by Rachel | Uncategorized
Since leaving the school setting and going into private practice full-time, I’ve been fortunate when it comes to staying healthy. Last January, I set out to record and post a new song every Monday, and my good health (along with some crazy determination) has allowed me to do this successfully — until today.
As you know, I’m in Hawaii this week with my husband. So the Friday before we left, I sat down and wrote the song that I planned to post today. Unfortunately, that very day I was hit by a pretty nasty cold bug that left me without a voice suitable for recording. It could have been worse (like full-fledged laryngitis) but trust me, no one would have wanted to listen to that song had I gone through with the recording.
I’ve stuck with my “new song every week” goal for 11 months, and though this cold may have set me back a little, I’m bound and determined to give you (and my clients) 52 songs before January 1! So next week you’ll be seeing two new songs to make up for this tuneless Monday.
As for the status on my voice? The air here in Maui sure has done a body good, and I am feeling MUCH better than I did upon arrival. Have an amazing week and do your best to stay healthy!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
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 ;)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Four years ago today, I sat down at my computer, came up with the name Listen & Learn Music, started a blog using Google Blogger, and wrote this post. I can’t believe I actually remembered to celebrate today — it usually dawns on me a couple of weeks later — but here I am, writing the 1,044th blog post on Listen & Learn’s 4th birthday!
Just for fun, I visited the Way Back Machine and captured a screenshot of the blog when it was just one month old. Needless to say, the look has changed just a little over the past four years.
In August of 2010, I made the switch from Google Blogger to WordPress, which opened up a whole new world for Listen & Learn. Here are some other blogging highlights since September 4, 2008:
- November 2008: I was given the opportunity to make my songs available on Songs For Teaching, one of the most popular websites for educational music.
- June 2009: I started a membership site, Listen & Learn Plus, which now has over 100 members.
- November 2009: A songbook made up of songs from the Listen & Learn collection, was published by my now-colleague and good friend, Michelle Erfurt.
- July 2010: I released a studio album, Time to Sing Hello, which was funded by donations made via Kickstarter by Listen & Learn readers and supporters.
- January 2011: In a moment of what can only be described as pure insanity, I made a New Year’s resolution to blog EVERY DAY for a year.
- January 2012: I completed my goal of 365 blog posts in 365 days, and shared my New Year’s resolution for 2012 — to write a new Listen & Learn song each week for an entire year.
This blog has connected me with hundreds of amazing people, including other music therapists, fellow bloggers, songwriters, educators, and parents. I am inspired every day to keep writing songs not only for my students, but for the students and children of those who visit Listen & Learn. What started as a little hobby is now a full-blown business…but it doesn’t feel like work at all.
I can’t thank you enough for your encouragement, comments, tweets, “likes” and purchases over the years. I feel like this is just the beginning of what has so far been a wonderful adventure!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Can I tell how you excited I am about tonight? The Third Floor Music Festival is an event being put on by our local arts center here in Springfield, and I’m thrilled to be included in the lineup.
10 of Springfield’s most talented musical acts will be performing at the festival, and frankly, I’m still a little stunned (in a good way) that Rachel & Matt is one of them. After all, Matt and I have only been playing together for a little over 8 months, and we don’t have the name recognition the other acts do just yet. But we’re working on it, and hopefully playing in the festival tonight will help with that!
Each act plays for 30 minutes, with the exception of the headlining band, who will play for 90 minutes. Matt and I have chosen 8 of our original songs to showcase during our set, and have been practicing every night this week to get them down solid. 3 of those songs are less than a month old and have not yet been performed live.
For those of you Springfield friends reading this, we’ll take the stage at around 7:15 pm and would LOVE to see you there! The buzz has been going strong and we’re hoping for a huge turnout. It’s going to be a fun night…doesn’t get much better than 7 solid hours of live music performed by local musicians!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Don’t go wishing me a happy birthday just yet, because the big day isn’t actually until Tuesday. But who doesn’t love an extended celebration…especially when it’s a milestone year? No, I’m not turning 30 quite yet, but this is the beginning of the LAST year in my 20s, which is a pretty big deal!
My husband and I celebrated my 29th birthday last night with an amazing dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and my family and friends are getting together tonight for what has been dubbed Rachel’s “I’m Not 30 Yet!” Birthday Party. I’ll be spending my actual birthday in Austin, Texas — a fun little mother/daughter trip courtesy of my awesome mom.
28 has been a pretty amazing year, between launching my full-time biz, taking a few wonderful vacations, and seeing my family grow (I got a new niece earlier this week!). But I have a feeling that 29 might be even bigger and better, both professionally and personally.
Thanks for stopping by and taking part in my birthday festivities! I hope your weekend is filled with lots of great things, too!
