by Rachel | Uncategorized
My parents thought I was a little nuts when I told them all I wanted for Christmas was a new ukulele. I had fun learning on my $60 soprano uke, but was ready to upgrade to something a little more sturdy — and more importantly, a uke I could plug in to a sound system for gigs.
I’m all grown up, but I still love a good Christmas surprise. After we had opened almost all of our presents, my dad announced that he had forgotten one in the car. When he carried in a giant wrapped box, I was a little more than excited…sure enough, it turned out to be the beauty I’m so happily pictured with above!
The Cordoba Tenor Ukulele has a solid mahogany top, mahogany sides and back, an electronic pick-up, and above all, a beautiful sound that I can’t get enough of. It’s such a fun instrument to play that I’m already predicting most of my new songs and videos will feature the uke.
Ever since becoming a music therapy student back in 2004, my Christmas list has included instruments and other tools of the trade. I doubt that will change anytime soon :) Did you unwrap any new instruments or other music therapy supplies this Christmas?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
My search for a new keyboard has finally ended! As of Monday, I am the proud owner of the Casio Privia PX-130 — my “brand new keys” as my friend called them in reference to the old country song, which I perform frequently at gigs.
But to tell you the truth, the latest addition to my instrument collection isn’t actually brand new. When I first asked for help finding the perfect keyboard, I received a few tweets (including one from my music therapist friend Allison) recommending the Casio Privia.
I checked it out and was impressed by what I saw — it had 88 weighted keys just as I wanted with lots of positive reviews — but I kept looking. However, I knew it had to be fate when one of my Facebook friends and fans of my business page (hi, Lori!) told me that her boyfriend was selling his barely-used Casio Privia.
He sent me an email explaining that he just didn’t have time to play the keyboard and was willing to give me a good deal. Music to my ears! I thought about it for a couple weeks while I continued my search, but I just kept coming back to this one.
When I picked it up on from him on Labor Day, he told me that he was happy it would get lots of good use. And that it will! I even skipped an afternoon at the pool to play it on Monday, which my friend Michelle Erfurt rightfully commented was a big deal. (I take my pool time seriously, people.)
I didn’t waste any time buying the proper accessories, since the main reason I bought the keyboard was for use at gigs. Thanks to Amazon’s free two-day shipping, I had a gig bag, pedal, and new stand even before I had the instrument in hand.
I’ll give my Casio Privia a proper review once I’ve gotten some real use out of it, but for now I can tell you that I am thrilled with my purchase. Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions and recommendations, and a huge thank you to Lori for leading me to my new keyboard! Who ever said that Facebook isn’t useful?!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
One thing I’ve noticed when I give a child a pair of rhythm sticks is that it’s extremely difficult for him or her not to make some kind of noise with them. So I made a game out of it.
“If You’re Wearing a Red Shirt” is a simple, repetitive song that directs children in a group to play their rhythm sticks only if they fit the description in that particular verse. It goes like this:
If you’re sitting down,
Tap your sticks just like this.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap,
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
If you’re a girl,
Tap your sticks just like this.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap,
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
If you’re a boy,
Tap your sticks just like this.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap,
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
If you’re wearing a red shirt,
Tap your sticks just like this.
Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap,
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
{Continue, using different descriptives}
The kids with whom I’ve used this activity get a kick out of the descriptions I choose for each verse — they are usually much more specific and creative than the very basic ones I included in the recording. Sometimes only one child will fit a description, and other times just for fun I’ll choose a description that nobody fits.
The best part is that everyone actually listens carefully and plays their rhythm sticks only when they should be playing. After all, that’s the goal!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last week one of my students’ parents mentioned that her daughter was really into “Day-O” — otherwise known as The Banana Boat Song, by Harry Belafonte. Oh, and my student wondered if there was a version about oranges, too…which of course had my wheels turning immediately.
I’m always looking for ways to incorporate my fruit shaker instruments, so this struck me as the perfect opportunity. I did a little reworking of the original song, and this is what I guess you could call the “fruit” of my labor:
Day-o, Day-ay-ay-o
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Day, me say day, me say day,
Me say day-ay-ay-o
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
It’s six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some oranges…
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some apples…
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some lemons…
I’m obviously no Belafonte, but I sure am hopeful that my version meets my student’s approval. I have a feeling that getting out the fruit shakers will help!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
This drum has been a fixture in my studio for a couple of years now, but lately I’ve been incorporating it into music therapy sessions more than ever.
Here are the three things that I like best about this tubano drum by Remo:
- Sound. It can be played loudly, but does not cause problems for my kids with noise sensitivity. And of course, it also sounds great when played softly or somewhere in between. Anyone can play it and make it sound good!
- Size. This drum seems pretty big to my smaller students, and they like that it can be played while standing up. At the same time, though, it is not so cumbersome that it can’t be easily moved. It has a strap for this purpose, too.
- Appearance. This month I’m rocking a jungle theme, and this drum fits in perfectly. I follow up the singable story Rumble in the Jungle with the tubano drum, and identifying the jungle animals on the side of the drum is the perfect segue.
Added bonus: the drum makes a perfect mini side table when not in use. I keep it next to my piano, and my caddy for pens/pencils/antibacterial gel/other small items sits on top.
I’ll have to write another post about the specific songs, activities, and interventions I’ve come up with just for the tubano drum. And as always, feel free to share your own uses for it!
