It’s a little mind-blowing to think that I’m writing the very last “Friday Fave” installment of 2012. This year seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye…maybe because I wasn’t blogging every day like I did in 2011.
Even so, I had plenty to keep me busy over the last 12 months. I kicked off 2012 by announcing a BIG work-related goal: to write and record an original Listen & Learn song every single week for a year. I had been slacking a bit in the songwriting department, and wanted to work on my skills (not to mention beef up my catalog of resources for my own clients).
This goal proved to be a challenging one, but it has also been one of the most rewarding. I truly love the writing and recording process, now moreso than ever; and the feedback I’ve received from my own clients, Listen & Learn readers, and other music therapists who’ve purchased my songs has made my effort worth every last moment spent (times one hundred!).
I’m looking forward to writing many more songs in 2013, but I’m not setting a hard and fast goal for myself when it comes to the blog. But I’ll save the New Year’s talk for January…let’s get back to 2012. When I wasn’t busy cranking out new music, I was working with clients, teaching lessons, and building my Music Therapy Connections business.
In June, I had the opportunity to hire a brilliant music therapist who had just moved to the area, and she has been subcontracting for me ever since. It has worked out better than I could have ever imagined — not only does she have an opportunity to work with lots of clients, but I now have a much shorter waiting list.
The highlight reel for 2012 is quite long, so I’ll end my yearly review with a few bullet points. Here goes:
Watching many of my students perform in our local Junior Festival — a few even received their first gold cups!
Wrapping up my first official year of full-time business ownership, which went more smoothly than I could have asked for
Spending a fun and productive weekend with my MTRT & MT Pro colleagues, Kimberly Sena Moore and Michelle Efurt (and finding out that Michelle is expecting a baby…due in a little over a week!)
Taking some personal time to enjoy several amazing vacations with my husband. Between Key Largo, Europe, and Maui, we had the travel year of a lifetime
Getting the opportunity to spread the word about my business through several media outlets, including television and radio interviews
Finding out that I’m expecting! Baby Rambach is due on June 14!
Seeing many of my music therapy friends (and meeting lots of new ones) in person at the AMTA national conference
Spending the holidays with my friends from across the country and of course, my entire family
Both personally and professionally, 2012 was a year I will never forget…in the best possible way. I’m so thankful to have an outlet where I can share my ideas, creations, and random thoughts, and even more thankful that so many people are interested in reading.
Thank you so much for making this blog worth writing. I hope your year was filled with good things, and I so look forward to ringing in 2013 with you!
I haven’t written about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary because, well, I’m not sure what to say that hasn’t been said already. What I do know is that I’m absolutely heartbroken — for the victims, for their families, and for the entire community of Newtown, Connecticut.
Earlier this week, I received a message from my friend and fellow music therapist, Julie Lindemuth. She had written a song called “You’re Unique, You Are Special” some time ago, but shared it recently with a child who has autism and was terrified to go back to school after hearing about the shooting.
She was kind enough to allow me to post the video here at Listen & Learn today; I know that many of you, like myself, work with children and adolescents who might very well benefit from a song like this.
As music therapists, we often are faced with difficult issues within our sessions and it’s not always easy to come up with appropriate ways to handle them. Thank you, Julie, for taking the time to pass this great resource along.
I’ve never been good at keeping secrets, so I’m thrilled that I no longer have to keep this in: I’m going to have a baby! The ultrasound picture above was taken in November at just 8 weeks, but now that I am 14 weeks along, Baby Rambach has grown to the size of a lemon. Amazing!
I found out that I was pregnant on October 6, just a few days before the national music therapy conference. I couldn’t resist letting a few people in on my secret, including my partners in crime, Michelle Erfurt (who is also pregnant and due in less than a month!) and Kimberly Sena Moore (who was my conference roommate).
My husband Zach and I were thrilled and relieved to finally make the news “Facebook Official” last week, when we posted this photo taken on our vacation in Maui. It feels a whole lot more real now that everyone knows, and also now that I’m starting to get a little bump.
I announced the news to my students and their parents earlier this week, and while everyone was very excited and happy for me, I had a few concerned students who thought this meant I would no longer be their music therapist or teacher. I alleviated their fears immediately, though; I will most definitely be returning to work after a few weeks off this summer. The due date is June 14, less than two weeks after my 30th birthday…talk about the best birthday gift ever!
I’m so excited to be joining the “club” of music therapists who are moms and moms-to-be, not to mention that I’ll have my own personal audience at home to listen to all the songs I write :)
I can’t help but share the work of my students, because it never ceases to amaze me. You’ve heard from Jayla before (here and here), and while all of her performances are impressive, the recording I’m posting today might be the most impressive of all.
Jayla is not only a talented singer, but she also plays the guitar and writes her own songs. Over the summer, she attended a prestigious camp for songwriters in Los Angeles, and her songwriting has come such a long way in a short time. We’re working on recording some of Jayla’s original music, but in the meantime, here’s the Alicia Keys song that almost seems to be meant for her to sing.
When I played this for my mom, she could hardly believe that Jayla is only 15 years old. She has such a mature sound, something I noticed at her very first lesson. Jayla takes her music very seriously, and if she keeps it up, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear her on the radio in a few years.
Next, I’ll have to introduce you to Gabby, Jayla’s younger and also extremely talented sister. This family has some good musical genes!
I freely admit that I have NO SHAME whatsoever when it comes to self promotion, especially where music therapy is involved. In fact, just this week I wrote a guest post about how to attract publicity. Sometimes those efforts pay off, and you get to spread the word about your passion to a big audience like I did yesterday!
I was thrilled when Joe Barlow from WCIA’s afternoon show ciLiving.tv contacted me about doing a story on Music Therapy Connections. A few days later, he was at my studio interviewing me and then filming my early childhood music class. Joe did an amazing job putting the piece together, which you can watch here.
Thanks, Joe and WCIA! The more people who learn about music therapy, the more people can benefit from it. Someday EVERYONE will know how effective it is, but until then, I guess I will just have to keep up with the shameless promotion ;)
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 little ones.
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