I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but it’s true: this Friday Fave is devoted to yet another piece of Apple technology. Again, let me remind you that I am in no way compensated for my frequent Apple/Mac related posts; I just really, really love their products :)
iMovie is a part of the iLife package that comes with every Mac, and I recently upgraded to iLife ’09. Up until then, I had used only the most basic features of iMovie to create the occasional YouTube video, but I have since discovered many more of the cool things this program can do. Experimenting with music tracks, still photos, transitions and titles has been way too much fun….it can almost get a little addictive!
I spent some time this week creating a video about my songbook, incorporating many of those aforementioned iMovie features. It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m still learning. Take a look:
What do you think? I had a blast making this video, from taking the photos, to recording the music, to even the tedious editing process. Now I just have to come up with excuses to create more like it…any ideas?
I’m assuming that since you’re here at Listen & Learn, you are probably interested in music therapy, music education, or just music in general. If that is the case, then you’ll definitely want to stop by the Erfurt Music Resource, a new website created by my friend and fellow music therapist, Michelle Erfurt. Read as Michelle describes it in her own words:
“The idea of creating an online resource for music related products, services, and information came from a conversation I had with Raymond Day, adaptive instrument maker and long time music therapy supporter. I had published a music songbook for Rachel Rambach and really needed to show it off at the next national American Music Therapy Association conference. I wanted a table in the exhibit hall but was looking for someone else to share the rental cost in order to be as fiscally responsible as possible. I had heard about Raymond Day from my days volunteering with the AMTA membership committee and gave him a call. Turns out that he wanted to sell his products at conference but wasn’t able to physically be there. So we worked out a deal…and together we were able to spread the word about our products.”
“There are many people out there just like Raymond, Rachel and myself. Individuals with products, services and information that would be of interest to music therapists, music educators, parents, and more. But we need help connecting our great products with all of you out there. So, that’s exactly what we have done. The Erfurt Music Resource: A collection of individuals working to promote our items together.”
This site truly is a comprehensive collection; you’ll find other music therapy bloggers like me, video lessons, e-books, and lots more. It’s nice to be part of a community that is growing so quickly and receiving such a great response.
Can I just tell you how “amped” I am about my new MobilePre USB Preamp by M-Audio? Excuse the pun, but I couldn’t help myself :) Maybe you have no idea what a preamp is, and that’s totally fine. Because the truth is, until a few months ago, neither did I. Basically, what a preamp does is takes the signal from a microphone or instrument and boosts it so that it can be recorded. In other words, I can plug a microphone and guitar into my preamp (which is connected via USB to my computer), do my thing, and voila! I have a high-quality recording.
Before my preamp arrived earlier this week, I had been recording all of my guitar tracks just by setting up my Blue Snowball Microphone and playing my guitar directly in front of it. This worked well enough; my Snowball mic is awesome, but I knew there had to be a better way. With my old setup, any background noise made while recording the guitar part could be heard (the most common being me knocking the guitar against my desk – oops!). Now, since the signal goes directly from my guitar into the computer via the preamp, that problem is eliminated. That means a much cleaner-sounding guitar track, resulting in a much better recording overall. Oh, and the preamp even has a headphone jack right on the interface so that I can monitor the sound as I am playing!
I should mention that since my aforementioned Snowball mic connects via USB, I don’t need to use my preamp when I record my vocals. But since there are two microphone inputs in addition to the instrument input, that leaves the option available if I get a new microphone at some point in the future. You can’t beat that versatility.
I haven’t had much time this week to play with my new toy, but you better believe that I’ll be spending a good deal of my three-day weekend doing just that! Hopefully I’ll have some brand new songs to show for it, too. What are your plans this weekend? Are you one of the really, really lucky people who has a four-day weekend? Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln, and for all of you readers who got to stay home in honor of it, enjoy!
Last November, I had the amazing opportunity of participating in 103.7 WDBR’s annual radiothon, which benefits The St. Johns Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network. I wrote and recorded two songs based on the stories of parents and children whose lives were saved by these organizations, and the songs were played on-air throughout the weekend. Needless to say, it was a huge thrill.
The radiothon raised over $90,000 last year, and now they have opportunity to go into 2010’s radiothon with a $50,000 head start. Foresters™ is partnering with Children’s Miracle Network to find North America’s Most Caring Radio Station, and WDBR is in the running! They are currently in 16th place, so they have until February 5 to take the lead. The great news is that you can help, and it only takes a minute.
Just go to the contest websiteand click the “Vote Now” button. You’ll be asked to register your email address, and then you’re ready to vote. Search by city and state (Springfield, IL) and then cast your votes for:
103.7 Today’s Hit Music
Bookmark that page so you can go back and vote each day (make sure to use up all 10 votes per day). I’ve been listening to WDBR for as long as I can remember, and I may be a little biased, but I know for sure that not only do they deserve this title, but so do the children who will reap the benefits of the reward. For more information about WBDR, click here. And go vote!
You may be wondering why I’m featuring music therapy in Arizona today, when I live clear across the country in Illinois. Well here’s the thing: one of the main reasons I write this blog is because my readers (YOU!) continue to provide such positive feedback and support. It is the very least I can do to give that back to you, and that’s what today’s Friday Fave is all about.
One reader in particular is a music therapist like me, originally from Illinois, who is currently doing all that she can to advocate for music therapy in her state of Arizona. Like many other states, Alison and her colleagues are faced with incredible budget cuts that would deprive them of a sustainable income. Alison explained the situation in an email to me, and this is what she had to say:
Arizona has fallen on hard times as most states have but they are constantly targetting music therapy. In February of last year the state tried to give music therapists a pay cut of 55% which is not a sustainable income. Sadly we would all make more money giving piano lessons at that rate. Other therapies were given a ten percent cut and as I recall AMTA sued the state for discriminatory cuts and managed to get us an equal 10 percent cut. On Monday Arizona state legislators are voting on more budget cuts which would cut music therapy down 50% again if passed according to DDD’s proposed budget cuts plan. We are having a push here to educate all of our legislators as well as workers at the Department of Developmental Disabilities. We have been fighting an uphill battle in Arizona for almost a year now but seeing results in our clients is well worth it.
Alison wrote back a few days later with this unfortunate news:
We found out Friday night that the cuts passed and music therapy has been cut by 50% and other therapies 10%. It is very sad. I have many higher functioning clients with autism who become upset and cry when I tell them I am going out of town next week but will see them in two weeks. I can’t imagine how they will feel when I tell them that this will be the last time they will see me.
We were asked last week to collect some data from our clients; how many clients were funded by the state, how many had speech/communication goals, how many received speech therapy, and how many received no other therapies. My clients have been the most grateful and appreciative of any I have had the pleasure of working with. Some were on waiting lists for music therapy up to 7 years and finally started receiving it once I moved here. I have 35 clients that I see in home on a 1:1 basis and of those 20 have a speech related goal, 21 do not receive speech therapy, and 15 do not receive any other therapies. It’s so unfair to the kids. Many of the therapists are going to try to do private pay but I know that isn’t a viable option for most of my families. I just hate to see these kids left without any services. My youngest clients are the ones who do receive Speech and OT but I know they will be dropped once they require after school hours as most of my after school hour kids do not receive these therapies.
We are fighting right now for recognition as a therapy and not just as habilitation with a music component (which is what the state of AZ has us listed as). So any letters from music therapists across the country could help us with this.
This is such an awful situation not only for music therapists, but also for the clients who will most likely have their services terminated due to these budget cuts. Alison is not the first person I’ve talked to who is effected by the cuts, and sadly, she won’t be the last. As she wrote above, you can help by writing a letter in support of music therapy recognition in her state, no matter where you live. You can even use the letter she wrote as a template:
You can email me with your letters in support of music therapy recognition in Arizona, and I will make sure they get into the right hands. Or, you can contact Alison directly.
The music therapy community is small in comparison with other fields, which is why it is so important to support one another. You, as a reader, support music therapy just by visiting Listen & Learn Music, and for that I thank you!
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.
My Book + Course
This is the book + course that will help you shape your music therapy career in order to make more money and live your ideal lifestyle. Details here.
by M-Audio? Excuse the pun, but I couldn’t help myself :) Maybe you have no idea what a preamp is, and that’s totally fine. Because the truth is, until a few months ago, neither did I. Basically, what a preamp does is takes the signal from a microphone or instrument and boosts it so that it can be recorded. In other words, I can plug a microphone and guitar into my preamp (which is connected via USB to my computer), do my thing, and voila! I have a high-quality recording.
and playing my guitar directly in front of it. This worked well enough; my Snowball mic is awesome, but I knew there had to be a better way. With my old setup, any background noise made while recording the guitar part could be heard (the most common being me knocking the guitar against my desk – oops!). Now, since the signal goes directly from my guitar into the computer via the preamp, that problem is eliminated. That means a much cleaner-sounding guitar track, resulting in a much better recording overall. Oh, and the preamp even has a headphone jack right on the interface so that I can monitor the sound as I am playing!
