by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last year, my friend Katie and I ventured out at 4 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving to participate in the absolute chaos that is Black Friday. I do have to admit that we had fun, and I did score some great deals on items for my studio, but I am not sad to have missed out this year.
Instead, I slept in and then went to the Festival of Trees with my dad. This afternoon I’m going to eat some leftovers, work on a song with my mom, and maybe even start getting out the Christmas decorations (we’re putting up the tree tomorrow).
My poor husband has been outside stringing up lights all day, which might be even worse than fighting the Black Friday crowds. What about you? Did you brave the mania and take advantage of the sales?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last night as I stood in front of a huge crowd of family, friends and strangers, doing one of the things I love most — singing and playing my heart out — I was reminded of just how much I have to be thankful for.
Not everyone is lucky enough to do what they love (for me, music) on a daily basis in various capacities. The fact that I get to share it with so many people, whether on a professional or personal basis, just makes life that much sweeter.
Reading through my past Thanksgiving blog posts (2008, 2009, and 2010) this morning, it’s nice to see that the things I was thankful for 3 years ago are still constants in my life now. My family, beautiful home, career, and students bring me joy and fulfillment every single day.
I’m celebrating all of the blessings in my life today with both my family and my husband Zach’s family (we have become pros at eating multiple holiday meals, which I’m not sure is a good thing!). Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
As I type this, I’m sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane to Atlanta. #AMTA11, baby! (That’s the American Music Therapy Association’s national conference, for those of you non-music therapists).
I already wrote about the things I’ll be doing while in Atlanta, so I thought today I’d fill you in on how I pass the time while up in the air. Isn’t that an exciting blog topic!? ;)
- Candy is a must. I’m usually a pretty healthy eater, so I get my candy fix while traveling. Today I have a package of sour jelly bellies in my purse. Yum!
- Good tunes. I just bought She & Him’s “Volume 1” and “Volume 2” albums and have them loaded on my iPhone to listen to during my flight.
- Reading materials. I don’t have much time to read for fun, so I always stock up on magazines and bring whatever book I’m reading on the plane.
- Something to work on. For this particular flight, my project will be putting together my conference schedule (better late than never, right?).
And that’s really it. I always try to sleep on planes but rarely ever succeed. I’m hoping to catch a quick nap this time, especially, because a busy week lies ahead. Oops, gotta pack up…it’s almost time to board!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
No, not at all? Okay, great…glad we got that settled! At least, that’s my opinion. I consider November 1st to be the day on which I can officially start listening to holiday music without getting funny looks from my husband. Now that we’ve just about reached the middle of the month, my Christmas playlists are in heavy rotation.
Last year I wrote about my 8 favorite Christmas albums, and this year I’ve added a few more to the mix. My current favorite is one that just came out last month: A Very She & Him Christmas (I pre-ordered it on iTunes for $9.99, but you can get it on Amazon for $5 by following that link). You’ve probably heard of the actress Zooey Deschanel, who makes up one half of this duo. The other half is M. Ward, and together they have this great 60’s throwback sound that I really dig.
The sweet sounds of holiday music are already filling my studio, too. Just last Friday, one of my students recorded “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for a Christmas album we’re putting together as a gift to his parents. And I just picked up some new holiday piano books, which for some reason always motivate my students to practice much more frequently than their regular repertoire.
But I’m not skipping over Thanksgiving by any means — I’ll stick with turkey day tunes in music therapy sessions until December. The Ten Days of Thanksgiving is the perfect precursor to all the Christmas songs that I’ll be breaking out in a few short weeks.
What is your take on the official start of the holiday (listening) season? My husband just popped in and added his two cents: “No Christmas music until Thanksgiving!” Do you agree with him?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
As you read this, I’m either on my way to Minnesota (we hit the road to the airport at 4.30 am…eek!) or already there.
A few months back, my mom told me about a songwriting contest being held by a national non-profit organization whose mission is to end child abuse.
The National Child Protection Training Center (NCPTC) focuses on educational curriculum development and training for child protection professionals across the country. The winning song would be performed at their gala, Embracing Hope: A World Without Child Abuse Starts Tonight, as a theme song of sorts.
So we entered…and guess what? We won! We found out the good news in September, and now we’re off to St. Paul in order to attend and sing the song at the gala.
My mom and I are pretty excited about having the opportunity to share the song with so many people who we know will appreciate it. If you want to hear the song for yourself, click here.
Another thing we’re pretty excited about? Doing some shopping at the Mall of America! I’ve never been, and this trip just happens to fall at the perfect time to start doing my holiday shopping :)
