I’m a sucker for Broadway musicals, so it comes as no surprise that I’m a fan of a show all about the behind-the-scenes drama of creating and producing a Broadway musical.
Katharine McPhee, who was an American Idol finalist back when I still watched that show, stars as an actress auditioning for the lead role in a new musical about Marilyn Monroe. The rest of the cast is pretty impressive and includes Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, and Anjelica Huston among others.
I watched the pilot of Smash last week, and can’t wait for the series to start on Monday. Have you watched the pilot yet, and if so, are you as excited as I am?
Last night at Jake’s lesson, we were talking about quarter rests. As I was trying to describe how to draw one for an exercise in his theory book, Jake said, “I know…it’s like a lightning bolt with a C at the bottom!”
I looked at the quarter rest, and realized he was exactly right. How come I didn’t think of that?! All of these years I’ve been teaching, yet never once had a good way to explain how to draw quarter rests. Thank goodness for my students, with their fresh perspectives and boundless creativity.
Have you been enlightened by any of your students lately?
How can it be that this is the last weekend of 2011? This year seemed to fly by, and now it is coming to an end. Luckily, these final two days are gonna be good ones! I’ve always thought New Year’s Eve is a little overrated, but you can’t go wrong with plans that involve family, friends, and music.
I’m kicking off this holiday weekend with a gig tonight, which is always a guaranteed fun time. Matt and I have played at the Walnut Street Winery several times in the last couple of months, and are looking forward to returning this evening. It’s a good warm-up for tomorrow’s NYE performance in downtown Springfield. Every year, my city holds First Night Springfield, which is a family-friendly event for all ages. We’re super excited and honored to be a part of it this year.
In fact, we are even working on a new song just for tomorrow’s performance. I already knew the song “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” and liked it, but knew we had to give it a go after seeing this video earlier today:
No wild and crazy New Year’s parties for this girl — I’m a little too old for that ;) Making music is much more fun, anyhow…and the perfect way to bring 2011 to a close. What are YOU doing New Year’s Eve?
Every year, I struggle with what to give my students as a token of my appreciation for their hard work when the holidays roll around. This year was no different, but as it turns out, I didn’t have to look any further than the top of my piano.
These framed signs (which I wrote about here) have been conversation pieces amongst my students since I decorated my piano with them back in June. So as my holiday gift this year, I gave my students their own “keep calm” sign in a simple frame, to be placed in their practice area. Kellan (pictured above, thanks to his mom!) and most of my other students have been happy to receive their gift, and excited to display it just as I do in my studio.
I gave different framed signs to my students, based upon whether they study piano, voice or guitar. For my music therapy students, I went a bit of a different route:
A tambourine might not be the definition of “calm” (quite the opposite, actually!) but hopefully it will inspire my students to keep making music during the holiday break.
I still have some gifts to give out this afternoon, after which my studio will officially be closed until 2012! It’s hard to believe that the first semester of the school year is coming to an end, but I’m looking forward to a fresh start in January. I’m also looking forward to lots of zen-like, well-practiced students, thanks to their “keep calm” gifts! ;)
Yesterday in the comments of this post, music therapist extraordinaire Wade Richards shared that this year, he gave all of his students a CD of holiday tunes — including originals, classic favorites, and even some that his students had recorded.
I’ve given holiday CDs as gifts to my students in the past, though I’ve never thought to include the sweet sounds of my students or any of my original songs. I already have this year’s gift ready (more on that soon!) but if I were giving out a CD, here’s what my playlist would look like:
Phew, that was tough! I could probably put together 10 more mixes that I like just as much as the one above, but I’ll spare you for now ;) However, if you are on Spotify and want to check out my “Happy Christmas!” playlist, you can do so here. I’ve been listening to it nonstop!
Which songs would you include on a mix for your students and clients, or even just your family, friends, or yourself?
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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