by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
It’s been a month since I picked up my guitar, but the time has come to reacquaint myself (and build up those callouses again!). Next week I’ll be ditching my yoga pants and tank tops for real clothes when I start the summer session of Listen & Learn for Little Ones, our early childhood music class.
I’m a little bit nervous about dipping my toe back in the water, but a LOT excited. Baby Mia is still a little young to appreciate my singing — I don’t get quite the response from her that I do from my little ones in class. Plus, she can’t shake and drum along like they do ;)
One of the reasons I’m super pumped about this session is that we picked a few “favorite” songs and activities from classes throughout this past year, so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be especially enjoyable for everyone.
One of those songs is Pass the Tambourine, which I haven’t shared yet here. It’s simple and based on a familiar melody, which makes it easy for everyone to join in singing from the get-go.
I have my little ones pass the tambourine around the circle a few times, getting faster with each round. It’s also fun to change up the speed from child to child, which keeps them on their toes (and usually induces lots of giggles).
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to 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?
by Rachel | Business Ownership
I’ve been on maternity leave for almost a month now, and it’s been pretty great. All the newborn snuggles, quality time with my two-year-old, and if I’m being completely honest, Netflix binges (OITNB, anyone?) have been a nice change of pace.
But just as I predicted earlier this spring, I’m getting a tiny bit antsy. I need just a little something to fill my professional cup, and I’ll have that opportunity in a couple of weeks when I head back to work to teach the summer session of our early childhood music classes.
It’s just one morning and one evening per week for the five-week session, the perfect amount to help ease back in after wearing my “mom” hat exclusively since Mia was born. That way, returning to my regular schedule at the end of August won’t be such a shock to my system.
Although it will be hard to leave the baby at home for those few hours (considering we haven’t been apart since she was born), I’m excited to pick up my guitar again and see all my little students. No doubt I’ll be itching to get right back to Mia as soon as class is over.
Nursing around the clock has given me plenty of time to read all those blogs and articles about motherhood posted on Facebook, so I’m constantly being reminded how quickly this time goes and that I should be enjoying every fleeting moment. I’m doing just that, and at the same time looking forward to taking a little dip back in the proverbial water.
by Rachel | Resources & Tips
We captured this moment in one of our early childhood classes earlier this month, and it is basically the perfect photo for this blog post. An adorable child decked out in her summer shades, clacking away on castanets — yep, pretty much sums it up!
I’ve mentioned here before that my early childhood music program really took off last summer, which was my impetus for creating the online course Create, Market, Make Music! It covers all the bases I ran while designing and implementing my own program, from the very beginning planning stages to communicating with families after the class is over.
Summer is just around the corner, so now is a great time to get to work creating an early childhood program. The course is concise and action-based, so you can start putting what you learned into practice right away. (It also comes with 3 CMTE credits!)
If you sign up before the end of May, I’ll send you a complimentary copy of my brand-new songbook collection, Ring, Sing, Strum & Drum! Most of the songs in it were written with my early childhood kiddos in mind, so hopefully they will come in handy as you start creating your own classes.
Click here for all the details and to sign up for the course. I’m looking forward to helping you on your path to making music with kids this summer!
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
A few months ago, I started a new music therapy group for children with special needs and wanted to include a song about playing the guitar. I wrote “Strum with Your Fingers & Thumb” specifically for the group, and it ended up being the inspiration for my new songbook.
This song is designed to give each child in the group an opportunity to strum the guitar themselves while I form the chords. I’ve used it a LOT in both group and individual settings, and it’s fun to see each child’s approach to playing the guitar.
Some are a little aggressive with their strumming, while others are extremely delicate and barely brush the strings. Some like to strum super fast, while others prefer an adagio tempo. No matter what, I just follow their lead with my singing and chord changes.
Here’s the song in action! This little guy was a BIG fan of playing the guitar, and always the first in line to strum when I started playing the song.
I think it’s important to give children the opportunity to play the guitar within a structured setting, because in my experience, they’re gonna try anyway (especially when I set it down to do something else like pass out or collect other instruments.) How do you incorporate guitar-playing into your sessions?
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to 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?
by Rachel | Professional Development
While I initially created the Listen & Learn for Little Ones early childhood class just over two years ago, it wasn’t until last July that I was able to get it up and running on a continuous basis. Ever since, I’ve spent almost every Tuesday morning making music with young children and their parents or caregivers.
It didn’t take long for this class to become the biggest highlight of my week, especially since many of the same families registered for every single five-week session over the course of this year. I got to know the kiddos very well, and even better — they got to know each other.
I’ve met some amazing moms, grandmas, nannies, and a few dads here and there, too :) We’ve played with countless instruments, read tons of singable stories, showed off our dance moves, and the very best part is that I’ve had the pleasure of watching these children develop.
This morning’s class was my last before I take off some time for maternity leave, and I have to admit, it was bittersweet saying goodbye to everyone. All the adults in the room looked at me like I had 3 heads when I told them I’d be returning at the end of June, but the truth is, I’m already looking forward to it!
Since I won’t be practicing music therapy or teaching lessons over the summer, the classes will provide a nice creative outlet and chance to leave the house a couple times a week.
I can’t wait to spend Tuesday mornings snuggled up with my brand new baby girl in just a couple of weeks (or less!), but I will miss my “little ones”. It will be so much fun to see how they’ve grown and changed during that time.
Are you interested in starting an early childhood music program of your own? My course Create, Market, Make Music! (3 CMTE credits) takes you through the entire process. Learn more here.
