by Rachel | Uncategorized
Ok, so I won’t be lounging on some tropical beach during my spring break, but I do have some pretty exciting plans. I have four lessons to teach after school today, and then SPRING BREAK ’10 will officially begin! Let me tell you all about what’s going down these next two weeks.
Radio Interview
This weekend will be pretty low-key; I’ll have some time to relax before I kick into high-gear. The ball will start rolling on Monday morning, when I head to Capitol Radio Group to record a radio interview with Bob Murray, who hosts a weekly 25-minute program called Focus. I’ll be talking about music therapy, my blog, projects I’m working on, and my involvement in the Springfield community. The show will air next Sunday (Easter!) morning on 5 local radio stations, including my personal favorite, WDBR.
Recording My CD
Right after the interview, I’ll hit the road for St.Louis, where I’ll be spending the rest of the week recording my CD at Jupiter Studios. I’ve chosen ten songs to include on the CD, so hopefully we’ll have time to finish all of them. It’s going to be an intense 4 days: I’ll be in the studio from 12 pm to 10 pm (yes, ten straight hours!) working one-on-one with Jim Callahan, the owner and head sound engineer. Since I’m an early riser, I’ll probably spend my mornings at Panera, fueling myself with caffeine and blogging about my recording experience. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, as I’ll also be tweeting frequently throughout the week!
Jet Setting
My school’s spring break officially ends on Sunday, April 4. I’ll be back to work for a quick two days, but then Zach and I are taking off to San Antonio for five days of much-needed R&R. This trip is courtesy of AAA, for whom my husband works as an insurance agent. Every year, they send their top agents somewhere warm for a fabulous vacation…so far we’ve been to Palm Springs, Hilton Head, and San Diego. I tell Zach that he can never leave the company, because they treat their employees so well (and I get to benefit from Zach’s hard work!).
Back to Reality
Life will get back to normal on April 12, when the regular schedule resumes. However, at that point there will only be eight weeks of the school year remaining, and those always fly right by. Heck, I’m already planning my summer music therapy and lessons schedule!
There is a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, and I hope the same is true for you. Even if you’re not on Spring Break (or if there’s no such thing for you), at least the weather is getting nicer. That’s enough for me. Have a beautiful Friday, and if you haven’t already, go enter my giveaway to win the newest Model Me Kids “Going Places” DVD, which features musical narration by yours truly!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I’m a list-maker. I usually have at least two or three lists going at once: on my phone (I love the app “A Check List” for the iPhone), in my planner, and on a piece of notepad paper. Not to mention the stacks of lists I’ve made containing ideas and future plans that have their own place on my desk. Saturday is my designated day for tackling those various lists, but I thought I’d make one more before I get to work on them!
1. SleepPhones Giveaway winner Joann wrote to say, “The SleepPhones arrived in Friday’s mail. I used them last night. They are amazingly comfortable and the sound quality is pretty good. Thank you so much.”
2. My Facebook page is hoppin’ lately! Hard to believe there are almost 700 fans…are you one of them?
3. This YouTube video has gone viral, and it’s easy to see why. Who can resist an adorable elderly couple showing off their mad skills on the piano?
4. The Laurie Berkner Band’s blog is a new addition to my blogroll, and definitely worth a visit. I love getting a peek behind-the-scenes of one of my biggest inspirations!
5. Read the Feed! The easiest way to keep up with Listen & Learn is to subscribe to my RSS feed. I subscribe to all my favorite blogs, and then read them all in one place via Google Reader.
I think that’s it for now. My husband and I are finally tearing ourselves away from our Saturday Lost marathon (thanks, Netflix streaming!) so that we can attend to our respective to-do lists. See you tomorrow for this week’s Sunday Singalong video!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
2010 has been a very good year so far, as far as my work is concerned. Maybe even a little too good! What I mean is that since January, I have been inundated with exciting opportunities, new projects, and the addition of several students to my private practice/studio. While those are all very positive things, and I am extremely grateful for them, I’ve been just a little stressed! Understandable, right? Juggling so many responsibilities sometimes feels like I’m surfing a tidal wave, just barely staying above water.
So here’s the question: how do you get off that tidal wave and back to solid ground? As a parent, teacher, therapist, or pretty much anyone else with a life and responsibilities, you’ve probably found yourself faced with that very question. I want to share a few of the things that have helped me through this most current wave of stress.
- Get organized. I’ve learned that if I don’t take control of the things that stress me out, they just swirl around in my head and cause even more stress. David Allen’s best-selling book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
was almost life-changing, in that it taught me new but simple ways to organize my life and work to cut out a lot of that free-floating stress.
- Identify the next step, then take it. I know all too well that looking at the “big picture” of a project can be really scary. Instead, I break the project down into tasks that can be completed and marked off the list. That way, I can see my progress as the project moves toward completion.
- Reward yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate; something as simple as a lunch break could serve as your reward for finishing a task on your to-do list. Last summer when I was working on music for the Model Me Kids: Faces & Emotions DVD, I would sit down at my desk around 6:00 am to begin. Each song took several hours to write, record, and edit, so every time I completed one, I allowed myself to spend some time unwinding (usually with a snack while watching television or taking my dog for a walk). I looked forward to that downtime, which gave me extra motivation to complete my work.
- Regain your confidence. This is especially important when you are facing new challenges and unchartered water. I have taken on several new roles this year, and at the beginning, I questioned whether I could really handle each of them. Constantly questioning my abilities was really stressing me out, until I realized something: I wouldn’t have these roles unless I was capable of them. Others put their trust in me, so why shouldn’t I trust myself?
- Imagine the outcome. With each project and task that you undertake, you most likely have an end goal in mind. Picture your life once you have completed each one; how you will feel, what you will do with the extra time. Sometimes that is all the motivation I need to get through a particularly difficult item on my list!
Now I am off to apply some of these very techniques as I tackle the rest of my day. Here’s to a productive, stress-free and enjoyable afternoon. (Oh, and if you have any items to add to the list, please share them in the comments section!)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I’m not talking about the old song; I’m referring to my wonderful husband of one and a half years! Even though we haven’t been married for very long, we have a very interesting history that goes back to before either of us hit puberty. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m going to tell you our story.
Zach and I started dating as 21-year-olds in 2004 (September 16, to be exact) but we first met at the age of 11. Fifth grade. We became friends, and would hang out in big groups after school and on the weekends. The next year, Zach asked me to be his girlfriend. We were each other’s first kiss, and he even told me he loved me. Needless to say, he was heartbroken when I broke up with him a month later. He still gives me a hard time about that!
Zach and I remained friends through our sophomore year of high school, but at that point, we drifted apart. We still had lots of mutual friends, but he was too much of a party animal for me. After graduation, I didn’t see Zach again until I ran into him the night of my 21st birthday, at a bar of all places. We were inseparable the rest of the summer, but didn’t make it official until the fall.
In 2005, Zach graduated from college and returned to Springfield to start his career. I still had a year of graduate school left, so we only saw each other on the weekends. It was a tough year, to say the least, but we still managed to have a lot of fun.
2006 was another challenging year, because I spent most of it in St. Louis doing my music therapy internship. Luckily, I was able to live with Zach’s sister and brother-in-law, and I went home on the weekends to see him. Zach took me on my first trip to Las Vegas (the picture is of us on the plane…can you tell I’m excited?) and we bought our first house.
In 2007, I finished my internship and finally got to live in Springfield permanently. I got a great job, and soon after that, Zach proposed! He took me completely by surprise, luring me to the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on false pretenses and asking me to marry him in a room filled with rose petals, candles, and “our” song playing. When we went down to the lobby for a celebratory drink, we found our entire families waiting to celebrate with us.
On August 8, 2008 (8-8-08…can you guess my lucky number?) Zach and I had the most beautiful, perfect, and fun wedding. After a week in St. Lucia on our honeymoon, we returned to real life as a married couple. Turns out 2008 was the year of weddings, including Zach’s brother’s just a few months after ours.
2009 started off with a bang: we bought a new house! We spent the next few months decorating and nesting, and I moved my private practice from the “road” into my new home studio. In May, we added a new member to our family…our golden retriever, Sadie. Career-wise, we both had amazing years; Zach earned the prestigious title of AAA’s “Agent of the Year” while I successfully raised money to record a professional CD, presented at the AMTA National Conference, and was featured in the media several times.
2010 has only just begun, but so far it has been great! We took an exciting trip to New York City and attended our friends’ gorgeous wedding last month, and we are already looking forward to a few days of sun and fun in San Antonio this April.
Tonight we are going out to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day…our 6th together, with many more to come! I feel so lucky to have such a supportive, successful, and loving husband, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I’m back from the Big Apple and thoroughly ashamed to have neglected Listen & Learn for an entire week! I honestly can’t remember the last time I went so long between posts, and I feel a bit like a failed blogger :(
The truth is, I was already behind schedule before my trip, and being away for four days didn’t help that situation very much. I have several projects in the works, as well as new responsibilities both at school and in my private practice, which means I have a LOT of catching up to do.
But before I tackle all of that, let me fill you in on my trip to NYC. I can pretty much sum it up in one word: amazing. Just being there is a thrill, and we took full advantage of our short time in the city that never sleeps. We ate lunch at Pershing Square Cafe, dinner at Basso 56, and ordered deli sandwiches from Rupert (of The Late Show with David Letterman fame).
When we weren’t eating, we were walking around the city – Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Grand Central Station were just a few stops we made – and seeing a Broadway show! My wonderful husband waited in line at the TKTS stand long enough to score tickets to Memphis, a new Broadway musical that definitely lived up to all the hype. We had some of our favorite friends right there with us, including my best friend (and NYC resident) Katie and her fiance, Justin.
On Friday, we packed up our rental car and headed to New Jersey, where we took part in the wedding festivities of our friends Dustin & Kristin. I don’t have nearly enough time to paint an accurate picture of this beautiful affair, so it’s a good thing I took almost 200 photos! We returned home late on Sunday night, and I spent my “day off” on Monday working on an exciting project (more later…I promise!).
I have a long list of topics to share with you in the coming days and weeks, so thank you for sticking around! The emails I received from readers while I was out of town put a big smile on my face, and were a constant reminder for me to get in gear here at Listen & Learn. So this is me…getting into gear…and telling you to come back tomorrow for a brand-new song. See you then!
