by Rachel | Uncategorized
I covered this song in yesterday’s “Sunday Singalong” video, and have been getting requests for my version of it ever since. What a compliment! So for those of you who want to use it with your own students or just for fun, I’ve got you covered.
Click below for a free download of my adapted lyrics, plus the chords. Please note that when I sing and play it, I capo the 2nd fret.
Lead Sheet Download: Rhythm of Love
One of my Twitter friends reminded me how great it would sound on the ukulele, so I’m going to play around with that next. Oh, and feel free to adapt the lyrics further if you’d like. I hope you have as much fun with this song as I do!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I love this illustration (source), because it totally reflects my feelings about Dropbox and how it has changed the way I share files. I split my work between my laptop at home and my laptop at work, so up until recently, I’ve relied on USB flash drives, sending emails to myself, and uploading files to MobileMe in order to access them in both places. Not anymore!
I have to credit Kimberly S. Moore with introducing me to Dropbox, which is a free application you can download from the internet to any computer (both Mac and PC) or mobile device. The free account gives you 2 gigabytes of storage, though you can pay a monthly fee for more.
What I love is that Dropbox works just like another folder on your computer, so now instead of saving a copy of a document or project on both my computer and in another location, I can simply save it to Dropbox and then it’s right there when I need to access it from another computer.
Another cool feature is the ability to share folders with other people. I share a folder with my Music Therapy Round Table cohosts and another with my husband. It’s like magic: new files just appear in the folder when other people add them!
Just yesterday, I recorded instrumental tracks for 9 new songs at work. Instead of compressing the Garageband projects into a zip file and saving them to my USB flashdrive, I simply saved them to Dropbox as-is and then opened them right up on my home computer to record the vocals. Then I saved the WAV files to Dropbox, and am listening to them now as I type this :)
Have you used Dropbox yet? If you work on multiple computers like I do, or want to access files on your phone, give it a try. And then come back and tell me how much you love it!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
When Listen & Learn made the move from Blogger to WordPress last summer, there was no question as to which theme I was going to use.
Not only did my good friend the Music Therapy Maven use and recommend the premium theme Thesis, but I saw it pop up all over the blogosphere on a daily basis.
I wanted a theme that I would be able to customize myself to keep Listen & Learn’s signature look, not to mention one that would help boost my presence in the search engines. Thesis was a bit of a financial investment at $87, but it didn’t take long before I shelled out the additional $77 for the Developer’s Option Upgrade, which allows me to install Thesis on any and all of the domains I own.
I’m in love with my theme, which is why I saved this “Friday Fave” for Valentine’s Day week. From the many font options, to its search engine optimization capabilities, to the sheer ease of use, Thesis truly takes the intimidation factor out of WordPress.
In fact, I’m using Thesis to roll out yet another website — but more about that another time. A girl’s got to keep some of her secrets under wraps! ;)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
A little over a year ago, the lovely and talented Kat Fulton introduced me to a guy by the name of Chris Guillebeau. I can’t thank Kat enough, because Chris has been a huge influence on the way I live my life and build my business.
Chris’ blog is called The Art of Non-Conformity, and there he writes about how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time. His articles never fail to inspire me, especially since he practices what he preaches. Talk about goal-setting: Chris plans to visit every country in the world during a five-year time period; so far he’s been to 149 out of 192 with two years remaining in which to complete his mission.
So when he debuted his Empire Building Kit last spring, I didn’t hesitate for a minute before taking the plunge. Case studies, video interviews, transcripts, and a 365-day email series (the longest in history) designed to help me build my business in one year by doing one thing every day? Yes, please.
That was in May. Today marks day #255, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit “reply” to thank Chris for another valuable idea or nugget of information. And you know what? He’s responded every single time. Amidst his world-traveling, writing a bestselling book, and generally just being awesome, he’s found the time to personally cheer me on.
I love working on my business (which is comprised of my private music therapy practice/teaching studio and Listen & Learn, of course), but what I love even more is seeing positive results. And although I may not have achieved empire status just yet, I’m on my way.
Any other emperors out there? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the kit. And if you want to join us, read on.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I spend a lot of time using the internet. This year I’ve logged more hours than ever, having thrown myself wholeheartedly into blogging and social media. Over the past 12 months, I’ve come across quite a few resources that have helped me do those things efficiently and opened up doors that I didn’t even know existed. Hopefully some of these resources can do the same for you.
- Chris Guillebeau: I’ve mentioned Chris before in my newsletter, and he’s the perfect person to kick off this list. His book, The Art of Non-Conformity, has changed my way of thinking about work and the way I live my life, and his Empire-Building Kit has given me the tools to implement those changes.
- WordPress.org: I may have been a bit behind the times on this one, seeing as how Listen & Learn began as a Blogger blog. I had a great experience using Blogger, but WordPress allows me to do so much more with this site than I ever though possible. I wrote about my move to WordPress.
- Wisestamp: This great little browser plugin allows me to include my custom signature, including links to my websites and social media profiles, on every email I send automatically.
- Amazon Associates: I’m always recommending books, music, and other resources that I use and find helpful in my work as a music therapist, singer/songwriter, and studio teacher. This free affiliate program allows me to collect a small profit when others buy the products I recommend. Although it’s not much, those small paychecks (which I choose to receive in the form of Amazon giftcards) are put to good use each month.
- Linoit: I featured this site as a Friday Fave in the fall, but it bears repeating. I use color-coded online sticky notes as my to-do list, which I can access from both my work and home computers. It saves paper, and it is extremely satisfying to “peel off” each note as I complete the task.
What are your top online discoveries of the past year? Maybe it’s a blog that you have found particularly inspiring, or a tool that makes your online activities easier. Whatever it is, I want to know about it!
