by Rachel | Uncategorized
Four months ago, I sat down to dinner with my husband at our favorite Thai restaurant and proposed that we renovate two rooms of our house, turning them into my new studio. He looked at me like I was nuts, but I kept talking, and eventually he warmed up to the idea.
Now that it’s complete, Zach couldn’t be happier. He can see how thrilled I am with the finished product, and he gets to reclaim the main part of our house. A win-win situation.
It’s actually a win-win-win situation, because I am positive that my students and their families will love it, too. The entrance is right off of the driveway, there is a dedicated waiting room with plenty of comfy seating, and the studio is bright and inviting.
But instead of just telling you, I want to show you what I mean. I took pictures of every last nook and cranny, and posted all 99 of them on my Facebook page. Go take a look! And be sure to let me know what you think.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
The MTRT, better known as the Music Therapy Round Table, is a podcast hosted by myself, Michelle Erfurt, and Kimberly Sena Moore. We’ve been working together from our respective states (Illinois, Florida, and Missouri) for the last year and a half, and finally decided that we needed to get together in person — other than at AMTA National Conference.
Since Michelle lives in Florida, naturally that was our first choice destination. So Kimberly and I flew in this morning, and the three of us have been making plans and catching up all afternoon. We’re very excited to fill you all in on our big plans for the podcast and the Music Therapy Round Table in general!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Thankfully, I’m a little more calm posting this update than I was last time! That looooong to-do list has been tackled and (mostly) conquered, which means I actually have some progress to share with you today. I’m going to post the full album of pictures on my Facebook page pretty soon, but I’ve been itching to show off my hard work thus far on the blog and cannot wait any longer.
While I had my camera out, I went ahead and snapped some exterior shots of my house, which is where my studio is located. I didn’t get a good picture of the entire thing, but you get the idea from these angles.
I spent one entire day this weekend working on the new entryway into the studio. The door to the left of the garage had to be replaced last week, so my first act of duty was to paint it so that it matched the garage door. Next, I washed and repainted the walls in the entryway. I was planning to paint the screen that hides our central vac unit, but then decided I liked it white. (Okay, so in truth, I was really tired by that point…but the white is growing on me!) I didn’t include the shelf to the right of the screen in my picture because I have yet to fill it.
The waiting room now has a coat rack, artwork, and a standing lamp. And today I’m going to pick up the crowning jewel of the room — an awesome coffee table with extra seating. Thank you, dear mother-in-law, for the wonderful birthday gift! That just might call for an update post all by itself. Oh, and Amanda Ellis just sent me pictures of the pillows she made for this room. They are on their way, and will look great in there!
Here is the studio itself. Although it’s smaller than my old one, I love it so much more. I think it’s the coziness that does it for me, actually. It’s also much better organized, because there is a large closet to conceal all the stuff I don’t use on a daily basis. Originally I was planning to put curtains on the windows, but then my mom and mother-in-law convinced me otherwise. I’m extremely happy with that decision now, since both rooms need all the extra natural light they can get.
I am over the moon about how the new studio has shaped up, and can’t stop coming up with excuses to spend time in there. Luckily, I have a very understanding husband :) There are definitely still lots of things to do, and even though I’m not sure when I’ll have time to get to them, somehow it will happen. It always does, it seems!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
On Friday afternoon, the spring session ended and I taught my LAST LESSON EVER in the original Music Therapy Connections studio. My lovely student Grace was happy to pose in a few pictures commemorating the occasion and showing off the extremely empty digs.
The very next day, my helpful (and strong) brothers-in-law came over to help my husband move the last remaining item — the piano — into the new studio. It was sort of sad to close the doors of the room that has served me so well over the past two years; it’s the end of an era.
It won’t stay empty for long: the room will be a temporary home to a few miscellaneous furniture items in the coming weeks. Zach and I had plans to make that happen this weekend, but after all the painting, organizing, picture hanging, and arranging I did over the last three days, my energy is drained.
Speaking of all that, I have lots of pictures to share in my next studio renovation progress update! A lot has happened since my last pathetic update…and you’ll get to see it all later this week.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I received an email from my friend Lisa Casciola a few weeks back, telling me to apply for the open blogger position at Music Teacher’s Helper. Talk about a dream job: write 1 blog post a month, and in return receive a free unlimited subscription (worth $49/month) to Music Teacher’s Helper (the online software that helps run the business side of my studio/private practice).
So I applied for the job. As part of the application, I had to provide a list of post ideas as well as a sample post which would serve as my inaugural one if hired.
A few days later, I received an email asking if I’d be interested in blogging for Studio Helper, which is the sister site of Music Teacher’s Helper. The Studio Helper blog is geared more towards the management and marketing of a studio, which aligned with my ideas and sample post.
Of course I said yes — because as you know, running my studio is a favorite topic around here! (And I still get the free unlimited subscription to Music Teacher’s Helper.) My first post will appear on the Studio Helper blog next Tuesday, May 24, and the 24th of every month following.
My dad couldn’t believe it when I told him I’d added one more thing to my already busy schedule, but the way I see it, I’m already blogging every single day…so what’s one more blog post a month?!
