It’s been awhile since I’ve been this excited about a music therapy resource. When Lisa Barnett of Songs to Grow On first contacted me about her new songbook, I was intrigued…but it wasn’t until I received my copy in the mail that I realized just how useful it would be in my practice.
My House is an interactive songbook designed for children with autism which lets them share their stories about where they live, who they live with and the special things and people that are important in their lives. The book has spaces on each page to add a photo and corresponding label, giving children and their families the creative license to choose which elements of “their house” will be featured.
I didn’t waste any time putting the songbook to use, and I had just the student in mind to try it out with for the first time. Knowing that I have a super busy schedule between taking care of my baby and working full time, Lisa generously sent me an already assembled version of the book — all I had to do was add photos provided by my student’s family.
My student, her mom and I had so much fun singing about “her house” for the first time last week! Each page allowed an opportunity for her to name the person/room/item in the photo, and then find the word to match. After we labeled each photo with the correct word, we went back through and sang the song together.
The song itself, which Lisa wrote and recorded professionally, is singable and super catchy — my client was still singing it after we were finished. You can listen to it here.
Again, I have to tell you just how impressed I am with this new resource. The book is beautifully designed in a sturdy binder, the pages are in protective plastic sleeves, and the word menu comes laminated with plenty of velcro to attach word labels. My students have a tendency to be hard on my materials, but I don’t have to worry about them damaging this one!
I’ll be writing more about my experiences with using My House in my music therapy sessions, but I wanted to share it with you right away so that you can check it out for yourselves.
If you aren’t familiar with Tuned Into Learning®, then there is no better time to hop on over and check out this amazing resource. Their collection of music for special education is unparalleled, and I am beyond flattered to have the opportunity to offer one of my songs as a free download today. Get the “Fall, Fall, Fall” mp3, instrumental mp3, and lead sheet here.
Tuned in to Learning® helps special learners ‘tune in’ through the powerful medium of music. They offer a wide range of special education songs and curriculum designed by an Autism Specialist and team of Board Certified Music Therapists. Their songs, books, videos and downloads help teach essential skills to students with autism, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, brain injury, learning disabilities, speech disorders, orthopedic impairments, and other special needs.
It’s awesome to have so many high quality options when it comes to finding new material for my work with kiddos who have special needs. After you download my fall freebie, be sure to check out all that Tuned in to Learning® has to offer!
I’m currently on maternity leave, and some of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise through guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Michelle Erfurt, MT-BC.
This is the “Body Song” from Psalty’s Singing Song Book. Just like the name implies, the song talks about the purpose of a few body parts… the eyes, brain, heart, arms and ears. In this video, I share the song and an activity tip.
I’m currently on maternity leave, and some of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise through guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Bear Paw Creek owner Janet Stephens, who creates many of the wonderful movement props I use and love.
As a child, my dream was always to be a wife and mom. I got married while living in Alaska in 1997 with a baby soon to follow in 1998. My husband and I wanted to raise our family in the “Lower 48,” so the fall of 1999 found us moving to Missouri.
Part of my dream was to be able to stay home with my children. Shortly after our move, I was trying to figure out a way to bring in some income. Enter my big sister with an idea. She was a self-employed music therapist and discovered a need for movement props and endless quantities of fabric bags to stay organized–my sewing business was born.
I started creating and sewing stretchy bands, bean bags, Q Chord cases, tone chime cases, puppets, and tote bags. I started on the sewing machine I purchased in high school but soon found the need for my first of several industrial sewing machines. Those were the days before YouTube had tutorials on how to use industrial machines. It has been a continual learning experience.
In the spring of 2012, I took Kat Fulton’s fantastic Online Zenn Course and started working on building my web presence. My favorite outcomes of the class are the connections I made and “meeting” some of the people that actually use what I sew. It’s a pretty humbling and awesome experience to see and hear first hand how they are used.
While my sister was visiting last year, we were able to do a video shoot showcasing the stretchy band. Rachel Rambach wrote a fantastic song especially for the event. Here is one of the long awaited videos.
We also have a new and exciting Stretchy Band “cousin” going to be released soon. Can you imagine a stretchy band that can be used in a straight line and then connected together, combining different sizes for your needs? Watch for the Connect-a-Band™ coming out soon! Come get connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. You’ll be the first to know about our new products and sale events.
As always, our products are proudly made in America. So are all seven of my children–my dreams being fulfilled!
There’s a little over a month remaining in the school year, and if you’re anything like me, it’s right about this time that your repertoire needs a boost. Whether you work as a music therapist in the classroom or one-on-one setting or you are a music educator, my newest creation might be just the boost you need.
Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! is a digitally downloaded songbook containing 12 Listen & Learn songs for playing instruments — including rhythm sticks, shakers, bells, drums, castanets, cabasa, ukulele, and more. Not only does the PDF songbook provide the notated melody line, chords and lyrics, but you also receive full and instrumental mp3s for all 12 songs:
“Animal Rock”
“Click Clack”
“I Can Do It By Myself”
“The Lollipop Bop”
“Play the Cabasa”
“Rhythm Sticks Waltz”
“Ring to the Music”
“The Shakin’ Song”
“Shaky Fruit”
“Tap Your Rhythm Sticks”
“The Ukulele Song”
“You Can Strum Too”
Purchasing the lead sheet and mp3s for each individual song would cost you $3 a pop; multiply that by 12 songs and you’re out $36. But since I’m all about sharing the love, I’ve priced Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! at a mere $12.
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
My Book + Course
This is the book + course that will help you shape your music therapy career in order to make more money and live your ideal lifestyle. Details here.
