1 customer when it comes to custom songs is Rene, and she was back this month in need of a song that combined info about water mammals with specific speech sounds.  Thus, “Mammals in the Water” came to be.

Rene chose to highlight manatees, narwhals, walruses, and seals in this particular song, and I had a lot of fun doing the research necessary to write the verses about each creature.  The rhyming was a little tricky, but both Rene and I are happy with the results…and hopefully her pre-kindergarten students will be, too!

Ooh, mammals – they’re everywhere.
You and I are mammals, we have hair and breathe air.
So are lots of animals you’d find at the zoo,
And even some that live in the water, too!

MAH, MAH, MAH…MANATEES!
They live in the water and they swim so slow,
They’re gray in color and eat plants, you know.
Manatees are gentle even though they’re really big,
With their flippers and their tail and snout (like a pig).
Mah, mah, mah.

CHORUS

NAH, NAH, NAH…NARWHALS!
They travel through the sea; their long tusk leads the way,
They eat fish and shrimp and squid all day.
Narwhals are a special kind of whale,
They swim in groups and their bodies are pale.
Nah, nah, nah.

CHORUS

WAH, WAH, WAH…WALRUSES!
They live in the Arctic, on the ice so cold,
But their blubber on their body keeps them warm, I’m told.
Walruses have whiskers and tusks so long,
Their bodies are brown and huge and strong.
Wah, wah, wah.

CHORUS

SAH, SAH, SAH…SEALS!
They live both on land and in the sea,
And their whiskers help them find lots of fish to eat.
Seals can be black, or gray, or brown,
And they make a funny grunting sound.
Sah, sah, sah.

Ooh, mammals – they’re everywhere.
Just like us, these animals have hair and breathe air.
But they don’t live in a house or at the zoo,
Mammals live in the water, too!

The Rhythm Sticks Waltz

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Song for Children Counting to 3

Every time I use this song in a class or music therapy session, I start by having my students count to 3.  We do it once to begin with, very slowly, and use our fingers as well as our voices.  Gradually we get faster, counting to 3 again and again in rhythm.  Then I explain that they’ve just counted a type of song called a waltz.

Rhythm sticks are a great instrument for this type of activity, because the beat can be heard very clearly.  Younger students seem to have better impulse control while playing sticks as opposed to drums or other types of percussion instruments, though I may experiment a little.

This is a relatively new song, but so far I’ve had lots of fun and success with it.  The concept of counting to 3 over and over again is a bit difficult at first, but once my students can do that, they have laid the foundation for some pretty important music (and non-music) skills.

If you can count to three (1, 2, 3)
Then you can do the rhythm sticks waltz with me.
Just click your sticks and feel the beat,
The rhythm stick waltz is so sweet.

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, go,
Keep tapping, don’t stop yet,
Just feel the flow.

If you can count to three (1, 2, 3)
Then you can do the rhythm sticks waltz with me.
Just click your sticks and feel the beat,
The rhythm stick waltz is so sweet.

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, pause,
And take a rest,
Let’s hear the applause!

Of course, when I use this song in a live session or class, we make our own applause :)  We also vary the tempo, going very slowly at first and then seeing how quickly we can play and sing while keeping the steady beat.

I don’t write many songs in 3/4 time, especially not songs meant to be played along to with instruments.  But it’s good to have a few in the mix.  Which waltz-tempo songs do you sing and play with your students?

Turn the Beat Around

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Turn the Beat Around

Why yes, I am referring to that old song made famous by Gloria Estefan in the 90s.  I used to love it way back in the day, especially trying to sing along with the crazy fast syllable-full verses.

While I was brainstorming new instrument songs last week, this one just popped into my head and refused to leave.  But it turned out to be a good thing, because I ended up tailoring the lyrics just enough to make it the perfect rhythm sticks song.

I predicted that when I played it with my Church Mice on Sunday, the parents would get a kick out of it…and I was right.  Most of them knew the song and were singing along with me right away.

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up so loud!
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up so loud!

Turn the beat around,
Love to hear the percussion.
Turn it upside down,
Love to hear the percussion.
Love to hear it.

Oh, you sure sound pretty,
Your rhythm keeps movin’ to the nitty gritty
When you hear the tap of the wood a-tappin’
Then you’ll know that rhythm carries all the action,
Woah, yeah!

Turn the beat around,
Love to hear the percussion.
Turn it upside down,
Love to hear the percussion.
Love to hear it.

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up so loud!
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up so loud!

Turn it down, turn it down, turn it down so soft…
Turn it down, turn it down, turn it down so soft…

Turn the beat around!

I had a lot of fun with this recording, in case you can’t tell by listening to it.  I’m thinking about tweaking the lyrics to make it a drumming activity for my students.  And that’s the best thing about this song — it could be used with or without any instrument, not just rhythm sticks.  Even keeping the original lyrics would work, because they’re all about music.

How would you use it?  Or maybe you wouldn’t at all.  It didn’t cross my mind as a good song for kids until just recently, but I’m sure glad it did!  Except for the part where it is permanently stuck in my head, that is ;)