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 | 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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by Cacia King | Listen & Learn Music, Resources & Tips

If there’s one kind of instrument I can’t live without, it has to be the fruit shakers. These fun and colorful instruments hold so many possibilities and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Pairing the catchy song “Shaky Fruit Salad” with these musical apples, oranges, lemons and bananas is a great way to mix up boring old egg shakers, while still addressing many important developmental goals!
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by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music, Resources & Tips

Tap-tap-clap, tap-tap-clap…that’s the body rhythm pattern that accompanies the verses of this catchy winter song. We change things up during the chorus, rubbing our hands together to create that swishy swimming sound as the polar bear glides through the sea.
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by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music, Resources & Tips

It’s that time again! Thanksgiving songs just might be my favorite out of all the holidays, so I am excited to share with you the songs from my collection that are perfect for this season.
There are many tunes I’ve written and collected over the years, but these are the 6 that I continue to pull out and use with my students every single November. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Psst…right now, you can become a VIP Listen & Learn Plus member and get all of these songs (plus hundreds more music resources for children) with a biannual payment plan. I only offer this once a year, and it ends soon! Click here for details.
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