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!
More Songs for Teaching
One of my very favorite websites for discovering great tunes – as well as sharing my own – is Songs for Teaching. I’ve been lucky enough to have quite a few Listen & Learn originals available for downloading (find them here) at Songs for Teaching, and recently had the opportunity to produce a few recordings of well-known songs exclusively for the website.
Here are the first three, which you’ll probably recognize:
I’ll be adding several more over the next few weeks, so I will be sure to keep you updated! In other news, you might have visited earlier today and noticed that many songs did not play as they should have. This was due to a file server upgrade, which I’m happy to say is completed. All of the songs you’ll find here are now hosted by a much more reliable server, which should eliminate any problems you may have encountered in the past when listening. Thanks so much for your patience, and for visiting Listen & Learn Music regularly :)
Flower, Stand Tall!
Flowers are popping up all over the place, and they are a great topic for a song around this time of year. Flower songs are good opportunities to address color identification, which is what I had in mind when I wrote the song below.
Red, orange, yellow, green,
White, purple, pink and blue.
Flowers are so colorful and smell good too.
There are many different kinds Mother Nature grows,
In a pot or in a field or garden rows.
Red flower, stand tall,
Red flower, stand tall,
Can you choose your favorite red flower of all?
(You just might be the fairest flower of all!)
Repeat, using each color.
My initial idea was to give each child a scarf and ask him/her to stand up as that color is mentioned in the song. I made visuals for each color flower, and to practice making choices, the child can choose which of three flowers of that color he/she likes best. For children who don’t have that ability, there are alternate lyrics in parentheses.
Friday Fave: Sadie!
This is our new little bundle of joy! Sadie was born on March 28, and we finally got to bring her home yesterday. She had a fun first night in her new home: she got to meet all of her grandparents, take a walk around the neighborhood, and play with all of her toys. She definitely wore us out…and she wore herself out too! We were expecting a lot more crying throughout the night, but she only woke us up once to take her outside. Not bad at all!
I have a couple new songs I’m looking forward to posting, but they’ll have to wait until the weekend. You can probably guess that I have been a little preoccupied for the last couple days, but I can’t wait to share the songs I have in store for you. In the meantime, maybe Sadie will inspire me to write a song about puppies :) Have a great Friday, and a wonderful holiday weekend!
Eight Silly Monkeys
I’m feeling generous today, which is why I’m sharing all the details of my students’ favorite book, Eight Silly Monkeys. I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble three years ago, and it has held up through all this time in the hands of my students, who can be less than delicate :) Thankfully, the book has a hard front and back cover and the pages are made of sturdy cardboard, making it the perfect classroom resource.
The bright colors, 3-D monkeys, familiar words and tune make this a very popular book not only with my students, but with me, too. Why? Because there are so many objectives that can be addressed, including counting, tactile input, basic reading skills, and even movement. My kids love imitating the different motor skills the monkeys display in this book, like jumping, dancing, spinning, and sliding.I hope you and your students have the chance to enjoy this book as much as we do here at the Hope Institute. And speaking of Hope, today is our 2nd Annual All-School Singalong! I’m used to being a solo act, but today several of my coworkers – a drummer, guitar player, and bassist – will join me to present some of the “greatest hits” of the year. I’m off to practice with the band right now…have a great day!
Safety Comes First
I love hearing from my readers, especially when they have a success story to share involving a song I’ve shared on the blog. A close second to that is readers who give me ideas for new songs and activities, because sometimes I need a little grease to get the wheels turning!
Well as I mentioned yesterday, music therapist Amy from L.A. did just that earlier in the week. She asked if I knew of any good street and traffic safety songs, as she was addressing this topic with one of her students diagnosed with autism. I told her I didn’t, but that I would love to try my hand at writing one. She specified that the language should be pretty basic, and then gave me a few key elements to include. Here is what resulted:
Left, right, left.
Left, right left.
Look both ways before you cross the street!
Left, right, left.
Left, right, left.
Use your eyes before you use your feet.
You gotta be safe,
And you gotta be smart,
When there are cars around,
So do your part.
Always think
Before you act,
Because safety comes first,
And that’s a fact.
Do not run.
Do not run.
Walk very slowly in the parking lot!
Do not run.
Do not run.
Slow is good but going fast is not.
CHORUS
Stay away.
Stay away.
From the street unless it’s time to cross.
Stay away.
Stay away.
Because the street is very dangerous.
CHORUS
Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
Red means stop, and green means go.
Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
They will tell you what you need to know.
CHORUS
I like that the lyrics to this song can be easily modified or added to, since the verses are so simple. There are many other concepts it could cover, such as walk/don’t walk signals, crossing guards, etc. Hopefully Amy can use this tune, or a version of it, to better teach these concepts to her student!
I’m So Glad it’s Springtime
Good Wednesday morning! This post is going to be short and sweet, because I can’t wait to get to work on the new song I’m writing about traffic safety (a wonderful suggestion from music therapist Amy in California). I woke up today with this simple song about spring – with a familiar tune – running through my head and thought I’d share:
My eyes can see it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My eyes can see it’s springtime
The grass is so green.
My ears can hear it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My ears can hear it’s springtime
The birds sweetly sing.
My nose can smell it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My nose can smell it’s springtime
The flowers perfume
My arms can feel it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My arms can feel it’s springtime
The sunshine so warm.
The green grass, the birds sing,
The flowers, the sunshine.
Oh I can tell it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
Oh I can tell it’s springtime
And I am so glad.
My eyes, ears, and arms could definitely tell that it is springtime this morning, but not because of the flowers, birds singing, and warm sunshine…more like the storm clouds, thunder crashing, and rain falling!
Counting Time: Flowers
It’s that time again – counting time! I’m so glad to be counting flowers rather than umbrellas, like I did so often last month. One of my favorite things about spring is watching all the beautiful colors pop up in my neighborhood. My neighbors have the most gorgeous red tulips in their front yard, and every time I see them it makes me want to plant my own garden! Soon enough, I’ll get around to that…but for now, I guess I’ll have to settle for counting flowers rather than growing them.
Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little flowers in a row,
Now let’s count them nice and slow:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
How many flowers?
Ten little flowers.
All lined up in a row.
Now that I have flowers on the brain, I have the urge to write a new song about all my favorites. From tulips to hydrangeas to roses, there’s an endless list of sweet-smelling blooms to sing about. Do you have any favorite flower tunes?
Jingle Jane & Silly Sally
Last week as I was preparing for a music therapy session, a thought came to mind: Jingle Joe needed a female counterpart. So right then and there, I created Jingle Jane, and she’s been a part of the tambourine gang ever since. Here’s the new verse:
Jingle Jane was strolling down the lane,
I saw her just the other day.
Her hair was pink, she said, “See whatcha think,
About the way I play my tambourine.”
She showed me how to jingle, jingle!
Tap the tambourine in the air.
Jingle, jingle!
Jinglin’ with Jane, play without a care.
Literally hours after I’d composed that verse, I received an email from a reader named Mollie. This is what she had to say:
Hi Rachel,
My 5 year old and I were listening to some of your stuff while I was prepping for the new month and she helped me write a verse about a girl and a maraca since it’s “Mexico Month” (according to her!) Thought we would share it with you! Feel free to tweak it and share your thoughts…but just wanted to share. Thanks again…keep up the good work!
Mollie
Mollie must have been reading my mind, because here is the verse she and her daughter came up with:
Silly Sally is a gal I know,
I saw her just the other day.
She likes Chewbacca, and she plays the maracas,
And she taught me how to play.
She showed me how to shake, shake!
Shake the maraca way with all your might.
Shake, shake,
Shake with Sally she’s dy-no-mite!
She showed me how to shake it high, shake it low.
Shake it fast, Shake it slow.
Shake with all your might,
Shake with Silly Sally she’s dy-no-mite!
What a fun way to incorporate other instruments into the song. And I love that she collaborated with her daughter, who is obviously a budding songwriter herself :) If you ever have an idea for new verses or lyrics to a song you find at Listen & Learn, please don’t hesitate to send it my way!
Happy Mother’s Day!
I am lucky to have an amazing mom, who just also happens to be my best friend. Our new house is just down the street from hers, so we’re neighbors, too! This picture was taken at my mom’s 50th birthday party last month. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful mom in my life, as well as an awesome stepmom, mother-in-law, aunts, and grandmas.
Today I want to wish all of you mothers out there a happy Mother’s Day – you deserve it! I hope you have the chance to spend some quality time with your family today. I just had brunch with my husband’s family, and this afternoon and tonight we’ll get to hang out with my side of the family. Enjoy your special day!
Friday Fave: You!
Today I want to talk all about you, my wonderful readers. I used to feel a little lonely, being the only music therapist in my city. In fact, that was one of the motivating factors in starting this blog. I needed a place to share my ideas, receive feedback on my songs, and just communicate with people who have similar experience and background.
And communicate I have. It is such a great feeling to find an email from a reader waiting for me, whether he/she is asking a question, commenting on a song, or sharing an idea with me. Not only do I have new email buddies, but I have gotten to know many of you via Twitter and Facebook, too.
I am thrilled to have so many new connections in the music therapy community, but it hasn’t stopped there. Music educators, classroom teachers, and parents make up a big part of my readership, and those that I have talked with are advocates of music therapy and the difference music can make in a child’s life.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making Listen & Learn one of your regular stops on the web. Thank you for your emails, comments, and overall support, whether it is sending the link to a friend, making a donation, or purchasing a CD. Or all three, in many cases :)
Happy Friday to you. I hope that knowing you are my “fave” makes your day a little brighter!