Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I LOVE the ukulele. So of course I was super excited when my friend and mentor Lisa sent me a link to this book, which is available for free in the iBookstore.
I immediately downloaded the book, but then got distracted and completely forgot to take a look…until a couple of weeks ago, while sitting on an airplane with my iPad in my lap. Shockingly, my husband wasn’t as amused with the book as I was — but I think you will be!
The illustrations are great and the story is perfect for any child who has tried or is currently learning to play an instrument. I have so many students who really, really want to be able to play well, but they don’t quite understand that it takes a lot of hard work to get there.
Izzy doesn’t understand that at first, either; like my kiddos, she’s frustrated that she can’t make the ukulele sound good on day 1. But the more she practices, the better it sounds, and the story has a happy ending :) I plan to share this book with many of my own students.
The author of the book is Mollycules, and from the looks of her website, she has some other great books I’ll be checking out soon. You can download the book for free here or buy a hard copy on Amazon.
Truth time: I just returned home from vacation last night, and am feeling incredibly overwhelmed by my inbox, to-do list, and afternoon of music therapy sessions and lessons. That being said, here’s a fun video my husband sent my way last week that made me smile. Hopefully it will do the same for you!
Well, did it? Watching it again was a great temporary stress reliever :) Hope your Friday is a little more relaxed than mine…enjoy the weekend ahead!
“Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go…” The song Kokomo by the Beach Boys has been running through my head for the past week as I get ready to head down to Key Largo tomorrow! That’s the resort where we’re staying after a quick day at South Beach and overnight stay in Miami (we had so much fun there last year that we couldn’t resist going back).
My husband and I always look forward to our spring vacation because it gives us a chance to completely chill out, relax and soak up the sun after months and months of working like crazy. The best part is that we come back completely recharged and refreshed, ready to jump back in to our regular routine.
Though I won’t be back at my computer until Thursday night, you’ll still see new blog posts right here next week, including a new song on Monday.
I’ve got my suitcase packed, playlists full of beach tunes, and new books downloaded to my iPad — I’m ready for vacation!
Let me preface this post by admitting that I would buy anything recorded by Jason Mraz (and I have…I own all of his albums, including the live ones and EPs). I’ve been a super fan since I first heard “The Remedy” play on the radio during my freshman year of college; my husband proposed with one of his songs playing in the background, and our first wedding dance was “Lucky”.
But all of that aside, I just have to tell you how much I love his new album, Love is a Four-Letter Word. Listening to it the first time through on Tuesday made me really, really happy, and I’ve had it on repeat ever since.
In fact, I’ve been scheming how I can adapt some of the songs on it for use in music therapy sessions, because the overarching themes of this album are love and hope. That plus beautiful melodies and eloquent lyrics — Jason Mraz is a master of words — make them irresistible.
So far, my favorite tracks on the album are “Living in the Moment” (I love the whistling!) and “Frank D. Fixer”. I’m also a big fan of the first single, “I Won’t Give Up” (watch this video of him performing it live on Ellen).
Have you heard this album yet? I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t. It’ll put you in a good mood, even on a gray, rainy day (at least where I live) like today. Happy Friday!
I spent some quality time (as in 4+ hours) with these books last Saturday afternoon…and I’m still not tired of them. After finishing a special project for one of my Listen & Learn Plus! members, I am just that much more excited to use these singable stories with my own students.
You’ve all heard the tune “Over in the Meadow” — which is the melody for this collection of stories. I own 9 of them, but I’m sure there are more out there. Marianne Berkes and Jennifer Ward are the two authors who have (separately) written most of the books pictured above, and they’re all fantastic.
The illustrations are beautiful, interesting and detailed, and the stories themselves are chock full of information and vocabulary for students.
I already owned Somewhere in the Ocean and Over in the Jungle prior to taking on the special project, but I’m so glad to have the collection at my fingertips now.
These are just the kind of singable stories I love: the repetitive melody makes it easy for my students to catch on quickly, and the content creates endless opportunities to address goals and objectives.
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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