This is where all of my interests and skills are combined for one purpose: to make peoples’ lives better through music. Whether it’s through my original songs, serving my community through my business, or singing with my children, this is my favorite place to share my musical endeavors. Thank you for visiting, and I hope to get to know you better.
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Members of Listen & Learn Plus have access to ALL of my songs, resources, and session plans. Learn more about the perks of membership, and get a free sneak peek inside.
This is the book that will help you shape your music therapy career in order to make more money and live your ideal lifestyle.
Written by Listen & Learn Music creator Rachel Rambach, MM, MT-BC, Innovative Income for Music Therapists combines her own experiences with those of other trailblazing music therapists to illustrate the virtually endless ways in which to generate revenue using your unique training, knowledge and skills.
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I Want You To Have It All
It’s been a whirlwind of birthdays in my family over the last few weeks. My daughter turned 3 at the end of May, followed by my own birthday at the beginning of June, and culminating with my son’s 5th birthday just a few days later.
Every birthday feels like a milestone while my children are this young, but 5 was an especially big one. At 5, Parker is no longer a little kid, a preschooler…he is officially school-aged and heading to kindergarten in a couple months. Admittedly, 5 brought on a whole lot of emotions for this mama.
Using the Ocean Drum in Music Therapy
Hi everyone! My name is Cacia King, and I’m going to be writing to you every week about all the goal-based songs available to you through Listen & Learn Music. I’ve been a member of Listen & Learn Plus for over 2 years, and now as a part of the Listen & Learn team, I’m so excited that I’ll get to share how I use these awesome resources regularly in my therapy sessions.
Here’s all you need to know about me: I’ve been a board-certified music therapist for three years, I am from New Hampshire, and I love to sing, tap dance, and drink iced coffee.
I work with children who have special needs, and love being silly and making music every day with all my kiddos. I hope that I can inspire you to try new songs and adapt them to meet the unique needs of the children with whom you work!
Ok, so now onto the good stuff. What song am I really into this week? Well, summer is here to stay, which means it’s time for beach days and splashing in the pool. And what better way to get into the summer spirit than by playing the ocean drum?
It’s Baaaack: A New Season of the Guitars & Granola Bars Podcast!
When I came up with the idea for the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast (in the shower, where all my good ideas manifest) back in December 2014, I couldn’t wait to make it happen. No matter that I was 5 months pregnant and already running 2 businesses — I had a goal.
The podcast launched just a few weeks later in January 2015, and I was off to the races. For that first year, I faithfully released a new episode every single Friday…including the week my daughter was born. I kept up this pace until I couldn’t anymore, and started making changes in my life for my own mental and emotional health.
Unfortunately, it was Guitars & Granola Bars that took a backseat to my other work priorities, though I always intended to come back to the podcast when I was ready. There were a couple times when I tried to make another go of it, but it wasn’t meant to be. Until now.
Mia Belle at 3
It’s official: we no longer have a toddler in our house. This big girl turned 3 years old, which ends an era for the Rambachs. And while I will miss the toddler years, I already know how much fun this next stage is thanks to her big brother.
As a fresh 3-year-old, Mia Belle’s personality is bigger and brighter than ever. She’s still a total mama’s girl, but she’s getting more and more independent by the day. I took her to a fairytale princess party over Memorial Day weekend, and she happily sat with all the other little girls in the center of the room, not minding one bit that I wasn’t in view. A little bittersweet for this mama, but I’m so proud of her for coming out of her shell.
Unboxing Your Life
Yesterday I listened to a podcast episode about the benefits of living an adventurous life. The entire episode was really interesting, but what stayed with me was this idea, which I’m paraphrasing:
When you spend time indoors, your thoughts, issues and problems are confined to the four walls of the room you’re in. But when you go outside, those things are no longer confined. You can let them go and give yourself the space needed to find clarity.
Those words hit me like a ton of bricks.
Pass the Rainstick Round and Round
The rainstick is one of those instruments I don’t bring out often, but when I do, it’s always a hit. We’ve been playing them in our Listen & Learn classes this past month, which means my “Rainstick Round” song has been put to good use.
The Big K
Wasn’t I telling you about Parker starting part-time daycare just yesterday?
At least, it seems like just yesterday we were taking that big leap. But that was actually almost 4 years ago, when he was turning 18 months old. Now he’s approaching his 5th birthday, and kindergarten is on the horizon.
Filtering Out the Noise
About a month ago, I did something a little crazy: I deleted the Facebook app from my phone. Not only that, but I also installed a Chrome extension on my computer that prevents my newsfeed from showing up when I visit the Facebook website.
So what inspired this Facebook fast? The truth is, my brain was tired. And overloaded with information. And sick of negativity. Despite having experienced those feelings for months (years?), I still found myself scrolling endlessly far too often, and I knew it had to stop.
“Banana, Ooh Na Na” {Kid-Friendly Adaptation of “Havana” by Camila Cabello}
Last month when I was brainstorming new songs to write for my early childhood music classes, I had the idea to adapt the song “Havana” to use with fruit shakers. I couldn’t stop singing the original version, so I figured it would make a catchy and effective song for my students…and so far, that has been the case! I introduced “Banana, Ooh Na Na” a few weeks ago in our early childhood and preschool classes, and have also been using it in some of my music therapy sessions. It gets plenty of play at home, too, since my own children request it nearly every day. read more…
Directionally Challenged
Directionally challenged: that pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling when it comes to this space lately.
I’m coming up on 10 years (!?!?) of writing here, and in that time span, a LOT has happened. I’ve grown from being a brand new professional to a relatively experienced music therapist, worked for 4 years as an employee and then left to expand my business, had two children, expanded my business some more, completely overhauled my workload…and those are just the BIG ones.
In the beginning, I didn’t overthink things. I just wrote about whatever I felt like, from my work, to my personal life, to the songs I was writing. But as my audience has grown, I’ve felt myself being tugged in many different directions…yet I’m afraid that going too far down one or more of those paths will alienate the people who are here for other reasons.