Thanks so much for watching my video and heading over to Listen & Learn Music! I’m excited to share “The Toolbox Song” with you because it truly is one of the most effective tools in my musical toolbox (pun totally intended).
My students and clients request this song time and time again, and I am always happy to oblige, because it allows me to work on so many goals at the same time.
To receive the mp3, instrumental track, lyrics/chords and facilitation guide, simply enter your first name and email address below. Then I’ll deliver the download link to your inbox.
The Songwriting Process, Blocks We Face, and How to Get Better
Anytime you have the opportunity to talk with a total rockstar in your professional field about one of your favorite topics, you take it. Dr. Andrew Knight is a professor of music therapy at Colorado State University, and someone I’ve looked up to since meeting him quite a few years ago at an AMTA national conference.
He interviewed me for the songwriting course he is teaching this summer, and graciously allowed me to share the interview here with you. We talk about how I approach songwriting, the blocks many music therapists face when it comes to writing and sharing their work, my actual process, and of course, the Songwriting Challenge.
Become a Better Songwriter 🎶 AND Earn CMTE Credit 🌟
One of the things I commonly hear from fellow music therapists is that they wish they were more skilled at songwriting. As someone who has written upwards of 300 songs for music therapy clients, classes, adult audiences, and otherwise, my response is always this: the more songs you write, the more skilled you become.
Prior to writing my first song, I didn’t have any specialized training. I wasn’t confident in my abilities at all, but I just kept writing. Each song became a little easier, and with time I gained the confidence to call myself a songwriter.
Birthday Week Bonuses!
Happy June! Not only is this my favorite month of the year, but it’s also my favorite week: my birthday is in just a few days :) Even though it means I’m turning another year older, I’m still looking forward to celebrating with the people I love the most.
But first I want to celebrate with YOU! I went back and forth on the best way to do that, in between prepping for a very full summer of classes and summer camps at the studio. And then I decided to do something I’ve never done before.
Your Musical Child
It’s not often that I’m listed in the same sentence as Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Charity Kahn, Music Together, and many other household names in the field of children’s music and education. So I’m taking this opportunity to shout from the rooftops about this free speaker series, for which that IS the case.
I’m assuming that since you’re reading this, you understand the importance of music, and that learning and music go hand in hand. It is also known that the biggest predictor of longterm life success and happiness is not “IQ” but actually “EQ” — emotional intelligence. So what does music have to do with emotional intelligence?
5,000 Facebook Fans Giveaway
A month or so ago, Katey and I realized that we were just a little over 100 Facebook fans away from reaching the 5,000 mark. Of course, we couldn’t let that milestone go by without celebrating, and what better way to celebrate than with a BIG giveaway?!
We reached out to Janet Stephens, the creator of Bear Paw Creek movement props, and she very generously offered up a package of our favorite products for our lucky winner. The package includes:
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
I’m a worrier by nature; always have been, always will be. So when I sang along to Bobby McFerrin’s original version of this song growing up, I’m pretty sure I was trying to convince myself to heed his advice.
I love everything about this song: the lyrics, the laid-back stye, the harmonies, and especially the way it makes me feel when I listen and sing along. Turns out it’s a crowd pleaser in just about every setting I’ve used it, including my early childhood classes, performances, and music therapy sessions.
Take More Showers
Before you get offended by the title of the post, let me just make it clear that this has nothing to do with your hygiene. I’m sure you smell really good. Definitely better than me at the moment (I have yet to shower today). The reason I tell you this is because I have discovered that the shower is a magical place for brainstorming and creativity.
Counting Songs for Every Season
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, then you know I’m a sucker for a good counting song. But little did I know when I wrote “Little Red Apples” back in August for our early childhood class, it would lead to an entire songbook full of them.
That song was such a hit with our young students AND music therapy clients that we continued writing new counting songs like it every few weeks. We also created visuals for each one, and now have a nature-based counting collection to match every season.
We’re Going On a Bear Hunt
This book and I go wayyyyy back. Like, back to my internship days. So it’s pretty funny that my toddler son is currently singing “the bear hunt song” on repeat these days. He heard it for the first time when it was the featured singable story in my early childhood music class, and now it’s a staple in our daily rotation.
Until Next Time
Once upon a time, I had a rotation of 2 or 3 hello and goodbye songs that I used across the board. But now that Katey and I write a new class curriculum every few weeks, I have amassed quite a collection of greeting songs.
This is one of the simpler goodbye tunes I’ve written. In fact, I realized this morning that I didn’t even have it written out (it only took a few minutes to create a quick lead sheet since the chords are nice and easy), nor do I have an instrumental track since I just used bare-bones ukulele accompaniment.