Merry Karaoke!

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There’s nothing like a little snow and an early Christmas celebration with family to put you in the holiday spirit. As we drove home from my in-laws’ house this afternoon, all I could think about was singing along to some of my favorite Christmas songs, and that is just what I did. In fact, I went one step further by recording one of them, karaoke-style. Cheesy? Yes…but tons of fun! I’ve told you before how much I love the Carpenter’s Christmas Portrait album (remember?) so you shouldn’t be surprised that the song I chose is from that very collection.

Frosted windowpanes,
Candles gleaming inside.
Painted candy canes on the trees.
Santa’s on his way,
He’s filled his sleigh with things.
Things for me and for you.

It’s that time of year
When the world falls in love.
Every song you hear seems to say,
Merry Christmas,
May your New Year dreams come true.
And this song of mine,
In three quarter time,
Wishes you and yours
The same thing, too.

Be on the lookout for one or two more installments of “Merry Karaoke” before the big day, which is quickly approaching! I had a chance to catch up on holiday preparations this weekends – not only did I finally finish my shopping, but I also did all of my wrapping. Cookies is next on the list, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m off to curl up on the couch and watch my favorite holiday movie, White Christmas. So long for now!

Perception

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I received this in an email from a friend yesterday, and I thought it was too good not to share with all of you. It really does make you think…what would your reaction have been?

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made….. How many other things are we missing?

Life is too short for a long story.

Sound-Off: SleepPhones

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Remember when I first told you about sleephones? Well I received my own pair in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and I am addicted! The picture above is a reenactment of pretty much every single night since I got my sleepphones; they are so comfortable that I completely forget I’m wearing them. I plug them into my iPhone, which charges on my nightstand while I sleep, and the music puts me to sleep almost instantly. Of course, my extremely long days working with kids might have a little something to do with that, but I’ll give most of the credit to my sleepphones. Several readers have told me that they ordered a pair for themselves, and I’d love to hear what you think of them.

I can tell you that Sadie is a HUGE fan :) If you want to order a pair for yourself or your child, you can do so through their website.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few new Halloween songs to write. The two remaining contest winners will be announced tomorrow, along with the songs they inspired. Enjoy your Sunday!

Finally Friday

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I’m taking it easy tonight, because tomorrow morning is the photo shoot for my CD project, Listen & Learn: Music for a Different Kind of Audience. The wonderful Kimberly Smoot has donated her time and talent to the cause, and I’m really looking forward to working with her tomorrow. I might even post a few sneak peeks, so stay tuned :)

What are your plans for this first weekend of October?

On the Disney Channel

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


A while back, I mentioned a contest going on over at Listen & Learn Plus! which involved subscribers coming up with topics for fun summer songs. The first winner is Alison, and this was her idea:

“I have been thinking that for a lot of my kids it would be really cool to come up with a song about all of the different Disney shows. I have a lot of older kids who like Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock, etc. I think they would get a kick out of a NEW song about all of those different popular shows combined instead of just singing theme songs from each. The same could apply for my younger kids with cartoons; Dora, Diego, The Wiggles, Spongebob are just a few of their favorites. Plus coming up with visual aids should be easy enough!”

Alison won a Custom CD for her topic idea. This is the song I’ve come up with using her great suggestions.

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
Hannah Montana was performing just for me.
Miley Cyrus plays the part,
And I can sing “The Best of Both Worlds” by heart,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Jonas Brothers were singing a song to me.
I watched Camp Rock and saw their show,
Starring Kevin, Nick and Joe,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Suite Life was playing in front of me.
Zach and Cody, what a pair,
Are so cool with their long hair,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
The Wizards of Waverly Place were casting a spell on me.
Selena Gomez plays the role
Of Alex in this awesome show,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

Oh-oh, I turned on the Disney channel
And what did I see?
Sonny With a Chance was entertaining me.
Demi Lovato is the star
And we all know she’s going far,
Disney, doo-doot-doo, I love you!

If your child or student has another favorite Disney show, this song can be easily adapted to include it. And Alison is right – making the visual aides to accompany the tune would be a snap.

You probably noticed that my audio player has changed…for the better! Now you can not only listen to the entire song, but you can share it with others or download it for yourself. It will take some time to have all my songs switched to the new format, but I’m working on it. In the meantime, have a wonderful Tuesday!