by Rachel | Uncategorized
It’s been awhile since I wrote about one of my favorite apps, so that is exactly what I’m doing today. Tabs is an app for both iPhone and iPad by Ultimate-Guitar.com, which is my go-to source for chords to just about any song you could ever think of.
The app itself costs $2.99, but there is also a subscription fee you must pay before accessing songs. However, the fee is nominal — I paid $5.99 for 12 months of full access to over 300,000 songs.
This is one of the most frequently used apps on my iPad, because my students and music therapy clients are always requesting songs that I don’t know off the top of my head. The app allows me to search for any song or band/artist, transpose songs to any key, look up a chord if I’m not familiar with it, and even auto-scroll the song so that my hands don’t have to leave the guitar or piano.
My favorite features are playlists and favorites. I can save songs to separate playlists for each of my students as well as keep a running list of favorites for myself, which motivates me to sit down and practice when I have a bit of downtime. I have always loved the website, but now instead of printing out sheet after sheet, I can just grab the iPad and play.
Have you tried this app yet? If so, what are your thoughts — and how do you use it? And if not, I’d love to hear your preferred method for finding chords/tabs to songs and using them in sessions or lessons.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
After reading the inaugural issue of Imagine — the first online magazine dedicated to early childhood music therapy — last September, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next one. Luckily for me and the other music therapists of the world, it’s here!
Once again, I had the opportunity to submit an article to be included in the resources section. It’s called “Building Your Own Business in Early Childhood Music Therapy”. Flipping through the magazine, it’s obvious that I’m in good company. A few highlights:
- “Advocating for Music as an Essential Early Childhood Experience” by Dena Register
- “Understanding Development in Early Childhood Music Therapy” by Rebecca Wellman
- “Biddy Biddy: A Song Without Words” by Carol Ann Blank
- “Cool Music Apps for Little Ones” by Petra Kern
- “Laughter in Music Therapy and With Young Children” by Kalani Das
- “Music Therapists Talk About Self-Care: A Video Interview” by Kat Fulton
All of this excellent information in one place is getting me fired up for the American Music Therapy Association’s national conference, which is coming up in less than two months. I just booked my plane ticket last night and can’t wait to see many of the contributors to Imagine in the flesh!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
What better way to start the week than with a free download? Better yet, a free download from one of my favorite children’s musicians? If you haven’t already, go grab Justin Roberts’ Snack Pack EP from Amazon.
Big shout-out to my friend Lisa Casciola, who not only gave me the heads up about this free download, but also introduced me to Justin Roberts in the first place. She gave me a copy of his Yellow Bus album way back during my internship, and I still play songs from it for my students to this day.
Have you downloaded any other great music for kids lately? I mean, of course, besides any song or album from the Listen & Learn collection ;)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I freely admit that I am a total junkie when it comes to technology — particularly technology that I can use to make my work easier. I have highlighted a few of these in the recent past (Music Teacher’s Helper, Dropbox, Gigbook) and now I’m adding another to that ever-growing list: Spotify.
When I first heard about this new application, I thought it sounded cool but didn’t take the time to really look into it. I knew you had to have an invitation to get the free version, so I figured I’d just wait until it was more freely available.
But then I kept seeing posts and links to Spotify on Facebook, so finally last night I decided to see what all the excitement was about. Ten minutes later, I found myself springing for the $10/month Premium version.
The free version of Spotify lets you search for, play, and share with your friends millions of tracks — pretty much any song you can think of — via the Spotify app on your desktop. Pretty cool. The unlimited version ($5/month) lets you do this without advertisements and for as long as you like. The premium version lets you do this not only from your desktop, but also on a mobile device WITHOUT even being connected to the internet.
For example, last night I created a playlist of both songs I own (Spotify imports your iTunes library and even retains your playlists) and songs I searched for in Spotify. Then I connected my iPhone and iPad to WiFi and without even connecting them to my computer, the playlist synced to both devices. Today I listened to that playlist in my car using my iPhone.
But the coolest application of Spotify for me is how I can utilize it in my studio. I can create unique playlists for my students and play them either on my computer or on my iPad. Instead of listening to just a sample of a song or having to purchase it, we can stream the entire thing so that my student can decide whether or not to add it to his/her repertoire.
I have only just begun to explore the possibilities, but I’m already hooked. Warning: searching for songs and browsing your Facebook friends’ playlists can be quite addictive! Have you jumped on the Spotify bandwagon? If so, I’d love to hear how you are using it.
As I mentioned earlier, the free version of Spotify requires an invitation. I have 8 left to give out, so the first 8 people to comment on this post will receive an invitation in their email inbox!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Okay, people: I need your help! The time has finally come to buy a new portable keyboard. The hand-me-down Yamaha my mom gave me a couple years ago has served its purpose, and will continue to do so in my studio’s waiting room, but I’m in the market for an upgrade.
Yesterday I put out the following tweet, hoping to elicit more than a few replies:
I did receive three responses — thank you Kat, Allison and Caitlin! — but would love to throw a few more options into the pool of candidates.
So if you have a recommendation for a keyboard that is easy to tote (back and forth from gigs, rehearsals, etc.), won’t break the bank (preferably under $500), and sounds great, please let me know by leaving a comment.
Thank you in advance for your help!
