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!
Working Away on Columbus Day
Being self-employed and running my own full-time business has been a dream come true, it really has. But there are definitely some noticeable voids now since leaving my job — first and foremost being my former coworkers and students. Also on that list? Paid holidays.
Today is Columbus Day, and with most of my students off from school, I’ve always canceled lessons and music therapy sessions on this day in years past. However, my studio doors are open for business today.
And as much as I miss the idea of paid holidays and vacation days, the reality is that I don’t mind working when most people aren’t. My winter break may be shorter this year, and there will be no spring break at my studio, but since the work I do doesn’t feel much like “work” at all, I’m not complaining.
I will, however, be reaping the benefits of everyone else being off today: several of my students are coming earlier than usual for their lessons or sessions, which means my work day will end before the sun goes down. That is an extremely rare occurrence, and one worth celebrating. Happy Columbus Day, indeed!
Sunday Singalong: Ugga Bugga Boo
Okay, okay…so this song really has nothing to do with Halloween at all. It is, however a Listen & Learn oldie! I think three years qualifies, as such, don’t you? When I went digging through the archives to find my original post, I couldn’t believe it how long it has been around.
The original moves all involve making some kind of sound, but they don’t have to. I’m using “Ugga Bugga Boo” this month when some of my students, and we’re finding creative ways to change up the lyrics. Some of the movements we’ve come up with:
- get into the beat and shrug your shoulders up and down (up and down)
- get into the beat and wave your arms ’round and ’round (’round and ’round)
- get into the beat and bend your knees down and up (down and up)
And of course, there are always a few silly ones in the mix, too :) With a title like Ugga Bugga Boo, that’s to be expected!
Friday Fave: Lyrics That Aren’t Lyrics
I can’t take any credit for discovering this video — I first saw it on Facebook, where it was shared earlier this week by my music therapist friends Lisa, Michelle, and Becky (among others, I’m sure).
I’m not sure about you, but I knew every one of those songs from the get-go. Just goes to prove that a song doesn’t have to have amazingly powerful lyrics to make it memorable or enjoyable.
Then again, I already knew that…most of the songs I write have lyrics meant for children under the age of 10, yet that doesn’t stop them from getting stuck in my head for days on end!
My favorite song featuring lyrics that aren’t lyrics would have to be Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” (at the 2:00 mark in the video), because it had sentimental value back in high school :) What’s yours?
“Make a Dent in the Universe”
Upon learning of the death of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, my husband posted this quote of his on Facebook. Many others have followed suit, and I’m doing the same now. Steve Jobs made a huge dent in the universe, and helped millions of others make their own…including me.
I vividly remember one night back in 2006: my boyfriend (now husband) and I were sitting on the couch — he was typing away at his brand new Macbook, while I did the same on my old Dell. Zach said, “You should check out this Garageband program. I bet you could get lots of use out of it for your music therapy work.” I took a quick look, and then told him I doubted I would ever need something like that. After all, I was a PC girl all the way.
But I tried it out the next day while he was at work, and was hooked. Since then, I’ve gone through multiple Macbooks, using Garageband to record hundreds and hundreds of songs for my students, myself, and this very blog.
I’ve used iMovie to create over 75 “Sunday Singalong” videos. My iPad has a place in almost every music therapy session I facilitate, lesson I teach, and gig I perform. I would feel lost without my iPhone.
Slowly but surely, I’m making my dent in the universe; and although I can’t give Steve Jobs all the credit, I will say that I couldn’t have done some of my best work without him and his creations. So today, along with the rest of the world, I’m remembering an amazing visionary and feeling thankful for his contributions to us.
Renee & Jeremy Are My New BFFs
Who are Renee and Jeremy, you may be wondering? Well I don’t actually know them (which means we’re not actual BFFs), but I do know that I really love their family-friendly children’s music.
I was searching for new play-along tunes to use with my little Church Mice when I discovered this duo in the iTunes store. I listened to clips of almost every song on both their albums — It’s a Big World and C’mon — and couldn’t find a “just okay” one in the bunch. Renee & Jeremy describe their music being “for people of all ages” and I would have to say they are right on.
Renee & Jeremy are right up there on my list with Elizabeth Mitchell and Little Miss Ann, among others. Who’s on your list of “musical BFFs” at the moment?
8 Ways To Jump Start Your Morning
The way I spend my morning almost always dictates how the rest of my day will go. This has been the case since college, but it has become even more true now that I work for myself and have the responsibility of structuring my day.
There’s no big secret to how I jump start my mornings, but there are a few key things I do that have really seemed to work as far as setting a positive tone for the day ahead. A typical morning for me:
- Wake up early. I set my alarm for 5 am almost every day (and if you think that’s impressive…my husband is out the door by 4:30!). I love the feeling of having a few extra hours to accomplish things, starting with…
- Work out. My early morning trips to the gym began on January 1, 2008, when I made a New Year’s resolution to get into great shape for my August wedding. It worked, and I’ve continued them ever since. I feel incredibly energized and ready to take on just about anything afterwards!
- Coffee. The first thing I do when I get home is make myself a cup. A little caffeine goes a long way :)
- Eat breakfast. My mom would always nag me to eat breakfast growing up, and I begrudgingly did. Now I know that I won’t get far without it, so I’m sure to eat something with my coffee while I check email and catch up on blogs.
- Get some fresh air. My dad and I have been biking several mornings a week for the past month, and I am hooked. The gym is okay, but it doesn’t compare to being outside — especially on beautiful Indian summer mornings like today.
- Dress for success. There are plenty of mornings that I could happily spend in my pajamas, lazing around my office. But on days where I take a shower first thing and put on a cute outfit, somehow I’m much more productive. The way I dress definitely affects my attitude!
- Listen to music. I have a “get pumped” playlist that I listen to on my Spotify app while I get ready in the morning, and it really gets me going. This is probably one of the most important elements of my morning, actually.
- Set some goals. I’m a list maker, as many of you know. Having a definitive list of goals in front of me at the beginning of the day gives me direction, and sets a course of action until my first student arrives at 3 pm.
I have to admit that I am guilty of skipping several of these steps this morning — although I did have coffee, breakfast, and an awesome bike ride. I’m off to listen to some tunes as I get ready for my day, and then attack the to-do list waiting for me on my desk. How do YOU jump start your morning?
Student Spotlight: “Far From the Home I Love”
In all my years of voice lessons — beginning at the age of 12, all the way through college — I don’t remember singing any “pop” songs. My repertoire was made up of foreign language arias, art songs, and show tunes. And while I’m a lot more lenient with my own students’ repertoire choices than my teachers were with mine, I like to maintain a little bit of tradition (no pun intended).
It doesn’t get much more traditional than Fiddler on the Roof, where the song “Far From the Home I Love” comes from. Emma did a beautiful job singing this song, and even used it as an audition piece for the musical in which she was recently cast.
Though many of my students would be perfectly content singing Taylor Swift and Greyson Chance songs exclusively, I love that they humor me by balancing them out with songs that won’t be on the radio anytime soon. The best is when they end up actually enjoying those songs, which is usually the case!
Sunday Singalong: Pumpkin, Pumpkin
For someone who isn’t the biggest fan of Halloween, I sure have written enough songs to make it appear otherwise! This is one of my older tunes — it’s been around for a few years, but I still like to pull it out from time to time.
It seems to be pumpkin weekend here on the blog, and in real life as well. It’s only the second day of October, and already I’m seeing orange everywhere I go. I guess I might as well jump on the bandwagon and pull out my decorations. Oh, and I should also go pick out that pumpkin I mentioned in the video!
Friday Fave: Ultimate Guitar Tabs App
It’s been awhile since I wrote about one of my favorite apps, so that is exactly what I’m doing today. Tabs is an app for both iPhone and iPad by Ultimate-Guitar.com, which is my go-to source for chords to just about any song you could ever think of.
The app itself costs $2.99, but there is also a subscription fee you must pay before accessing songs. However, the fee is nominal — I paid $5.99 for 12 months of full access to over 300,000 songs.
This is one of the most frequently used apps on my iPad, because my students and music therapy clients are always requesting songs that I don’t know off the top of my head. The app allows me to search for any song or band/artist, transpose songs to any key, look up a chord if I’m not familiar with it, and even auto-scroll the song so that my hands don’t have to leave the guitar or piano.
My favorite features are playlists and favorites. I can save songs to separate playlists for each of my students as well as keep a running list of favorites for myself, which motivates me to sit down and practice when I have a bit of downtime. I have always loved the website, but now instead of printing out sheet after sheet, I can just grab the iPad and play.
Have you tried this app yet? If so, what are your thoughts — and how do you use it? And if not, I’d love to hear your preferred method for finding chords/tabs to songs and using them in sessions or lessons.
How Do I Love My Job? Let Me Count the Ways.
Yesterday during my presentation at the Sharing a Vision conference, I may have gotten a little carried away explaining just how powerful music can be, and how much I love what I do. If the attendees walked away having learned nothing at all (which I hope is not the case!), at least they will have recognized my genuine passion for music therapy.
And today, for the second time this week, I have the opportunity to educate another person about this field and what it’s like to be a part of it. A high school senior with an interest in music therapy is coming over to talk with me today, which is exciting but scary. I always feel a great deal of pressure when I talk to students, because I want to make sure I represent my field enthusiastically yet accurately.
After all, one of the most influential factors in my decision to do so was a job shadowing experience I had with a music therapist as an undergraduate student. Her passion was apparent; I saw with my own eyes just how much she enjoyed the work she was doing and how it was benefiting her clients.
As much as music therapists are advocates for our profession in the community — to parents, educators, legislators, other kinds of therapists, and the list goes on — I also feel like I have a responsibility to help our field grow. I’ve had many students come to observe or interview me about music therapy, and each time, I hope that I’m influencing them in the same way I was by a music therapist all those years ago.