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!
Model Me Kids DVD Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to Lisa Casciola, who was randomly selected (via random.org) as the winner of the newest Model Me Kids DVD, “Model Me Going Places”. Lisa is a fellow music therapist and studio teacher, and has a great website of her own, Kids Sing Studio. I hope you enjoy the DVD, Lisa, and that your students can benefit from it!
As you probably know, I’m spending the week in St. Louis at Jupiter Studios, recording my new Listen & Learn CD. I’ve been tweeting like crazy, so if you want to see pics and get frequent updates, make sure to follow me on Twitter. I’ll write a post detailing my experience thus far later today, but for now, it’s time to head to the studio and start my 10-hour day! I’ll talk to you all soon.
Sunday Singalong: I Have a Dream
When the “Mamma Mia!” musical first came out, I listened to the Broadway soundtrack nonstop. I still turn it on from time to time, because the songs are so upbeat (for the most part) and put me in such a great mood. “I Have a Dream” is one of my favorite songs to teach beginning voice and guitar students, and like I said in the video, I like to use it in music therapy sessions with my middle school students. They’ve always enjoyed the song and the discussions it sparks, but it’s even more popular now that the movie is out.
I watched “Mamma Mia!” (the movie version) for the first time yesterday, and now I’m craving a sunny beach vacation in Greece. That’s not in my future anytime soon, but I will be heading to exotic St. Louis tomorrow for a week in the recording studio. I’m enjoying one more lazy day before the fun begins, and it just happens to be my puppy, Sadie’s 1st birthday! Just take a look at this little sweetie:
I’m off to play with the birthday girl (who is currently covered in mud and rain thanks to the lovely weather), so I hope you all enjoy your Sunday. If you haven’t yet, please go enter my DVD giveaway, and stay tuned this week for updates from the recording studio!
Friday Fave: SPRING BREAK!
Ok, so I won’t be lounging on some tropical beach during my spring break, but I do have some pretty exciting plans. I have four lessons to teach after school today, and then SPRING BREAK ’10 will officially begin! Let me tell you all about what’s going down these next two weeks.
Radio Interview
This weekend will be pretty low-key; I’ll have some time to relax before I kick into high-gear. The ball will start rolling on Monday morning, when I head to Capitol Radio Group to record a radio interview with Bob Murray, who hosts a weekly 25-minute program called Focus. I’ll be talking about music therapy, my blog, projects I’m working on, and my involvement in the Springfield community. The show will air next Sunday (Easter!) morning on 5 local radio stations, including my personal favorite, WDBR.
Recording My CD
Right after the interview, I’ll hit the road for St.Louis, where I’ll be spending the rest of the week recording my CD at Jupiter Studios. I’ve chosen ten songs to include on the CD, so hopefully we’ll have time to finish all of them. It’s going to be an intense 4 days: I’ll be in the studio from 12 pm to 10 pm (yes, ten straight hours!) working one-on-one with Jim Callahan, the owner and head sound engineer. Since I’m an early riser, I’ll probably spend my mornings at Panera, fueling myself with caffeine and blogging about my recording experience. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, as I’ll also be tweeting frequently throughout the week!
Jet Setting
My school’s spring break officially ends on Sunday, April 4. I’ll be back to work for a quick two days, but then Zach and I are taking off to San Antonio for five days of much-needed R&R. This trip is courtesy of AAA, for whom my husband works as an insurance agent. Every year, they send their top agents somewhere warm for a fabulous vacation…so far we’ve been to Palm Springs, Hilton Head, and San Diego. I tell Zach that he can never leave the company, because they treat their employees so well (and I get to benefit from Zach’s hard work!).
Back to Reality
Life will get back to normal on April 12, when the regular schedule resumes. However, at that point there will only be eight weeks of the school year remaining, and those always fly right by. Heck, I’m already planning my summer music therapy and lessons schedule!
There is a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, and I hope the same is true for you. Even if you’re not on Spring Break (or if there’s no such thing for you), at least the weather is getting nicer. That’s enough for me. Have a beautiful Friday, and if you haven’t already, go enter my giveaway to win the newest Model Me Kids “Going Places” DVD, which features musical narration by yours truly!
Giveaway: Model Me Going Places DVD
Last week, I announced my involvement in Model Me Kids‘ newest social skills modeling DVD, Model Me Going Places. My original songs narrate the 12 scenes in the video, which is described on the Model Me Kids website as follows:
The Model Me Going Places™ video features children, ages 2-8, involved in activities in the community. It is designed to familiarize children with locations that may be challenging, and to help teach appropriate behavior in these locations through peer modeling. Each scene lasts between 2-4 minutes, depending on the chapter. At the end of each chapter is a storyboard summarizing the locations shown.
This video is narrated with music developed for the Model Me Going Places™ DVD by Rachel Rambach, a Board-Certified Music Therapist. This unique merger of video modeling and Music Therapy is designed to help teach skills in a way that appeals to the strengths of children with developmental disabilities.
Graphics and music are used to make the video appealing to children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. A high production value helps keep the child’s interest so that he or she will want to watch many times.
I couldn’t be more proud of my association with Model Me Kids, having provided musical narration for both this DVD and previously, Model Me Faces & Emotions. So I’m thrilled that this wonderful company was willing to provide a copy of the newest DVD to one lucky Listen & Learn reader.
It couldn’t be simpler: to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment (including your email address) on this post between now and Sunday, March 28th at 8 pm. I will use random.org to select a completely random winner, who will be announced on Monday. Teachers, parents, and therapists…I’m talking to you! Enter now for your chance to win this effective (not to mention fun and entertaining) resource.
A Spring in My Step
It’s heeeere! Spring, of course. I spent the weekend in Chicago, where the first day of spring was 34 degrees with 30 mph winds and a snow/rain mix, but hey, at least I can say that winter is technically over.
Two years ago, I wrote new lyrics to the traditional tune “This Little Light of Mine” for a song all about spring. I don’t do much piggybacking (changing the words of existing songs) these days, since writing the music myself is much more fun; but I still pull out “Spring is in the Air” every March.
This year, I decided to breathe new life into it, adding some instrumentation and changing the key of the previous version. I can’t wait to sing it with all of my students tomorrow!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone, let’s go outside, it is spring!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers grow, no more snow, it is spring!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm days, sun’s rays, spring is here!
Only one more week of the normal routine before life gets a little crazy (in the best possible way). The following week is my spring break, which I’ll spend in St. Louis recording my first studio album. Then the week after that, Zach and I are jetting off to San Antonio for a few blissful days of vacation. No wonder there’s a spring in my step!
Sunday Singalong: Rusty’s Turn!
Every Tuesday evening, Rusty and I spend 30 minutes playing, writing, recording, and expressing ourselves through music. He is very interested in technology, so recently we’ve been using Garageband, iTunes, and iMovie to bring his musical creations to life. He continues to impress me with his good nature, musical talent, and creativity!
I love the fact that so many of my students want to incorporate technology into our work together, whether it’s music therapy or voice/piano/guitar lessons. Just today, I used the Flip Ultra HD Camcorder
If you want to see more of Rusty, check out this YouTube video, which was filmed by and for our local newspaper, The State Journal-Register. He is very proud of his status as a YouTube star!
Friday Fave: Model Me Going Places
Last summer I had the privilege of writing and recording songs to narrate the Model Me Kids video, Model Me Faces and Emotions (read my post about it here). It was a tremendously fun project; in fact, I was a little sad when all the work was done and the songs were completed. So you can imagine my how thrilled I was to be invited to narrate yet another new video.
I spent a good part of January and February working on new songs for Model Me Going Places, a video in which children model appropriate behavior in a variety of community locations. I am so happy with the finished product, which I received in the mail earlier this week!
Included is the DVD, CD-ROM, and the lyrics for all 12 songs. There is even a free iPhone/iPod Touch app that goes along with it, for which I provided piano melodies. My one and a half-year-old nephew loves it, and he’s too young to be biased!
Here are both DVDs (front and back), which are wonderful additions to my collection of resources. Many of my students were already familiar with Model Me Kids before they even knew about my involvement; one little boy came to his piano lesson shortly after the first DVD came out and said, “Miss Rachel, I listened to you on TV. You’re famous!” Hey, if I’m famous in the eyes of my students, then I’ve reached the top :)
You can order any of the Model Me Kids DVDs (there are 9 altogether) from their website, and be sure to go download the free iPhone/iPod Touch app!
Happy Face, Happy Voice
Whining. We all do it from time to time, whether you’re a child, mature adult, or my dog at 4 in the morning. For kids, whining comes naturally in unfavorable situations, or even just when they’re tired and cranky. How many times have the words “stop whining!” come out of your mouth? Probably quite a few if you’re a parent, teacher, or anyone else who spends time with children on a regular basis.
But that phrase may fall upon deaf ears after awhile, so how about a new way to help nip this bad habit in the bud? That was the strategy for one of my consult clients, who requested a custom-written song about using a “happy face and happy voice” instead of whining.
When you are unhappy and feeling blue,
There are just a few things that you need to do.
Just listen up, and you’ll be fine,
As long as you don’t whine.
First you need to find your happy face,
Then you need to find your happy voice.
When you talk without a whine,
And smile, you shine.
You’re making the right choice!
Simple and to the point. It’s amazing how such basic songs can be so effective, as long as the message is clear. What other bad habits might be addressed through a song like this?
SONGBOOK SALE!
It’s regional music therapy conference time, and we (myself and songbook publisher Michelle Erfurt) are celebrating by offering a limited-time-only sale on my songbook, Listen & Learn: Songs for School, Home and Play.
From March 15 – April 16, when you purchase a songbook for $25, we will also include the supplemental CD (usually sold separately for $10) and free shipping. Also, a portion of all Listen & Learn songbook sales will be donated to the music therapy clubs of Colorado State University and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (you choose which university you’d like to support when you make your purchase).
Listen and Learn: Educational songs for School, Home, and Play contains 24 of my most popular songs. It includes the melody line and chords for songs that address goal areas such as counting, daily care, directions, transitions, friendships, and more, along with activity suggestions for each one. It was developed for other music therapists, educators, parents, or anyone who works with children. I made a video in which I talk more about the book and sing a song from it; you can watch here.
Even the Penguins are Maraca Rockin’
Seriously, how cute is this? Illustrator and graphic designer Naomi Robinson sent me an email last week, asking for my permission to use part of the lyrics from my song “Maraca Rock” in this adorable picture, and of course, I said yes. We’re already talking about more ways in which we can collaborate! To see more of Naomi’s artistic creations, visit her flickr stream.