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!
Sunday Singalong: Rise Up (Gala Performance)
Last night, I attended the National Children Protection Training Center’s inaugural gala in St. Paul Minnesota. Not only did I attend, but I had the opportunity to perform the song my mom and I wrote, because it was chosen as the winner of their national songwriting contest.
Sharing the song with all of the gala attendees was such a fun experience. And each person received a copy of the song on CD (which I didn’t have to burn!) as a souvenir. Here’s a picture of my mom and I at the gala:
The weekend was great — we did lots (and lots…and lots…) of shopping at the Mall of America and even had some chill time, which I’m not used to at home!
But I’m excited to head back to Illinois later this morning, because I have so much to do in order to prepare for my next trip. I’m heading to Atlanta in a little over a week for the national music therapy conference!
Friday Fave: I’m Minnesota Bound!
As you read this, I’m either on my way to Minnesota (we hit the road to the airport at 4.30 am…eek!) or already there.
A few months back, my mom told me about a songwriting contest being held by a national non-profit organization whose mission is to end child abuse.
The National Child Protection Training Center (NCPTC) focuses on educational curriculum development and training for child protection professionals across the country. The winning song would be performed at their gala, Embracing Hope: A World Without Child Abuse Starts Tonight, as a theme song of sorts.
So we entered…and guess what? We won! We found out the good news in September, and now we’re off to St. Paul in order to attend and sing the song at the gala.
My mom and I are pretty excited about having the opportunity to share the song with so many people who we know will appreciate it. If you want to hear the song for yourself, click here.
Another thing we’re pretty excited about? Doing some shopping at the Mall of America! I’ve never been, and this trip just happens to fall at the perfect time to start doing my holiday shopping :)
Student Spotlight: Adele’s “Someone Like You”
This is the “it” song of the moment in my studio, at least among the teenage girl crowd. I don’t mind one bit, because I am a huge Adele fan. Sharing similar tastes in music with my students is kinda fun, not to mention that it makes me seem much cooler to them ;)
Cydney has been working on this song for just a few weeks, and we decided that she should record it at her last lesson. I think it turned out very well! Take a listen:
How about that voice? Cydney is a powerhouse — I never have to worry about the piano drowning her out! Oh, and she can yodel too. I never cease to be amazed by my students.
And Now For Something Completely Different…
I spend most of my time writing children’s songs, providing music therapy to children, and teaching children how to sing and play instruments. Early on in my career, I realized that I was going to need a non-children-related outlet to keep me balanced, which is why I started writing songs and playing gigs for an older crowd.
I’ve kept that up over the last few years in different capacities — first as a solo act, and eventually branching out to perform with other musicians. This summer I met Matt Combs, and we quickly realized that our musical taste and style meshed well, as did our songwriting.
We’ve been hard at work for the past couple of months, writing music and preparing for our first gig in October. This week we launched our Facebook page, where we posted a demo album which includes two originals and some of our favorite covers.
I know most of you come here for content related to music therapy, music education, and children’s music, but I like to stray from the beaten path every once in a while and write about what else is going on in my life. If you want to keep up with my new pursuit, you can “like” our page below:
I’m always curious to hear about my colleagues’ endeavors outside of their professions. What do you do outside of work for fun and to stay balanced? Feel free to share links to your “for fun” blog, project, Facebook page, etc.
Halloween Video-Palooza
Happy Halloween! It’s a brisk but beautiful October day where I live — perfect trick-or-treating weather, for sure. I had a chance to see lots of cute kiddos in their costumes over the weekend, and can’t wait for all the Facebook pics to start appearing on my news feed this evening.
I’ve written lots of Halloween posts throughout the years here at Listen & Learn, and also made quite a few videos featuring Halloween tunes. So I thought a fun way to celebrate would be to round up all those videos and share them with you right here.
My adaptation of a Hap Palmer classic!
One of my (surprisingly) most-watched videos ever.
Just one of the many ways I’ve adapted this great Cathy Bollinger tune.
A recent video of one of my oldest songs. Still a fave :)
I sang this song over the weekend with some kids in extremely creative costumes.
Ukulele + classic tune = Happy Halloween!
Did you make it through all the videos? If so, WOW! (And my apologies for the morning distraction.) Whatever your plans may be for this Halloween day, I hope it is a spook-tacular one. See you back here in November!
Sunday Singalong: The St. Louis Swingers
Just as the World Series started to heat up, I received this blog comment from Rene, a member of Listen & Learn Plus! and teacher extraordinaire:
Will you still be my music therapist when the Rangers beat the Cards in the World Series? How about a friendly “deal.” If the Rangers win, you sing “The Claw” on your Sunday Sing Along; if the Cards win you sing….do the Cardinals have a song? Ok, better yet…if the Rangers win you sing “The Texas Pledge Song” and if the Cardinals win AND if they don’t have a song…you write one and sing it? Have a super great day from your biggest fan in Texas.
I woke up on Saturday morning, still giddy from the Cardinals’ win and having all but forgotten about our little deal. And then I saw yet another comment from Rene:
Bravo, Cardinals and Cardinal fans. Though I am sad my Texas Rangers lost, the silver lining is we get to hear Rachel’s Cardinal song! Woo hoo.
Of course, she hadn’t forgotten! I wasn’t off the hook…so I whipped up “The St. Louis Swingers” and actually was pretty happy with the result. Thanks, Rene, for giving me such a fun topic to write about!
And congratulations on your team’s showing in the World Series; although they didn’t win, they played very well and gave the Cards a good run for their money. As my husband (an extremely avid Cubs fan) is used to saying, “there’s always next year”.
Friday Fave: Sensory-Friendly Trick-or-Treating
Earlier this month, I was lamenting how much I would miss seeing my former students all dressed up for Halloween. I was also feeling a little bummed over not being able to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, because I’d be providing music therapy and lessons on the evening of Halloween.
However, I’m feeling much better now — because I’ll get my costume and trick-or-treating fix this Saturday. I was asked by a new therapy clinic here in Springfield to provide music activities at their open house, which means I’ll get to put all my Halloween songs to even more use.
The event sounds like a lot of fun, and is a great opportunity for little ones who aren’t as well suited to traditional trick-or-treating. The treats are gluten free/casein free, and the atmosphere will be much more friendly than spooky.
I’m off to brush up on my Halloween repertoire and choose what to wear…do I go with a costume, or just a Halloween-themed shirt? Decisions, decisions!
A Little DIY Recording Session
I’m a little sleepy this morning after a late night of recording…but I’m not complaining, because it’s one of my favorite things to do! So much so that I’m giving a presentation at AMTA National Conference in Atlanta next month called The DIY Approach to Recording.
One of the questions I receive most often through this blog is along the lines of, “What equipment do you use to record your songs?” I have two different methods for recording; the pictures above are from a live session with another musician. I use my Fender Passport sound system to record everything at once as a WAV file, which is saved to a USB flash drive.
I have another process and separate equipment for tracking, which is the method I use most often to record my Listen & Learn songs. I wrote a detailed post about that previously, which you can read here.
Music therapists, if you are interested in learning more about my recording methods, I’d love for you to attend my presentation at conference! It’s early (Sunday, November 20 at 8:00 am) but I promise I’ll make it worth your while.
What the Glif?
Sunday was a very sad day here at Listen & Learn headquarters: after two years of trusty service, my Flip Ultra HD camcorder died. Luckily, my new camera takes HD video and came to the rescue for last week’s “Sunday Singalong” video, but using that camera as a camcorder eats up the battery almost immediately. I knew I needed an alternative solution.
So where did I turn for advice? Facebook, of course! I asked my friends for HD camcorder recommendations, and the first I received was this:
My brother-in-law reminded me that I already have an excellent HD camcorder, which I knew but hadn’t thought about using as a replacement for my Flip. He sent me this link, which further convinced me that maybe I didn’t need to go out and spend the money on a new camcorder, after all.
And then I remembered a particularly memorable Kickstarter (the crowd-sourcing website I used to raise money for my studio album) project that showed up in my inbox several months ago: the glif.
The glif is “an iPhone 4/4S accessory with two primary functions: mounting your iPhone onto a tripod and propping up your iPhone at various angles” — exactly what I needed to turn my new phone into a legit camcorder. It’s a little pricy for a small piece of plastic, but compared to purchasing a brand new camcorder? I was happy to shell out the $20.
I’m going to miss the ‘ol Flipster, but I’m excited to try out my glif/iPhone combo when I record Sunday’s video. I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts, and you’ll get to see the results first-hand this weekend!
Halloween Song Sale!
Halloween is still a week away, which gives you plenty of time to share a few spooky (and not-so-spooky) tunes with your students or even your own children.
I’ve gotten plenty of use out of my Halloween song collection throughout the month of October, and wanted to make it readily available to you — which is why it’s now on sale for $5. Take a listen to the songs below:
To take advantage of the Halloween Week discount, just click “Buy” and pay securely using PayPal or a credit card. You can bet I’ll be singing these songs like crazy over the next seven days, before it’s tune to bust out the turkey tunes!