Meant To Go Together

Meant To Go Together

The title of this song is a bit misleading, because mostly it’s about things that are NOT meant to go together. In fact, Ialmost used a line from the song — “…onions on chocolate ice cream” — as the title. And while that would have no doubt piqued your curiosity, I decided it was a little too random (not to mention that I would never have found an appropriate photo for the album cover!).

I had a few goals for this song as I was writing it: 1) it needed to be silly, 2) it needed to have strong visual references, and 3) it had to have at least some educational value. The first two were a no-brainer, which you’ll see once you listen to the song, but the third didn’t come to me until I was almost finished writing the song. I’ll explain after you listen:


The first two verses are obviously made up of things that don’t go together, which provides the opportunity for kiddos to provide new words so that each line makes sense. I corrected both verses at the end of the song, but for use in an actual music therapy or classroom setting, I think it would be much more fun for students to come up with their own versions.

And of course, the entire song could be rewritten with new funny verses (either by you or kiddos). How fun would that be to see what wacky lines a group of students comes up with? I’m thinking there’s an art project just screaming to go along with this song!

Friday Fave: Instagram

Instagram

When it comes to apps that are not directly related to music and music therapy, Instagram has quickly become my new favorite. In fact, I much prefer my iPhone to my camera (even the fancy new one my husband and I just bought) these days so that I can ‘gram my pics immediately.

Although I use Instagram mostly to share photos of my dog, yummy food, and other random things, I have seen other music therapists using it to give us an insight into their work day. (Two such friends who come to mind are Rachel See Smith and David Symons.)

I must admit, ever since downloading this app, I find myself going out of my way for opportunities to take Instagram-worthy photos. I’ll have plenty of opportunities in a couple of weeks, when my husband and I jet off to Europe :)

You can find me on Instagram by searching for @rachelrambach, and you can also check out my weekly photo round-ups over at my personal blog. Feel free to share your Instagram handle in the comments!

Friday Fave: Bob Ross Remixed

My dad shared this video on Facebook yesterday, and after I started watching it, I instantly knew I had my topic for today’s “Friday Fave” post.

If you’re over the age of 25, then there’s a pretty good chance you watched Bob Ross on PBS growing up. I know my brother and I did; in fact, we probably saw every single episode. We loved quoting all of his catch phrases, especially when he’d say “beat the devil out of it” when washing off his paint brush.

Maybe we did poke fun at him a little, but truth is, he loved what he did and it showed. The fact that he’d complete a brand new painting from start to finish on every episode never ceased to amaze me, and really, it made me want to paint, too! If that’s not inspirational, I don’t know what is.

“I believe every day’s a good day when you paint.”

Insert “make music” and that basically sums up my outlook on life. Now I just need to come up with some memorable catch phrases. Hmm…

Raise your hand (or click the “like” button below) if you loved Bob Ross, too!

Friday Fave: Third Floor Music Festival

Third Floor Music Festival

Can I tell how you excited I am about tonight? The Third Floor Music Festival is an event being put on by our local arts center here in Springfield, and I’m thrilled to be included in the lineup.

10 of Springfield’s most talented musical acts will be performing at the festival, and frankly, I’m still a little stunned (in a good way) that Rachel & Matt is one of them. After all, Matt and I have only been playing together for a little over 8 months, and we don’t have the name recognition the other acts do just yet. But we’re working on it, and hopefully playing in the festival tonight will help with that!

Each act plays for 30 minutes, with the exception of the headlining band, who will play for 90 minutes. Matt and I have chosen 8 of our original songs to showcase during our set, and have been practicing every night this week to get them down solid. 3 of those songs are less than a month old and have not yet been performed live.

For those of you Springfield friends reading this, we’ll take the stage at around 7:15 pm and would LOVE to see you there! The buzz has been going strong and we’re hoping for a huge turnout. It’s going to be a fun night…doesn’t get much better than 7 solid hours of live music performed by local musicians!

Friday Fave: It’s a Round Table Reunion!

Music Therapy Round Table Reunion

The gang is back together again! Last summer we had our first-ever “Meeting of the Minds” in Florida, and this year we’re on my home turf in Springfield, Illinois.

The Music Therapy Round Table is a podcast hosted by myself, Michelle Erfurt, and Kimberly Sena Moore.  We’ve been working together from our respective states (Illinois, Florida, and Missouri) for the past two and a half years, and after launching Music Therapy Pro last August, we’re putting our heads together for the next wave of brainstorming and project planning.

While we will be spending most of the weekend getting some serious work done, we always factor in some “fun” time, too. This afternoon we have plans to hit up the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, followed by dinner at one of my favorite downtown restaurants.

And now I better get back to work…hope your weekend is as productive and enjoyable as mine promises to be!