by Rachel | Uncategorized
This was my bible during my first year as a professional music therapist. Throughout the nine months prior that I spent in internship, I compiled songs that I thought might come in handy (or already had) for music therapy sessions. I’m so glad I took the time to do that way back when, because here I am, four years later…still referring back to it and adding new songs as I go.
Of course, not every song is relevant anymore, especially now that I write most of my own material. But every single song on my recent list of 12 Songs Every Music Therapist Should Know can be found in this giant binder, as are many of the songs I’m about to add to that list.
I received several requests for my FULL list of essential songs, and since I aim to please, here goes! Note: I am not elaborating on each one as I did in my original list, because if I did, you’d still be reading this tomorrow…
- “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)
- “All Good Gifts” (Godspell)
- “All Star” (Smashmouth)
- “American Pie” (Don McLean)
- “Amazing Grace”
- “Apples & Bananas”
- “Be OK” (Ingrid Michaelson)
- “Blackbird” (The Beatles)
- “Blue Skies”
- “Blue Suede Shoes” (Elvis Presley)
- “Boogie Baby”
- “Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to be Crazy”
- “Breakaway” (Kelly Clarkson)
- “Brown-Eyed Girl” (Van Morrison)
- “Bushel and a Peck” (Guys & Dolls)
- “Change the World” (Eric Clapton)
- “Circle of Life” (Elton John)
- “Clap For Love” (Little Miss Ann)
- “The Climb” (Miley Cyrus)
- “Colors of the Wind” (Vanessa Williams)
- “Day by Day” (Godspell)
- “Defying Gravity” (Wicked)
- “Do-Re-Mi” (The Sound of Music)
- “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (Bobby McFerrin)
- “Everybody” (Ingrid Michaelson)
- “Fire & Rain” (James Taylor)
- “Firework” (Katy Perry)
- “Fix You” (Coldplay)
- “For Good” (Wicked)
- “The Girl I Mean to Be” (Secret Garden)
- “Glory of Love”
- “God Only Knows” (Beach Boys)
- “Hallelujah” (Jeff Buckley)
- “Happy Together” (The Turtles)
- “Here Comes the Sun” (The Beatles)
- “Hero” (Mariah Carey)
- “Hey Jude” (The Beatles)
- “Horse With No Name” (America)
- “How Sweet It Is” (James Taylor)
- “I Believe I Can Fly” (R. Kelly)
- “I Can See Clearly Now” (Lee Towers)
- “I Don’t Care if the Rain Comes Down”
- “I Got Rhythm”
- “I Have a Dream” (ABBA)
- “I Will Remember You” (Sarah McLachlan)
- “I Want To Teach the World To Sing”
- “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
- “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”
- “In the Jungle”
- “Jingle Bells”
- “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”
- “Jump, Jive ‘n Wail” (Louis Prima)
- “Just the Way You Are” (Billy Joel)
- “Lean on Me” (Bill Withers)
- “Let It Be” (The Beatles)
- “L-O-V-E”
- “My Favorite Things” (The Sound of Music)
- “My Girl” (The Temptations)
- “My Wish” (Rascal Flatts)
- “Never Never Land” (Peter Pan)
- “No Day But Today” (Rent)
- “No One is Alone” (Into the Woods)
- “A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing” (Schoolhouse Rock)
- “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (The Beatles)
- “The Rainbow Connection” (Kermit the Frog)
- “The Raindrop Song”
- “River of Dreams” (Billy Joel)
- “Seasons of Love” (Rent)
- “Shake Your Sillies Out”
- “Side by Side”
- “Someone to Watch Over Me”
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
- “Stand By Me” (Ben E. King)
- “Sunrise, Sunset” (Fiddler on the Roof)
- “Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay!”
- “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
- “This Little Light of Mine”
- “Three is a Magic Number” (Schoolhouse Rock)
- “Three Little Birds” (Bob Marley)
- “The Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)” (Greenday)
- “Top of the World” (The Carpenters)
- “Twist and Shout” (The Beatles)
- “Under the Boardwalk” (The Drifters)
- “When You Wish Upon a Star” (Pinocchio)
- “Wide Open Spaces” (Dixie Chicks)
- “You Are My Sunshine”
- “You Gotta Be” (Des’ree)
- “You Raise Me Up” (Josh Groban)
- “Your Smiling Face” (James Taylor)
- “You’ve Got a Friend” (James Taylor)
- “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Randy Newman)
- “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”
Notice the nice little scroll box? Right around song #35, I decided it was mandatory. Hopefully I’ve given you some new ideas for songs to add to your own repertoire…and like my last “essential” songs post, I want to know: which tunes am I still missing?
P.S. Did you know that you can gain instant access to a vast collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
It’s raining, it’s pouring…but that’s what we expect in April, right? Luckily, I thought ahead and prepared all sorts of rainy day songs and activities for my students. Here are just a few of my favorites for rainy April days like this.
One staple of every classroom music therapy session at my school is the weather song. (If you’ve joined my newsletter, then you’ve already received a free download of my weather album.) Today’s song, of course, will be “Rainy Day” — or “Pitter Patter” as everyone around here calls it.
Pitter patter, pitter patter
Down comes the rain today
Clouds are forming in the sky,
Inside we’ll have to stay.
Thunder crashes, boom boom boom!
We see lightning too.
Don’t go outside,
Until the storm is through.
This picture book has been a staple in my collection of singable stories for years now. The illustrations that accompany the added verses about the old man are cute and funny, and the song is familiar to almost everyone.
And there are plenty of great songs out there about rainy days. At the top of my list are Leaky Umbrella by Jim Gill, Raindrop Pop by Bobs & LoLo, and The Raindrop Song from Barney. I also like to sing about rainbows throughout the month of April; one particular fave is We Are the Colors of the Rainbow by Holly Brook & Candy K.
And I can’t forget instruments! I’ll be pulling out my rainsticks, chiquitas, and thunder drums this month. Now it’s your turn: what are your favorite songs, books, and activities for rainy April days?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
You know what’s really NOT fun? Trying to string an acoustic guitar without this handy little tool. I know, because I’ve done it both ways. And I had no idea what I was missing, until I shelled out the $8 and realized how much time and elbow (wrist?) grease I’d wasted previously.
The Planet Waves Pro String Winder not only winds the pegs, but it also snips off the leftover part of the strings. My favorite feature is the fact that it can also pull out the bridge pins, which I’ve always had the hardest time doing with my fingers.
I always dreaded stringing my guitar before, but I’m happy to report that is no longer the case! I’m probably the last person on earth to discover this super convenient little tool…but I’m writing about it here just in case I’m not :) Do you use the Pro Winder, or something similar?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
When I was in high school, you could find me in one of three places during the summer: my job at Baskin-Robbins, the neighborhood pool, or on the stage of the Muni Opera, an outdoor community theater here in Springfield.
I have lots of great memories from the 10+ shows I was in at the Muni, but my absolute favorite was The Sound of Music. I played Louisa von Trapp, and just fell in love with the music. This musical has a special place in my heart because of that experience, so I was very excited when I came across a picture book version of My Favorite Things.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and stimulating; even my littlest students enjoy looking at the pictures that accompany the song. For my older students, the book serves as the perfect jumping-off point for a discussion about their own favorite things.
I love singable stories featuring familiar songs — especially those that will get a smile out of my students’ parents, like this one. What are some others worth adding to my ever-expanding collection?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
This book was recommended to me by the lovely Music Therapy Maven at the perfect time in my life. Last year around this time, I was just a little stressed (and by a little, I mean so much so that I wrote this blog post). But I listened to the audiobook version of Getting Things Done, and immediately implemented the system.
My biggest problem before reading this book was carrying my to-do list around in my head and letting it cause anxiety day in and day out. It was a total “duh” moment for me when I read the part about getting the tasks out of my mind and down on paper. Not a huge list, as I was used to compiling on a weekly basis, but a single action step I could take towards completing a task or project.
That’s where the tickler file comes in. A simple concept, really: file folders for each month of the year, plus one for each week of the current month.
That phone call I needed to make this week? I wrote it down on a sticky note and put it in this week’s folder at the beginning of the month so that it was waiting for me. The conference I’m presenting at next September? All of that info is in the August folder, so when it’s time to start thinking about it, I can pull it out and do so. No longer do random papers, forms, and bills clutter my desk’s main inbox and cause me stress on a daily basis.
There’s one more folder in my tickler file, and that’s the “Someday/Maybe” folder. What goes in there: ideas I don’t have time for right now, information that may become useful at some point, lead sheets for songs I find that I might want to adapt and use in the future, etc. It’s my go-to place when I have some spare time and might be able to take action on any one of those items.
It’s so much easier to look at a project as a list of steps, rather than one big scary cloud hanging over my head. Of course, I still experience stress, but nowhere near the levels at which I once did. And anything that can lower my stress is effective, trust me! That’s why I always recommend Getting Things Done to everyone.
What about you? Have you read the book, or do you have another system for getting organized and keeping your to-dos from overwhelming you?
