There are lots of reasons I love attending the national music therapy conference, but today I’m adding a new one to the list: the opportunity to record my first-ever guest edition of Sunday Singalong!
Actually, it’s kind of funny that I had to come all the way to Atlanta to see Meryl Brown, who lives an hour north of me in Bloomington, Illinois. Meryl and I were in the graduate program at Illinois State University at the same time, and have since kept in touch via our state association and social media. She runs a successful private practice, Developing Melodies, and always has excellent professional advice to share with me.
When she told me about her scarecrow song on the first night of conference, I immediately asked her if she would mind sharing it in a video. She agreed, and Andrew Littlefield volunteered his guitar for her use. I must say, us music therapists are excellent team players!
Be sure to check out Meryl’s website and follow her on Twitter. I happen to know that she has many more fun songs like this one up her sleeve, and you never know…she just might be making another guest appearance here in the future.
Fall is such a beautiful time here in the Midwest. As much as I complain about the dropping temperatures, I really do enjoy watching the change of seasons reflected in the trees as the leaves turn all kinds of gorgeous colors.
The downside, of course, is all the raking that must be done once those leaves fall to the ground. Luckily for me, my husband does most of the yard work around here :) I prefer singing about falling leaves instead.
This month I dug up an old song I wrote a few years back called The Leaves on the Trees. It always goes over well with students because each time we sing the verse, it gets just a little faster. No matter how fast it gets, they always shout out “faster!” and of course, I oblige.
One of my first-ever “Sunday Singalong” videos featured this song, which you can see here. I’ve also written a few other fall songs that mention the leaves, but was wondering what other tunes YOU know and use on this timely topic. Please share your leafy faves in the comments!
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!
Singing this song always puts a smile on my face, because it reminds me of one of my former students at The Hope Institute who absolutely LOVED it. He got such a kick out of singing it and finding each body part as it was mentioned in the song!
It’s fun to pull out all my seasonal songs that I haven’t thought about for ages — it’s like rediscovering them all over again. Look for more to be featured in Sunday Singalong videos over the next couple of months!
Happy “First Day of Fall” to you! Summer is officially over, and I have resolved to stop whining about it and fully embrace the new season. After all, it’s hard to deny that this early autumn weather is absolutely spectacular.
Last week, I featured the song Fall Into Fall in my Sunday Singalong video, so today I’ll share another fall fave with you. “All About Autumn” is the newer of the two, and one I always enjoy singing throughout the season.
Lead Sheet Download: $1.50
I originally posted this song back in 2009, but I’m pretty sure most of you haven’t dug quite that deep into the archives — unless you’ve been reading the blog for that long! I’m going to make a habit of re-sharing some of my older tunes for that very reason, because there are some hidden gems from way back when :)
Do you have big plans for the first weekend of fall? My plan is to spend some quality time with my family, put the finishing touches on my Church Mice music class that begins on Sunday, and do something outside in this lovely weather. I hope you are able to do the same!
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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