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!
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 48
It’s hard to believe almost an entire year has gone by since launching this podcast. I have loved getting the opportunity to interview 48 amazing guests and learning so much about parenthood and music therapy along the way.
But in accordance with my motto for 2016, I’m taking some time off from the podcast before launching season 2. Knowing this would be the last episode for a while, I reached out to someone who I greatly admire as a clinician, business owner, and person in general. I was thrilled when Jamie George agreed to be my final guest of season 1, and as expected, this is one of my favorite interviews yet.
Jamie talks candidly about the premature birth of her son and how it affected her, providing music therapy to him in the NICU, and life as a business owner after becoming a mom in Episode 48 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Jamie, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode. And so that I can better plan Season 2 of the podcast, please take just a minute to answer 4 quick questions.
Three Words for 2016
Happy New Year! Another year has flashed before my eyes, as they all seem to do. I’ve been looking forward to sitting down and writing about my thoughts on 2016, but first I want to reflect on 2015.
At the start of what has proved to be the craziest year of my life thus far, I vowed to give myself more grace. However, I managed to do just the opposite: instead, I tried to be superwoman right out of the gate.
In the midst of settling into a new house and growing a baby, I took on two huge projects (creating a podcast and writing a songbook) all while growing my studio and private practice exponentially. I pushed myself mercilessly, staying up way too late and getting up early to fit it all in. I tricked myself into thinking I could handle ALL THE THINGS, and that I wasn’t sacrificing my own health and sanity.
But in December, I was done. The lack of sleep, along with the pressure I’d been putting on myself for the past 11 months, caught up with me, and I spent pretty much the entire month dealing with bronchitis, a bout of the flu, and just generally feeling terrible.
So at the end of the month, when my business partner Katey and I got together to plan for 2016, we came up with three words that would become our motto for the year:
Instead of adding to my plate, I’m putting things on the back burner. I’m focusing only on what matters most, with my family and health at the top of the list.
2015 was a lesson in what happens when self-care goes out the window, and it’s one I don’t want to learn again…ever. There will come a time when I’m not caring for an infant around the clock, when I’m sleeping through the night, when I have chunks of time for myself; but that time is not now. 2016 is about embracing that reality and adjusting my expectations accordingly.
I’m not setting any hard and fast resolutions or goals for myself this year, but there are some things I’d like to do that fit well with my 2016 motto, including:
- exercising regularly
- eating healthier
- going to bed earlier
- writing more often
- spending less time scrolling (internet/social media)
Every time I sense my proverbial plate starting to get a little too heavy, I’m coming back to those 3 words: simplify, streamline, self-care. I have a good feeling about this year, and I’m excited to see where it takes me. As I say every year, thanks for reading and coming along for the ride!
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 47
I met Gretchen Chardos Benner a couple years ago when we sat down for coffee at the AMTA national conference in Jacksonville, Florida. We talked about private practice, having kids, and life in general — we had a lot in common!
Gretchen gave me great advice back then, as she was a few years into the parenting game already and I was brand new to it. She shares some of that advice and much more in this week’s podcast episode.
Gretchen talks about following in her sister’s footsteps to become the second music therapist in her family, pursuing her masters degree while working full-time, and how she makes music with her family at home in Episode 47 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Gretchen, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
Five Tall Trees
I’ve been on a seasonal counting kick these last few months, which you know full well if you’ve been in a music therapy session or early childhood class at Music Therapy Connections this fall. In September we counted apples, in October we counted pumpkins, and right now we’re counting trees.
In keeping with the theme, we use five laminated “trees” cut of of green construction paper to accompany the song Five Tall Trees, which always brings our helpers to the front of the room during class (my son Parker is usually the first to run up and assist in counting!).
Each time we take away a tree, we count the remaining trees, so our students get a lot of practice counting up to 5, 4, 3, 2, and then 1. We point to the trees as well as hold up the correct number of fingers, which encourages them to do so as well.
This song template is super simple, but it is a favorite in every session. Time to start planning counting songs — and making the visuals to go with them — for the winter months!
Members of Listen & Learn Plus! have access to this song along with just about everything else in my resource library and collection — come over and join us!
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 46
This week’s podcast guest didn’t start out as a music therapy major — or even a music major — in college. She actually began her undergraduate career as an engineering student, but eventually made the switch once she discovered music therapy.
Her math, science and engineering courses would later come in very handy, as you’ll hear in the episode. Ginny Driscoll has one of the coolest jobs of all the music therapists I know.
Ginny talks about her work as a music therapy researcher, pursuing her PhD while raising two girls, and how she includes her daughters in her self-care practices in Episode 46 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Ginny, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
It’s Time for Little Jingles!
Last December, we offered our very first holiday-themed music class at Music Therapy Connections and it was a such a blast. I mean, what’s better than singing about reindeer and clicking reindeer hooves (a.k.a. castanets) with a bunch of kids?!
So of course we brought back Little Jingles this year, and we have a completely full class starting tomorrow evening. This year, Katey and I kept some favorite songs and activities from last year in the rotation, and we added a few new ones as well. The session is a mix of both familiar and completely original songs with lots of opportunities for singing, dancing, and instrument playing.
Just as we’ve done with many of our other class sessions, we’ve made our Little Jingles package available at Listen & Learn for Leaders, which is a resource we created for therapists, educators and parents.
This facilitator package includes a guide with a list of instruments, materials and instructions/suggestions for each song, as well as a lyric packet for participants, chords for the facilitator, and collection of mp3s.
You can purchase it as a standalone product, or get it for free when you become a VIP member (more about that here).
We’re super excited about kicking off the month of December with our Little Jingles class, and we invite you to join us in leading it with your own students, clients, and families!
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 45
I’ve written a lot of songs, but this week’s podcast guest may have written just as many — if not more! Amanda Ellis works in an educational setting and is constantly coming up with new songs to teach all kinds of topics, which is how we first connected many years ago.
I’ve enjoyed getting to know Amanda through social media and watching her son Robert grow up on Facebook, so it was really nice getting the chance to chat about both professional and personal aspects on her life for the podcast.
Amanda talks about her approach to providing music therapy to 30+ classrooms each week, her son’s impressive musicality as the child of two musicians, and the importance of communication between working parents in Episode 45 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Amanda, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
This episode is sponsored by Serenade Designs, which is owned by board-certified music therapist Julie Palmieri. Julie helps her fellow music therapists create, enhance, and rock their online presence.
Through Julie’s website design services, social media and online marketing services, and virtual assistance, she’s here to help you rock your online presence — while making it all feel effortless. She assists music therapists in having a strong representation on the web so that they can focus on working in the field they love — music therapy.
Julie understands what it’s like being a busy business owner as well as a Momma. :) You can learn more about how Julie can help you with your online presence at serenade-designs.com.
Counting My Blessings on Thanksgiving
It’s been a wild ride of a year, and I haven’t had much time to take a step back and really think about all the reasons I have to be thankful. But if ever there was a time to do so, it’s today. My husband took the kids to his parents’ house for breakfast, so I have just enough time to drink a cup of coffee and write a quick note to you on this Thanksgiving morning.
I’ll start by saying thank YOU for reading my blog — whether you’ve been here since the beginning in 2008 or just found your way here recently. I can’t express how grateful I am for every comment, email, song purchase, membership, and friendship formed over all these years.
I’d also like to thank you for your support as my business has evolved and grown, but especially in these last few months as we opened our first facility. One of my biggest blessings in life is my business partner, Katey; together we have taken Music Therapy Connections to a level that I only dreamed was possible — and we aren’t stopping there.
I’m also thankful to every single family who walks through our doors, because they are the reason we do what we do. They bring us so much joy and fullfillment every day, and help Katey, myself, and the rest of our team support our own families.
And that leads me to my ultimate blessing in life: my family. My husband Zach, our son Parker, and our daughter Mia are my world, and I’m so lucky to be living this adventure with them. But of course, our adventures wouldn’t be nearly as smooth and enjoyable without the rest of our family, most of whom live in our neighborhood :) We are eternally grateful to our parents for all that they do for us, from taking Parker to school every morning to buying endless clothes and toys to cooking for us throughout the week.
I’m looking forward to spending this holiday with all of them, and I hope you have the opportunity to spend the day with your loved ones, too. Thank you for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Speaking of counting blessings, click here to download my song “Count Your Blessings” for free. I use it all holiday season long to help my students realize the blessing in their own lives.
Free Download + Thanksgiving Super Sale!
You guys, I am so excited about Thanksgiving. I look forward to this holiday every year, but this one is special — it’s my daughter Mia’s first Thanksgiving, and my son Parker is old enough to (mostly) understand why we’re celebrating.
I always offer some type of deal or discount here at Listen & Learn Music to kick off the holiday season, and this year I’m going all out with two big ones.
- Free “Early Childhood Programs: Create, Market, Make Music!” Online Course ($75 value) when you join Listen & Learn Plus, my membership site where I provide hundreds of music therapy songs, resources, downloads, biz advice and more.
- 50% off the entire Listen & Learn Music Store when you use the code THANKS50 at checkout.
Oh, and I have a free download (mp3, instrumental track, & lyrics/chords) to share with you as a little Thanksgiving gift. I wrote “Count Your Blessings” specifically for the Thanksgiving season, but it is perfect for use throughout all the holidays!
Claim the specials and your free download here.
These two specials are available now through November 30. Thank you so very much for reading, sharing your feedback, and supporting Listen & Learn Music throughout the years. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Bear Says Thanks
One of my favorite books to read to Parker is Bear Snores On, because I love the way the words flow and the phrase “…and the bear snores on” repeats. So when I was browsing online and found that there were other books in this series, I got really excited.
I was in search of a Thanksgiving-related book to use in our early childhood music classes, and Bear Says Thanks was the perfect choice. It’s a little bit longer than our usual singable stories, but the repetition makes it easy for everyone to join in. The illustrations are lovely and the hard copy version is nice and big.
The tune I came up with is a mash-up of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” and “Turkey in the Straw” — kind of random, I know, but that’s what came out when I first tried setting the words to music :) I like using familiar melodies for singable stories, because they are easier to remember.
There are a few other books I love to pull out at Thanksgiving time (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie and Ten Fat Turkeys are favorites) but this one is currently at the top of my list.