Wow, what a wild ride the past half year has been! It’s been an interesting several months, and I’m so glad to be back on the blog to share what life as a music therapist has looked like during this time.
Going back to my previous posts, the last one I shared was in February: A Week in the Life of a Music Therapist. Little did I know that the world would soon be flipped upside down with a pandemic. As I’m sure many people have experienced, my typical week does not look much like it did back in February!
This summer has looked very different than I had initially planned, as I’m sure is also true for you. In a normal, non-pandemic world, my kids would be busy with various summer camps and spend one full day each week with their babysitter so that I would have dedicated work time…but this is not a normal, non-pandemic world at the moment.
Instead, the 3 of us have spent each and every day together, mostly at home with some pool days thrown in to keep us all sane. That of course translates into me not getting as much work done (like, barely even a fraction of it) as I had originally hoped, but I’m giving myself grace — as we all should during the year 2020.
That said, I have managed to write and record a few new tunes, as well as breathed new life into a good handful of songs I wrote in my earlier professional years. You can check out all of the latest songs over in the store, but I wanted to feature 3 of them here for you. Hopefully you can get some use out of them as we enter the last full month of summer!
What better way to end my favorite month of the year than by giving away one of my favorite instruments?! I’m SUPER excited to be teaming up with Kala Brand Music Co., Music Therapy Ed, Music Therapy Memes, and Music for Kiddos to give away not 1, but 4 Kala Waterman ukuleles.
The giveaway is happening over on Instagram, and the rules are simple. Head over to my latest post for the details, and then if you want 10 extra entries, simply enter your name and email address below and grab my free resource, “10 Go-To Instruments for Music Therapy” (spoiler alert: the uke is one of them!).
The giveaway ends at 12 pm ET on Tuesday, so make sure to enter ASAP! We’ll be announcing the 4 winners (one per music therapy account) on Wednesday at 12 pm ET. See you on Instagram…and I hope YOU win!
When I first started writing my own songs, I was working with children and young adults ages 0-22 in both the school and private practice settings. Not only did I want my songs to be effective tools for my students and clients, but I wanted them to appeal to the caregivers who were present in sessions, as well.
From the very beginning, my goal has been for my songs to transcend age ranges and developmental levels, but little did I know that many of them would also work well with older adults, too. It wasn’t until I started leading sessions in a senior living facility a couple years ago that I realized this was the case.
This post is the third in a series all about utilizing the elements of music in music therapy sessions or music classes, check out the first two posts on rhythm and dynamics right here! The elements of music series will continue with a focus on tempo.
There are so many fun things about music therapy sessions or music classes, but I bet my kiddos would tell you that their favorite part of music is playing FAST. And you know what’s even better than that? Playing FASTER!!
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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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.
