Friday Fave: Warm Weather Has Arrived!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Finally…and I think it’s here to stay. We are in for two 80-degree days, and then a string of 70s, which is more than okay with me! It feels so good to be able to go outside without a jacket. And in honor of the beautiful warm weather, here is my “Warm Day” song, which I’ve been waiting to share for a couple weeks now:

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.

I can’t wait to get out and ride my bike, walk our soon-to-arrive puppy, and just enjoy the spring. Unfortunately, I won’t have much time to do so this weekend, however. Tomorrow is my dad’s 50th birthday, which we’ll be celebrating in the afternoon. Then tomorrow evening, I am singing in a gala fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center. Church Mice, a music group for little ones I lead, begins its spring session on Sunday afternoon, and then the weekend will be over! Have a great weekend yourselves – hopefully it will be more relaxing than mine :)

The Digit Dance

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Memorizing a string of numbers can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for each and every child to know his/her home phone number. And what is the best way to learn? Why, with a song, of course! “Digit Dance” makes this task a little more fun…I used a made-up phone number for the first half of the song, so just replace that with the child’s number when you put this tune to use.

I have a little boogie that I do,
When I share my phone number with you.
There are seven numbers that you need to know,
So I’ll say them nice and slow:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Memorize your number and don’t forget,
Not to share it with the people you just met.
You can tell it to your teacher or friend,
Now I’ll say it once again:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

A great way to adapt this song is to use sign language when listing the phone number. That way, non-hearing students can still benefit, and everyone can work on signing skills at the same time. You could also play a game using this song, where you take turns pointing to a student, and that student fills in his/her own phone number.

Office Space

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Good morning! I’m back from my trip to San Diego, which was amazing in every way. The weather was perfect – sunny and in the 70s every day – and the city definitely lived up to its reputation. We had a great time hitting up all of the tourist destinations, but I think my favorite aspect of the trip was just enjoying the resort, where we hung out at the beautiful beach and spent more time by the pool than I care to admit :) I have to say, it was really difficult to leave such a wonderful place and come back to Illinois, where it was cold and pouring down rain when we arrived, but it’s home. I’m glad to be back and blogging again!

And that brings me to today’s subject: my new office and studio, from which I write most of my songs and do my blogging. Beginning in June, I will be teaching all lessons and providing music therapy here, which will be a nice change after going to my students’ homes for the past two years. As my practice has grown, it’s been hard to keep up with all that driving; I’m sure many of you know that feeling! Now on with the tour.

My office/studio is located right off of the front hall, which is convenient in that my students don’t have to go traipsing through the house to find it. The nearby living room will serve as a waiting area for families.

Here is the bookcase that houses the many music books and binders I’ve accumulated over the years, as well as books and other resources I use on a regular basis. My guitar hangs out there when it’s not in the trunk of my car, along with a small keyboard for the little ones and a MIDI keyboard I use for recording.

This keyboard is mainly for my own use, though I may move it into the hallway and allow students to practice on it before their lessons. Above the keyboard, I plan to create a bulletin board featuring my students’ pictures and studio news.

My desk, where I spend a ridiculous amount of time when I’m not at school or with students. Normally you’d find a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew next to my computer, but I tidied up for the purposes of this photo tour ;)

The top frame contains an awesome picture my parents gave me as a gift – a little girl version of Dorothy and Toto, looking out the window at the characters from The Wizard of Oz. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Below is a framed copy of my undergraduate senior recital program, and a picture of my mom and I taken right after the recital. Yes, I am a giant compared to her.

My undergraduate diploma from Rollins College is on the left, though it’s hard to tell considering the entire thing is in Latin. Good thing I studied the language for four years in high school so I can read it! At the top right is my master’s degree diploma from Illinois State University, and underneath it is my Certification Board of Music Therapy certificate.

My childhood piano, which you can read all about here. I love the picture above it – I can pretend I am looking out the window, admiring my oceanfront view. Ha!

I wasn’t so crazy about the idea of storing all my musical instruments and music therapy supplies in plain view, so I bought this chest of drawers, which matches my bookcase and desk. For now, it stores almost everything, though I’m sure it won’t take long to run out of room.

The framed picture above the chest is actually a puzzle I put together a couple years ago and has been hanging out in storage. I love Mary Engelbreit, and I find this quote really inspiring. I hope my students do, too!

Here is a more comprehensive view of the room, taken from the doorway. It’s a fairly big room for an office, which is lucky for me since I have a couple good-sized groups I need to accomodate.

Another view from the back wall. I wish the day had been sunnier so that there was more light in the room.

A close-up of the awesome rug I found at Target. After weeks of searching online, I stumbled upon exactly what I’d been looking for: something cheerful and kid-friendly, tying all of the colors in the room together.

I still have some orgaizing to do in these drawers, but have a look. Lollipop drums, maracas, visual aides, picture cards…

…tambourines, bells, shakers, rhythm sticks…

…harmonicas, kazoos, a bag of stuffed animals, star tambourine…

…animal clackers, ipod/speaker bag, boom box. Everything else is in the trunk of my car, so I’ll have to find homes for it once I cease my tour as traveling music therapist.

So there you have it – a sneak peek at my second most frequented place in the world (the first being my tiny closet..er, office…at school). For those of you who work or teach from home, any other suggestions to make the room complete? I am always searching for new ideas, so yours are welcome!

Happy Easter!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

I hope you all are enjoying your Easter Sunday. Mine started with a beautiful church service, which included a great sermon and lots of music. On the way home, my mom and I were discussing how Easter celebrations have changed over the years, now that my brother and I are adults and we have no other children in our family.

No more Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, or egg hunts, though hopefully that will change once Zach and I have kids of our own…far, far down the road! Until then, I’m content with church and a delicious meal :)

Speaking of delicious meals, I better get going! But I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a happy Easter, and leave you with this cute little tune about Easter eggs.

I take an egg
All shiny white
And then I dip
It out of sight.
I leave it there
Within the cup
Then after a minute
I pick it up.

And oh!
It’s a lovely
Shade of green!
The prettiest Easter egg
I’ve ever seen.

CHORUS

And oh!
It’s a lovely
Shade of blue!
What a perfect color
For me and you!

CHORUS

And oh!
It’s a lovely
Shade of pink!
The best Easter Egg
of all, I think!

April Fool’s Day!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

It’s only 8:30 am, and I’ve already been pranked…by my principal! He sent out an email telling us to come to a faculty meeting at 8:00 am, and then when we got there, we found that there was no meeting, only delicious muffins :) I’ll take a prank like that any day of the year.

And in honor of the first day of April, here is the newest song of the month:

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April Fools is on day one,
Jokes and pranks are so much fun,
Play a trick on one of your friends,
Before this day ends,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April 22nd is Earth Day,
Let’s keep our planet clean,
Recycle and plant some trees,
And make the whole earth green,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

Spring is here the whole month long,
And flowers start to bloom,
When April showers are over,
The sun shines in our room,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

I have a busy but exciting month ahead of me. I’ll be celebrating both my mom and dad’s 50th birthdays, next week is spring break, and then the following week, Zach and I are off to San Diego! I can’t wait. But for now, enjoy your April Fool’s Day and if you play a prank on somebody, make it a nice one!

Spring Snow

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

When the forecast called for snow this weekend, I laughed it off. After all, it’s spring…right? It rained all day long on Saturday, and by late evening the temperature had dropped considerably. Maybe the weatherman was right after all?

Sure enough, when I woke up early on Sunday morning, I looked outside to see approximately four inches of snow covering the ground. So in honor of Illinois’ freak spring snowfall, I’d like to share my snowy day song (one that I thought I wouldn’t have to think about for at least eight more months).

Snowflakes, snowflakes, float to the ground.
Here they come without a sound.
Big and small, down they fall,
It’s a snowy, snowy day.

See the ground, all covered in white,
Can you feel the cold air’s bite?
Making snowmen, snow angels too,
Snow is falling, yes it’s true.

Snowflakes, snowflakes, float to the ground.
Here they come without a sound.
Big and small, down they fall,
It’s a snowy, snowy day.

Make a snowball with your hands,
Toss it up and see where it lands.
Soft and powdery, white as glue,
Snow is falling, yes it’s true.

Luckily, most of the snow has melted and the high today is 60 degrees. My spring break starts next Monday, so I’m crossing my fingers in the hopes that this weekend was meant to balance out a perfect week of sunshine and 70 degree temps. I have other weather songs, ones about warm weather and fun in the sun, that I’d really like to get to. Have a great Monday, everyone :)