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!
Friday Fave: Twitter
It’s just about quitting time, but I wanted to get in one last post before I tear myself away from the computer for the weekend. I haven’t done a Friday Fave in a while, so I decided that today’s would be dedicated to a little website you may have heard of: Twitter. What’s not to love about a site that’s all about networking, staying up-to-date with friends, and talking about yourself, all in 140 characters or less?
You may have noticed the Twitter icon I’m sporting in my left sidebar. If you’re not following me already, you should be! I’m a little ashamed to say that “tweeting” has become one of my favorite online activities…time that could be better spent writing and recording new songs. I’m sure the novelty will wear off soon, but for now I’m enjoying making connections with other music therapists, educators, and parents all over the country.
So to sum up: find me on Twitter, introduce yourself, and we’ll share in the fun together :) Other than that, enjoy your weekend! New songs coming next week!!
America, the Beautiful
I’m always looking towards the next major (or minor) holiday with anticipation, because holidays mean special songs to go with them. And everyone knows that one of the biggest days of summer is the Fourth of July. I love this particular holiday because there are so many great songs just waiting to be played and sung. Recently, Songs for Teaching asked me to record a few for their website, and I was more than happy to do so. Follow the links to listen to a sample of each:
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
I have strong memories that accompany many of the patriotic songs we all know and love, and I bet you do, too. A few include being the designated high note hitter whenever my high school choir performed the “Star-Spangled Banner” (though I doubt I could hit that note these days!), playing “Yankee Doodle” obsessively on the piano as a little girl, and middle school choreography to “You’re A Grand Old Flag”. Ahh, memories!
What are your favorite patriotic tunes?
Positive Affirmations
Sometimes being a music therapist is hard. Music therapy, like parenting or teaching, is seldom a cut-and-dried job, and every once in a while I have to question whether what I’m doing is right, or best, or even working at all. Since I don’t have any music therapists as colleagues in my proximity, it’s almost always my students and their parents who provide that feedback.
As the summer begins and I prepare to take on several new clients and students in my private practice, I find myself second-guessing my work more frequently than usual. This can be a little overwhelming, but it’s actually a useful tool that I think is helping me grow as a music therapist. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and rely on the interventions that have worked in the past, but I hate the thought of being like those teachers who teach the same lessons, assign the same homework, and give the same tests year after year. I’m much too creative for that :)
In the last few days I’ve had the opportunity to do quite a bit of self-reflecting, and in that time I’ve also been lucky to have several positive affirmations passed my way. The first was in the form of my end-of-the-year evaluation at school, where the music therapy program rests in my hands. Talk about pressure! But the wonderful feedback I received gives me great peace of mind. I had a similar experience with several parents of children who attend my music therapy class at The Autism Program…one even said that it was the “best music experience” her child ever had. That was huge.
But the best affirmation I’ve received all week, I think, came from my 2-year-old niece Kaitlin, who lives in Denver. Her mom accidentally left the CD I recorded and sent her at home, instead of bringing it to play in the car on the way to daycare as usual. Well, Kaitlin was not having this at all, and threw a tantrum all the way there. “I want Aunt Rachel singing!!!” were her words, I believe. Upon hearing this, I made a second CD (with all new songs for my sister’s sake) and sent it out immediately!
These are the things that inspire me every day, and assure for me that I’m in the right place. My job might not be the easiest, and it may not be the highest-paying, but the benefits are countless.
The Story of My Feelings
I use this book with children of all ages and levels of development, as it appeals to almost everyone. I remember using it with a group of young children for the first time, and by the end of the story, several of the moms were tearing up. The illustrations in the book are great, and this is such a wonderful way to address emotions with children.
I have an older group of kids with whom I use this book, and they love to imitate each action in the book as I sing about it (especially YELLING!). It is definitely a resource that I will never retire.
Colors in the Morning
It’s an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning; the sun is shining in the bright blue sky, which reminded me of a great song I’ve been waiting to post. A couple weeks ago, a reader named Jamie emailed me with a great idea for an activity he was planning for a group of kids (his own included). The song is based on Donovan’s “Colours”, whose lyrics he changed to focus on color identification.
Yellow is the color of the bright, bright sun,
In the morning, when I rise,
In the morning, when I rise,
That’s the time, that’s the time,
I love the best.
Blue is the color of the clear blue sky…
Green is the color of the dewy grass…
Purple is the color of the lilac bush…
Pink is the color of the flowers that bloom…
Red is the color of the cardinal bird…
Orange is the color of the butterfly…
He suggested the use of scarves for each color in the song, and then the thought occurred to me to make a poster with images for each item in the song, attachable with Velcro. Here is what I created:
I used half of a foamboard and covered it with colored construction paper. Then I attached Velcro (the prickly side) with a sticky back.
Here is the back of the images I made for each item in the song. I laminated each and attached Velcro (the fuzzy side) to the back.
The finished product. I added a verse about an ant (the color “black”) so that there would be enough colors for each child in my group.
Thanks, Jamie, for sharing this wonderful idea! I tried it with one of my groups at the Autism Program last week, and it went over really well. I can’t wait to do it again next week!
Something to Celebrate
It’s June 5th, which means I’m one year older today. 26! Even though I don’t love these growing numbers, I do love celebrating my birthday. I was awakened by my husband and puppy singing “Happy Birthday” to me (well, Zach was doing most of the singing, and Sadie was mostly just licking). and then we took her for a walk around the neighborhood. I’m going out to lunch this afternoon, and then hopefully spending some quality time by the pool :) Tonight my friends and family are gathering for a little shindig, topping off the perfect birthday.
Have a great day…I know I will!
School’s Out for the Summer
Can this really be true? Well, judging from my near-empty, cleaned out music room and the big smiles on all of the teachers’ faces, I guess it is! This school year has been an exciting one, and today marks the end of my second full year here at Hope. This afternoon during my end-of-the-year evaluation, my principal asked, “You WILL be coming back in the fall, right?” Of course I answered with an emphatic YES…I’m thrilled to be able to keep my position going, especially since it was originally funded by a two-year grant.
This morning was our annual school talent show, in which I participated with a couple of the Junior classes. They wrote an “American Idol” themed skit, and I was one of the contestants. Unfortunately, I lost to a student, which just goes to show how talented our kids are :) Watching the rest of the acts, it made me realize how much I’m going to miss this place over the summer. I love our kids, and the staff is amazingly supportive of me and my program. It’s a wonderful place to be a music therapist.
Today’s the last day of school, but it’s the first day of music therapy at The Autism Program. I started this in the summer of 2008, and I am so excited to be back for a second summer. We have three different sessions to accomodate all ages, and though each session is only three weeks long, we make the very best of it. Can’t wait to get started this afternoon!
Hooray for June!
At last, my very favorite month of the year has arrived. This first week of June is an eventful one: Tuesday is the last day of school and my first music therapy session of the summer at the Autism Program, Thursday I’m going to a Cardinals game with my dad and brother, and Friday is my birthday! Let the fun begin.
Aside from being the first day of June, today marks another momentous occasion – this is my 200th blog post! Holy cow, I can’t believe that in the last 9 months, I’ve written 200 posts. I hope you’ll stick around for the next 200 :)
But let’s get down to business. As you know, every month has its own song, and June is no exception. I think the June song might just be my favorite of the 12, but I’ll let you decide for yourself which one is your favorite.
Let’s all sing a happy tune,
And celebrate because it’s June!
Month number six for thirty days,
So go outside and catch some rays.
For part of June, we’re out of school,
Let’s go swimming at the pool.
But when our summer break has passed,
The days are fun and they go by fast.
CHORUS
Next to come is Father’s Day,
Whether near or far away.
We’ll thank him for the things he’s done
And tell him that he’s number one.
CHORUS
This is the month when summer starts,
That’s one of the best parts.
The days get longer as they go,
Which helps the flowers bloom and grow.
CHORUS
I have lots of last minute things to do before I say goodbye to school for a couple of months, so I’d better get to it! Enjoy the first day of June :)
Friday Fave: Graduation
Today is another special day at the Hope Institute…graduation day! Several students from the senior classes will be taking the next step in their lives after the time they’ve spent at Hope, whether that is moving back home to be close to family, being placed in a development-appropriate job, or joining an assisted living community. It’s a proud time not only for the students themselves, but also for the parents and teachers who have helped them get here. It’s always a bittersweet day, though – many of the students who graduate have spent years at Hope, making it hard for us to say goodbye.
My first experience at Hope was actually at the 2007 graduation, right before I became an employee. My principal asked me to sing a couple of songs, and I have been the official graduation day singer ever since. It’s a nice job to have :)
Today I’ll be singing “You Raise Me Up”, a Josh Groban song that I think perfectly embodies the spirit of this day.
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
Bells Are For Shaking
Bells, bells, and more bells…I just can’t get enough of them when it comes to developmentally appropriate instruments for my students. They come in so many different sizes and shapes that I have one to suit the needs of even the most challenged kids. A student with little or no grip abilities? No problem – there’s a bell with a velcro strap for him/her. A child with noise sensitivity issues? Give him/her bells with small jingles that produce equally small sounds. What about kids who are working on color identification or turn-taking? I love bells like those pictured above: fun shapes and bright colors motivate my students to participate in such activities.
But the song I want to share today has a different goal in mind…discrimination between right and left. This can be a particularly difficult skill to master; heck, even sometimes I get the two confused ;) Any type of bell can be used for this activity, as long as it appropriate for the student.
Bells are for shaking, bells are for shaking,
Up and down, all around,
Bells are for shaking, bells are for shaking,
Listen to the sound.
Hold the bell in your right hand, grip it tight,
And shake it side to side, with all your might.
Hold the bell in your right hand, up in the air,
Shake it side to side without a care.
CHORUS
Hold the bell in your left hand, grip it tight,
And shake it side to side, with all your might.
Hold the bell in your left hand, up in the air,
Shake it side to side without a care.
CHORUS
It seems that I have a plethora of songs dedicated to playing the bells, which tells me I need to give a little attention to the rest of the instruments, too! Just another thing to add to the list. Luckily I’ll have some time to do that soon, as the school year is winding down and summer break is on the horizon. Only four days left…what about you?