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.
Performances
Events
Videos
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.
Let’s Connect on Instagram
My Small Business Story: Part 4
Last week, I shared Part 3 of this series, in which I’m giving you the full scoop on how I went from having a full-time day job and a small private practice on the side (headquartered in my car) to now co-owning a thriving business with a facility of our own and a team of 7.
In Part 3, I described what it was like working for myself full-time, experiencing burnout, bringing on an independent contractor, and adding a baby to the mix.
Part 4 picks up at the end of my first year of motherhood, and takes you through creating a business partnership, moving my practice out of my house, growing the business while growing a second baby, taking a huge leap into our own facility, and continuing to hustle with an infant and toddler at home.
You can read all four parts of my story, along with key takeaways and action items, over on Listen & Learn Plus, where you’ll also find a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music.
Fall is for Pumpkins and Coffee
Parker is ob-sessed with all things Halloween. He carries around his pumpkin bucket and practices his trick-or-treat technique on a daily basis. His favorite show right now is the Halloween episode of Little Einsteins on Netflix. He talks nonstop about pumpkins, witches and ghosts.
It’s super cute how excited he is, even though I’m not a fan of Halloween. I can’t wait to take him out in his Olaf costume when it’s finally time to trick-or-treat for real. And then we’ll pack up all the Halloween stuff and move on to Frosty around the clock (he’s already made his appearance quite a few times so far this fall).
But for now, pumpkins. And more importantly, coffee. Mia is in the middle of a seemingly never-ending growth spurt, which means she has been waking up at least two times every night to eat. I get up at 5 am every day to do all the work I don’t have time for during normal-people hours, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for quality sleep.
So coffee it is. One cup in the morning while I pump and work on the computer, and another right before I go to work in the afternoon. At this point in Parker’s infancy I was drinking 3 per day, so I feel pretty good about limiting myself to 2.
Fall is also for working on lots of projects, continuing to grow my business, getting ready to attend the national music therapy conference, and trying not to get too overwhelmed by all of the above. All of it is good, it’s just a lot — which is pretty much the status quo of my life.
Five Orange Pumpkins
Between singing about them with my clients, admiring them with my two-year-old, and seeing them everywhere, it sort of feels like pumpkins have taken over my life…and I’m okay with that.
It’s fall, after all, and pumpkins are the orange ambassadors of this season. I’ve written many a song about them, and this one is the latest. I’ve been using it in my early childhood classes as well as music therapy sessions to work on counting, 1:1 correspondence, and attending skills.
I cut out and laminated five orange pumpkins so that my students would have a visual representation, and as we sing each verse, we take one away and count the remaining pumpkins. It would also be fun to grab some mini pumpkins for a more tactile experience.
What other pumpkin songs are you singing this fall? Here are a few more (along with some additional Halloween-themed tunes) on my Listen & Learn list.
Members of Listen & Learn Plus! have access to all of these songs (along with tons more) right inside the Dropbox folder I share with them — come over and join us!
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 39
I was feeling pretty good about myself when I went back to teaching early childhood music classes this summer, a mere 5 weeks after my daughter was born. And then I had my mind blown by this week’s podcast guest; suddenly my “quick” return didn’t feel quite as impressive.
It’s no secret that business owners are highly motivated when it comes to their work, but Morgan Sparks takes that term to the next level.
Morgan talks about her unconventional path to music therapy, teaching Kindermusik classes just 6 days postpartum, and the give-and-take that comes with raising a young child and owning a business Episode 39 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Morgan, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.
Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!
Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.
Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.
My Small Business Story: Part 3
Last week, I shared Part 2 of this series, in which I’m giving you the full scoop on how I went from having a full-time day job and a small private practice on the side (headquartered in my car) to now co-owning a thriving business with a facility of our own and a team of 7.
In Part 2, I detailed the evolution from “side hustle” to “two full-time jobs” — including my thoughts on home-based private practice, preparing to quit my day job, and making changes to become a full-fledged business owner.
Part 3 picks up in June 2011, when I began working for myself full-time. In the full post, I talk about experiencing burnout, bringing on an independent contractor, and adding a baby to the mix.
You can read parts 1, 2, and 3 of my story, along with key takeaways and action items, over on Listen & Learn Plus, where you’ll also find a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music.
Red Ribbon Official
Music Therapy Connections has been in business for over 8 years now, but never have I felt more official than the moment my partner Katey and I cut a red ribbon in front of our building with giant scissors.
We recently joined the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, and one of the perks of membership is a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which we held this past Friday. We invited members of the Chamber, our staff, friends and family to join in the ceremony, and then held an open house for families in the community.
Our facility has come a long way since we opened the doors at the end of August, but we’re not done. We are continuing to raise money for our recording studio and constantly coming up with ways of enhancing our space. The feedback we receive from everyone who comes in has been overwhelmingly positive — the BEST thing to hear is how cheerful and inviting it is. That’s exactly what we were going for :)
If you live in the Springfield area and haven’t been by for a visit, please feel free by do so. Also, we still have a few openings for new voice, piano and guitar students as well as our next session of classes for children of all ages. All of the information is available on our website.
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 38
I’ve interviewed quite a few moms with young babies since starting this podcast, but Ashley Lundquist takes the cake for having THE youngest baby to date. She gave birth to her son Phoenix less than a month ago, yet still took time out to talk with me.
I loved getting the perspective of a brand-new mom, and Ashley was kind enough to share all the interesting details related to her journey so far. It reminded me just how unique of an experience it is having your first child, and how it felt so different for me the second time around.
Ashley talks about how losing her voice affected her music therapy career, the way she incorporated music during her labor and delivery, and how she is settling into her role as a first-time mom just a few weeks postpartum in Episode 38 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Ashley, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.
Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!
Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.
Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.
My Small Business Story: Part 2
Last week, I shared Part 1 of this series, in which I’m giving you the full scoop on how I went from having a full-time day job and a small private practice on the side (headquartered in my car) to now co-owning a thriving business with a facility of our own and a team of 7.
Part 1 was all about the side hustle: getting my name out there, starting a small private practice on the side, and then literally hustling from one client’s home to another every evening after a full day at work.
Part 2 begins in June 2009, when I opened the first version of my home studio. In the full post, I detail the evolution from “side hustle” to “two full-time jobs” — including my thoughts on home-based private practice, preparing to quit my day job, and making changes to become a full-fledged business owner.
You can read parts 1 and 2 of my story, along with key takeaways and action items, over on Listen & Learn Plus, where you’ll also find a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music.
Shake It, Baby!
Last week during our music therapy intern’s supervision meeting, we asked her to make a list of songs that could be used with shakers. After she named a few, my business partner Katey and I couldn’t help but chime in with our own favorites. In just minutes, we had a super long list of both original and familiar songs perfect for shaking along.
One of my most frequently used shaker songs is an original that I wrote for one of my music classes a while back. It’s one of those easily adaptable, learn-in-5-minutes, back pocket tunes that works in a variety of settings.
This song also happens to be super popular amongst the 2-year-old crowd; my son and his friends are big fans and request it frequently. Parker now wants to sing every song “fast, slow, up high, and down low” and I think this song might be the reason why ;)
What shaker songs top YOUR list of favorites? If you need more shakin’ inspiration, consider joining Listen & Learn Plus! Members have instant access to tons of instrument songs right inside the Dropbox folder I share with them.
{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 37
I have to be honest with you: I can’t help but become a total fangirl when it comes to this week’s podcast guest. Megan Resig is one of my music therapy business owner heroes, and she’ll be yours too after you listen to her interview.
Megan was kind enough to share lots of insight when it comes to working with partners and managing a not-so-small business; both are topics in which I have a vested interest. I could have picked her brain for hours!
Megan talks about opening up a 6,000 square-foot facility with 12 employees while her daughter was just an infant, the role her husband played in helping make that possible, and how she’s setting an example for her daughter by doing work she loves in Episode 37 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.
Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Megan, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.
This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.
Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!
Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.
Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.