Free Download: “Little Red Apples”
This is one of many counting songs I’ve written, which focuses on counting both up to 5 and down from 5. I created simple apple visual aides (using red construction paper and then laminating) which my students can then manipulate as we count.
Click here to download the mp3 and lyrics/chords.
P.S. If you want access to my entire collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music, consider joining me over at Listen & Learn Plus!
Sunday Singalong: Shakin’ It Up
Happy weekend! After a short hiatus, I’m back with a brand new “Sunday Singalong” video. This time I’m shakin’ it up with a song I wrote specifically for fruit shakers, which I added to my instrument collection last summer. I’ve posted this song before, so you can listen to the entire song and get the sheet music by following that link.
The “Shaky Fruit” song is very straightforward, and the objectives are clear: listen (or use visual cues) for your turn to shake your fruit, and only shake your fruit during your turn. But the second version I presented goes just a little deeper.
The key moment comes when I ask the group, “Where is (child’s name)?” and the child replies, “Here I am!”. The primary objective was for the child to respond verbally to his or her own name; playing the instrument is simply a reward for doing so.
My friend and colleague, Lea Keating, explains the importance of a child being able to do just that in her latest blog post. It took a very scary situation to remind her of this, as she details in her post, but it serves as a lesson for every parent, therapist, and educator out there. You can read it here.
Friday Fave: A Day at the Beach
This past Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Zach is the planner when it comes to special occasions and vacations, so although I knew we were going to Chicago (we had a wedding there the night before), he surprised me with a stay at the W Hotel, a boat tour, several romantic meals, and a trip to the beach. Zach knows how much I love sun and sand, so it was quite a treat to spend the afternoon relaxing on the shore of Lake Michigan together.
And as I lay on that beach, enjoying the gorgeous weather and perfect company, I was reminded of just how lucky I really am. Not only do I have a loving and supportive husband, but together we have a beautiful home, an amazing family, and more blessings than we could even name. I have a career that I love and feel genuinely excited about when I wake up in the morning, and a place where I can share my work with people all over the world (you!) who find it interesting and valuable.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the tidal wave of life sometimes that we forget to step back and see the big picture. I’m often guilty of this myself. It took a day at the beach to make me realize that, all things considered, my life really is a day at the beach.
[For more mushy thoughts and snapshots from my anniversary weekend, feel free to visit my photo album on Facebook.]
Saying Goodbye with Peace & Love
With school starting a week from today, you’d think I’d have “hello” songs on the brain. But yesterday, out of the blue, I was hit with the memory of a song from my high school years. Blessid Union of Souls was a popular band back then, and I listened to their self-titled album nonstop.
My favorite track was Peace and Love, and when it came to mind yesterday, I realized it would make a great “goodbye” song. I’m thinking “goodbye” in more of a long-term sense; perhaps I might sing it at a final music therapy session (prior to termination of service) or even a graduation ceremony.
May every star you wish upon
And every hope you’re hangin’ on come true
Out of everybody in the world
There’s no one who deserves it more than you
I hope you find
Everything you’ve been dreamin’ of
Only good things
No in betweens just
Peace and love
These words did not come easily
Still you know I had to write them down
You must know what you mean to me
I wish that you could always be around
I hope you find
Everything you are worthy of
I’m gonna miss you
But I only wish you
Peace and love
Peace and love
Tears of joy
Kindness of strangers
All of your roads
Paved in gold
By guardian angels
Wherever you may be in this world
My salutation says it all
May you always have enough
Peace and love
I let you go unselfishly
Cause everyone needs time to be alone
Well maybe time will bring you back
And if it does you’ll always have a home
I sign my name
No one to blame it on because
I’m on your side
No question of pride
Peace and love
Tears of joy
Kindness of strangers
All of your roads
Paved in gold
By guardian angels
Wherever you may be in this world
My salutation says it all
May you always have enough
Peace and Love
I use the chords provided here (incidentally, Ultimate Guitar is where I find almost all of the chords and tabs for cover songs I perform). I’d love to hear how you might apply this song to your music therapy practice or otherwise. Please share your thoughts in the comments!
What Kind of Songwriter Are You?
Take fellow music therapist Wade Richards’ quick assessment to find out whether you are Air, Water, Fire or Earth when it comes to songwriting. Wade is presenting the CMTE “Songwriter’s Garden” at this year’s AMTA national conference in Cleveland; the assessment is just a teaser of what else he has in store. I had a lot of fun answering the questions and trying to guess which element I qualify as, and my guess is that you will, too.
Be sure to come back and share which element YOU are. Wade would also be interested in your results, so stop by his blog, Time for Music, and let him know. Oh, and you get extra credit if you can guess whether I’m Air, Water, Fire or Earth. Wade guessed correctly!
Home Recording Studio Essentials
Two years ago, my “home recording studio” consisted of two things: a 13″ Macbook and a $12 Logitech microphone. Though it wasn’t fancy, it did the job, considering I was simply recording music therapy songs for the students at my school. But the more songs I wrote and the more interested I became in home recording, the more sophisticated my setup became.
Now that I sell my self-recorded music (in addition, of course, to my studio album) both in my own store and on larger platforms like Songs For Teaching, I have a much higher standard of quality. That comes with a need for higher-quality equipment, which is the topic of today’s post. The picture above gives you an overview of my home studio, but I’m going to break it down for you even further. Let’s go!
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The #1 most important component in my setup is my computer. My 15″ Macbook Pro powers the software I use, which is Garageband. This program is included with the price of the computer, and for entry-level software, it is really quite powerful. Although I’m sure there are great recording programs for PC, I am most decidedly a “Mac person” and simply love the intuitive interface, ease of use, and integration of Garageband with iTunes.
Pictured on the right is my M-Audio USB MobilePre Preamp, which I use to record my acoustic-electric guitar and monitor my sound input. I wrote a detailed post about the preamp earlier this year. The Sennheiser headphones
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This 24″ Dell HD monitor
Next is my M-Audio midi keyboard, which I use to record keyboard and other instrument sounds. It connects via a USB cable, so basically, all I have to do is plug in (Garageband immediately recognizes the MIDI input) and then I’m ready to play. I have a super duper deluxe model
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The piece of equipment that I’ve had the longest (December of 2008) and that I recommend to anyone who asks is my Blue Snowball USB Microphone
My speakers are relatively new, and I’m head over heels about them. These Logitech Omnidirectional USB Speakers
If you’ve been keeping track, you’ve noticed that 4 of the pieces of equipment I’ve covered connect via a USB port. Any Mac user knows that the computer only offers 2 USB ports, which is why I use a Rocketfish USB Hub to power my entire studio without plugging and unplugging anything. It only takes up one USB port on my computer, and the best part is that it has a suction cup, so I can attach it to the backside of my desk in order to hide the spaghetti factory of wires and cords.
Two last pieces of equipment to mention, and then I promise I’ll end this insanely long post :) These are crucial if you use an external monitor: the Apple Wireless Keyboard
So there you have it: the Listen & Learn home recording studio. There are definitely things I’d like to add to it over time, but for now, I’m quite happy with it. I’m also more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the equipment I’ve mentioned, or just home recording in general. Let’s tackle them in the comments!
Kids With Cats: This Song is For You
Writing a song about dogs came quite naturally to me, since I’m a dog owner and have always considered myself to be a “dog person”. But I have nothing against cats (that’s my mom’s cat, Izzy, in the picture) and since many of you let me know that you’d like a feline version of the song, I was happy to oblige!
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
She has such soft and pretty fur,
I love to hear her meow and purr.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
People ask me questions, like
“What’s your cat’s name?”
And this is what I say: __________
They also want to know,
“What kind of cat do you have?”
So I answer in this way: __________
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
I give her water, food, and toys,
Luckily, she doesn’t make much noise.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
People ask me questions, like
“How old is your cat?”
And this is what I say: __________
They also want to know,
“Can I pet your cat?”
So I answer in this way: __________
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
She likes to chase her toy mouse,
‘Round and ‘round and ‘round the house.
C – A – T, my C – A – T,
My cat’s a part of my family.
I used Izzy as an example in this version, but just as was offered when I posted “My D-O-G”, I’ll record a special version for your family’s cat if this is a song your child might enjoy. All you have to do is send me an email, and be sure to include your answers to the questions asked in the song!
Sunday Singalong: You Are My Sunshine
Happy Sunday! Singing this song (in any one of its many forms) always puts a smile on my face. Good thing, because I sing the calendar version in almost every music therapy session, both at school and in my private practice. People always ask me if I get tired of singing the same songs over and over, and while the answer is sometimes yes, this song does not fall into that category.
It does, however, fall into the category of the ever-popular “piggyback” song, which involves taking a familiar song and changing the lyrics, but keeping the melody the same. It’s a common practice among music therapists and educators, and although I enjoy composing my own melodies, piggybacking does come in handy from time to time.
If you search the Listen & Learn archives, you’ll actually find quite a few. What are your favorite songs to piggyback on? Please share them in the comments!
Friday Fave: A New Officemate
Last Tuesday was a sad day in the Music Therapy Connections office/studio. It was the day I laid to rest a sturdy old workhorse, my HP DeskJet 940c printer. I’ve had this printer since my first day of college (all the way back in 2001), and it has sat on 4 different desks in 4 different cities since then. Not bad, considering I’ve been through 4 laptops in that time!
I owe my deceased DeskJet for all of my PECS cards, homemade visual aides, printed sheet music, and so much more. It worked hard right up until judgment day, when despite trying several new ink cartridges, it spewed out blank paper. Could it have been resuscitated? Probably. But I knew it was time to let go.
The HP OfficeJet Pro Wireless 8000 and I got off to a rocky start. But thanks to the intervention of a very sweet HP technical support person, our relationship was mended and now we’re working in harmony. Its wireless capabilities, 2-sided printing (save the rainforest!), and high quality printing have all but made up for the loss of old DeskJet.
But this isn’t the only new officemate around here. Last month, I added a couple that I still haven’t gotten around to posting. I will do that soon. In the meantime, have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend. See you back here in a couple of days for my new “Sunday Singalong” video!
A Sweet Singable Story
Last month’s inaugural Singable Story garnered quite a few comments and requests for more singable story ideas, so I’m excited to be back with another one today. Good Night, Sweet Butterflies
I recorded this singable story for one of my music therapy groups yesterday, and rather than pre-compose the melody, I improvised the entire thing. I love that the music is calm and soothing, just like the story itself.
I purchased quite a few new children’s books earlier this summer, all of which lend themselves nicely to being sung. Slowly but surely, I’ll be sharing more of those (plus some oldies but goodies). For now, enjoy this sweet, lullaby-like story and have fun making it your own!
Sunday Singalong: Little Fishes
It’s true, I am wearing my swimsuit underneath my clothes and not one stitch of makeup, but I had a window of opportunity (read: absent puppy and hubby) in which to record this video, and I took advantage of it!
If you haven’t checked out the music of Genevieve Jereb, you really should. I just love her Australian accent, and the songs are so much fun – not to mention, purposeful. I use “Little Fishes” all the time, and this song can go on for literally 10 minutes in a big group.
As I mentioned, using pictures to stimulate participation is a great way for kids who need a little extra help. You could either hold them up yourself and have the students name the creature that is pictured, or have each child hold a picture, and name the creature (or point to the student) so that he or she holds up the picture when it’s his or her turn. You could even use this as an art project opportunity, and have the students create the pictures themselves.