by Rachel | Uncategorized
I spent some quality time (as in 4+ hours) with these books last Saturday afternoon…and I’m still not tired of them. After finishing a special project for one of my Listen & Learn Plus! members, I am just that much more excited to use these singable stories with my own students.
You’ve all heard the tune “Over in the Meadow” — which is the melody for this collection of stories. I own 9 of them, but I’m sure there are more out there. Marianne Berkes and Jennifer Ward are the two authors who have (separately) written most of the books pictured above, and they’re all fantastic.
The illustrations are beautiful, interesting and detailed, and the stories themselves are chock full of information and vocabulary for students.
I already owned Somewhere in the Ocean and Over in the Jungle prior to taking on the special project, but I’m so glad to have the collection at my fingertips now.
These are just the kind of singable stories I love: the repetitive melody makes it easy for my students to catch on quickly, and the content creates endless opportunities to address goals and objectives.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Earlier this week, my newsletter went out and included a free song download. (They all do….have you subscribed yet?) Several of the emails I received in response prompted this week’s post on a topic I’ve written about before at Listen & Learn Plus, but never here: mechanical licenses.
The emails I received asked if the free download, A Bushel and a Peck, is in the public domain — meaning it is not protected by copyright or the copyright has expired — and the answer is no. Just like I do with any other cover song (including this one), I went straight to Limelight to purchase a mechanical license.
A mechanical license allows musicians to create, distribute and sell recordings of compositions owned and controlled by another publisher. Even though I was giving my download away for free, I still needed a mechanical license in order to distribute it to others, since I don’t own the rights to the song.
Limelight makes this process quick and easy. You simply enter a few details about the song (title, artist, type and volume of distribution or sale, etc.) and then pay the fee that is determined by that information. My license for “A Bushel and a Peck” cost just $25. You can pay either by credit card or PayPal.
If you want more information, here’s a great article on this topic. Have you had any experience with licensing cover songs? And if so, did you use Limelight or another similar service?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Like many other music therapists, teachers, and musicians, I spend a lot of time making song sheets for my students and myself. While in some cases I’ll need the actual sheet music for a song (in which case I head over to MusicNotes), sometimes I just need the lyrics.
If you do a Google search for just about any song, you’ll come up with at least a dozen lyrics sites…but most of them are garbage. Either the lyrics are incorrect, or there are pop-up ads all over the place, or the biggest annoyance of all — the site won’t let you copy and paste.
But I’ve found one site where the lyrics are consistently accurate, there are few to no pop-ups, and I’m able to copy and paste from it every single time: Sing365.
It’s a pretty cheesy looking site, but I could care less how it looks because it has been such a great resource for me. Whether I’m just curious about the lyrics to a song or need to create a lead sheet for a student or myself, it’s my go-to place.
If I’m looking for the lyrics to the song “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, I type this into my Google search bar:
Adele Rolling in the Deep Lyrics Sing365
And I’ll tell you what, I get exactly what I’m looking for just about every single time. No more clicking on link after link in search of usable lyrics. So that’s my quick little tip for you on this lovely Friday. I hope Sing365 saves you as much time as it has for me!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
There have been many occasions on which I wished I was able to accept credit card payments. Here are just a few: when selling my CDs and songbooks at conferences, peddling demos at gigs, when a parent of a student forgets his or her checkbook and has no cash…the list goes on.
So when my friend and fellow studio owner Lisa Casciola told me about the Square Credit Card Reader, I was intrigued. I went to the website, where I found out that I could order the tiny little device for FREE, start an account for FREE, and immediately begin accepting credit card payments.
The square accepts all types of major credit cards and charges a flat 2.75% rate for every transaction. The best part is that the money is transferred to your bank account the next day. How convenient is that? The Square app can be downloaded to the iPhone, iPad and Android for free, and is super simple to use. Here are a couple screen shots of the app in use:
You simply enter the dollar amount and title of your transaction and then either swipe the card or enter the card number. It seriously couldn’t be any easier, and better yet, each transaction is completely secure.
For each item or service you sell, you can upload a picture that is displayed as an icon next to the item name. You can also personalize your receipts and let customers choose between paper (you can print wirelessly if using the iPad), email, or text. There is also an option for customers to add a tip. You can create reports to track sales and income, and even set up custom rewards programs for certain credit card types.
This device has opened up lots of new possibilities for me! Have you tried it yet, or do you use another method of accepting credit card payments on the fly?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I love fake books — so much so that I have an entire shelf of them here in my studio. The latest in my collection, pictured above, was a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law. And like most non-musicians, I’m pretty sure they have no idea what a fake book actually is.
A fake book contains the bare bones needed to play the songs within it: the melody line, lyrics, and chords. It’s up to the musician to come up with his or her own accompaniment, whether on guitar or piano. Fake books are great because the songs are succinct (usually no page-turning involved) and easy to pick up quickly.
This is the Ultimate Fake Book with Over 1200 Songs really IS the ultimate fake book, as I’ve come to find out. In the last month, I’ve opened it in search of a particular song, and found what I was looking for every single time. Amazing! It has come in very handy both in voice lessons and music therapy sessions. It has a permanent spot in the drawer next to my piano just because I use it so often.
There are definitely times when I prefer the real deal, where the accompaniment is already laid out for me. But I like to have options, which is why I keep both types of music and songbooks around. Are you a fake book fan, or do you prefer full arrangements of songs in most cases?
