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!

Pick a Pumpkin (Song) or 2

Pumpkin Songs for Children | Listen & Learn Music

I love incorporating seasonal themes into my music therapy sessions and music classes, and autumn is a special time of year where there are so many choices for themes to bring into my work! A few of my favorites are back to school, foliage, apples, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course, pumpkins!

With the incredible number of songs about pumpkins in the Listen & Learn Music catalog, it’s about time I wrote about all the ways we can bring the theme of pumpkins into music therapy sessions and music classes. Below, I’m highlighting my favorite pumpkin-themed songs!

Self-Care Check In

As I shared with you at the beginning of September, I’ve been prioritizing self-care this month (with no plans to stop doing so anytime soon). To be completely honest, this has been easier said than done; I have a LOT on my plate right now, and at times it is temping to let my self-care practices slide in favor of completing other to-dos on my list.

I’m thankful that I was able to take part in Ami Kunimura’s 5-Day Self-Care Challenge this week, which provided me with support and accountability as I focused on practicing self-care. The daily videos and exercises helped me dive deeper into why self-care is so essential in my life right now, and I loved getting to hear from the other challenge participants as they shared their insights each day.

Many of you expressed the need to prioritize self-care in your own lives right now, which is why I am so excited to share that enrollment for Ami’s 31-credit CMTE experience, RESILIENCE OVER BURNOUT: A SELF-CARE PROGRAM, is open now.

How to Survive Your First Year as a New Professional

Being a new professional isn’t easy. I remember those days vaguely…mostly because I wasn’t sleeping very much and working super hard for my new clients and students.

Right now, many music therapists and music teachers are getting into the swing of their first school year, so I felt inspired to pass on some of the wisdom I learned while in their shoes, braving the world as a new professional.

Unapologetically YOU

This is my 4-year-old daughter, Mia Belle. I couldn’t help but take her photo before she headed to soccer practice earlier this week, mostly to capture the unique outfit she had carefully curated just for the occasion.

If you know me in real life, then most likely you’ve heard the dramatic tales of our daily battles to get dressed and ready for school each morning. To put it lightly, Mia Belle is…selective when it comes to her clothes.

She wakes up with a strong opinion about what to wear that day, completely disregarding whether or not it is appropriate for the weather or situation (e.g. the sparkly bracelet, long plastic beaded earrings, and Superman headband she’s wearing in the pre-soccer photo).

I used to let her stubbornness get to me, and our morning struggle put me in a funk nearly every day. But recently I decided to loosen my grip, because I finally saw what was really happening here. She wasn’t purposely trying to antagonize me; she simply wanted to express herself.

Falling Into Fall

Now that we’re all back into our school year groove, it’s time to jump into the first theme of the school year: FALL!

Ah, fall: that magical time of year when all of the leaves change colors, we go apple picking, take trips to the pumpkin patch, pull out all of our cozy sweaters…I could go on, but you get the picture! I like to bring seasonal and holiday themes into my music therapy sessions and music classes in order to change up my repertoire while still remaining goal-oriented.

How I’m Prioritizing Self-Care this Month

How I'm Prioritizing Self-Care in September | Rachel Rambach | Listen & Learn Music

Self-care is a term that you hear a LOT, especially if you work in a helping profession. Before I started taking my overall well-being really seriously, I laughed off self-care and the stereotypical activities associated with it ⁠— taking a bubble bath, getting a massage, etc.

However, not prioritizing self-care has led to some really unfortunate and even scary situations, including going into early labor during my second pregnancy. I’ve experienced several bouts of professional burnout as well, each of which I’ve attributed to a lack of self-care.

During this month of September, taking care of my mental, emotional and physical health is even higher on my priority list than usual. My family is adjusting to the new school year, my husband and I are buying a building (more on that soon!), my private practice is in a season of expansion, and I’m in the middle of writing a book.

So…yeah, self-care is essential right now.

We all have our own definitions, ideas, and maybe even misconceptions of what self-care looks like, so I’m going to share what it is for me at this moment in time and how it’s having a positive effect on my life.

How to Wind Down at the End of Music

When leading any type of music therapy session or music class, I always make sure that my clients and students aren’t all hyped up when they leave me. Music is a favorite activity for many of my kiddos, so they are usually excited when they walk in the door, but when they walk out, my goal is for them to be calm, cool, and collected.

Making sure children are in the “green zone” when they are finished with music is important for lots of reasons. Transitions are a lot easier when children are calm, because they are in a regulated state. On top of that, teachers, parents and caregivers will be forever grateful to you when their child walks away from music as cool as a cucumber.

Off to Pre-K and 1st Grade!

Last week, we reached a new milestone in our family: both kids are back together again at the same school, on the same schedule! My daughter started all-day Pre-K and joined my son, who started 1st grade.

If you’re a parent who has juggled multiple drop-offs, pick-ups, and differing schedules at any point in time, then I’m sure you can appreciate my excitement over this new development.

3 Back-To-School Songs for Your Musical Toolbox

Here in New England, there are single digit days left until back-to-school time. The kiddos’ backpacks are packed, first day of school outfits have been chosen, and every teacher I know is buzzing like a bee, making sure their classrooms are ready for that first day.

As a music therapist, that means lots of scheduling and preparing for the new year and the fall season! Personally, I’ve always felt like the school year is a fresh start, so I’ve taken it upon myself every fall to learn new repertoire, create new visuals, and refresh my musical tool kit.

Innovative Income for Music Therapists

In early fall of 2018, I got the itch to write a book. This has always been on my bucket list, but I just couldn’t nail down a topic. I have dozens of ideas stored in the Notes app of my phone, most of which I quickly abandoned after brainstorming bullet points.

But on December 17, the topic I was meant to write about came to me — where else? — in the shower. (It’s where I get all my best ideas.) I got out, got dressed, then ran to my laptop to capture all the thoughts flooding out of my brain.

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