by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
With Halloween just a week away, I’ve been getting lots of use out of my own collection of songs on this topic AND looking around the web for some new inspiration. Since you’re probably doing the same, I thought I would share the tunes I’ve written and/or adapted to sing at Halloween time.
Black cats are the iconic Halloween animals, and this particular black cat has the starring role in my echo song, which I wrote with the objective of repeating after me and singing with me.
This song takes you through the trick-or-treating process step by step, including how to do so safely and politely.
I love singing this song every year and updating it with the latest “cool” costumes. The original version was written a few years back, so some of the costumes mentioned in the songs might be considered “vintage” now ;)
Candy is the best part of Halloween, right?! So of course there I have a song specifically dedicated to the goodies.
Anytime I can sing about colors in association to a holiday, I take full advantage of the opportunity. Halloween is perfect for that, since orange and black are THE colors.
A sweet little tune about two pumpkin pals in a patch. You’ll have to listen to the song to hear the full story and how it turns out for good ‘ol Patrick and Polly.
This is one of the first Halloween songs I ever wrote. It’s an overview of Halloween and the things we see around us at this time of year, set in a minor key to match the tone of the big day.
Far and away, the most frequently sung and requested Halloween song in my repertoire. It’s a great one for working on body part recognition and identification.
Next week I’ll share a fun Halloween song and activity that one of my students’ moms actually found on Pinterest and passed along to me. In the meantime, I hope these songs provide some spooky inspiration as we enter the final countdown to Halloween day!
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I could very easily say that I’m only familiar with Taylor Swift’s music because my students love her, but that would be a bold-faced lie. The truth is, I’ve been a T-Swizzle fan since the beginning, back when she was a country artist.
I like a lot of her songs (and even perform several of them regularly at gigs), but something about Shake It Off grabbed my attention and reeled me in the first time I heard it. This song is fun, catchy, and best of all — self-empowering.
And as appropriate as it is in its original form for some of my music therapy clients, I wanted to create a version that I could use in just about any setting. My adaptation is quite literal; shakers aren’t required, but highly encouraged!
What I’ve noticed most when I sing my version is that it makes everyone want to dance (the same effect the original had on me). Just yesterday I watched as a roomful of tiny kiddos and their parents busted out their best moves while singing along. So. Much. Fun.
I don’t make a habit of adapting super popular songs, but this was one such opportunity I couldn’t resist. I’ll end with an apology, because now you’ll probably have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day ;)
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I’m not sure how it happened, but yet another summer has slipped away and a new school year has begun. My Facebook newsfeed is full of back-to-school photos (which I love, just to be clear…as long as I don’t have to think about my child going off to school anytime soon!) and we’re gearing up for our fall session at Music Therapy Connections.
For most kiddos, the transition into the school year can be challenging: they have to get up early, establish a routine, work hard all day, and spend lots of time making social interactions (which is much harder for some children than others).
Knowing that many of my own students are facing those challenges inspired me to put together a little roundup of all the songs I’ve written on these topics. So without further ado, here are a few of my musical tools for making the back-to-school transition a success.
One of the most common complaints I’ve been hearing from my students is that now they have to get up “sooooo early!”. That alarm clock can be a rude awakening (literally) after a whole summer of sleeping in, which is where this song comes in super handy.
I wrote this song specifically for younger kiddos who are off to school for the very first time, and aren’t sure what to expect. It can be scary and overwhelming, which is why I broke it down in this song.
Not only do children learn to play nicely at school, but they also must learn how to work together in both small and large groups. This can be a foreign concept to some, especially the younger set, and it can seem foreign after doing their own thing all summer long.
My adaptation of the pop song “Call Me Maybe” is all about making friends, which for some children is the hardest aspect of going to school. I know it was for me, since I was on the shy side. This song is a reminder that making new friends can be fun.
Just as wake-up times get earlier at the start of the school year, so do bedtimes. I always dreaded that part of the new school year as a child, since my parents were pretty lax during the summer months. I sing this song to my son as part of our own bedtime routine.
This entire album is a good resource for getting back into the swing of things. My Clothes and My Shoes, That Yellow Bus, Making Friends, Cleanup Time, Time to Say Goodbye — all apply to the average school day.
What songs would you add to this “back to school” roundup? I’m betting most of you have tips for easing into the school year routine, whether as a parent, music therapist, teacher, or anyone else with little ones in their lives. Sharing is caring!
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
Fun fact: It was my mom, not me, who wrote the first song dedicated to my son Parker after he was born last summer. She would sing it to him every time she came over to see him, and now we all sing “The Parker Song”.
It took a couple of months for the fog to clear my new mom brain, but once it did, I was inspired by Parker to do some serious songwriting. The first song that came out of my creative burst was Welcome to the World, which came at the perfect time since so many of my friends were bringing home new babies.
Ever since, I’ve been recording versions of this song as gifts to parents of newborns. Every baby should have his or her own song, after all! The version on the album below was recorded for my sweet nephew, Alec, when he was born in April. I also included the instrumental track for the new babies coming into the world around you.
By the way, that adorable squishy little baby in the photo is Parker at five days old. Oh, how I miss him being that small! The older he gets, though, the more he inspires me as a songwriter — my own personal muse.
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
Let’s be honest: it doesn’t get much cuter than a whole bunch of babies playing instruments together. I’ve been a “baby bandleader” for many years now, teaching early childhood music classes, so it’s a little ridiculous that it took me this long to write a song all about my favorite kind of band.
“Baby Band” was written for the summer session of my Listen & Learn for Little Ones class, and I used it during free play time. Unlike most of the other instrument-centered songs I sing with my kiddos, this one doesn’t have any specific directions for playing a certain way. It’s just an opportunity for the little ones to try out different instruments and make music however they want.
I did include some different sounds in the verses for older babies who are starting to verbalize and develop their speech. My own baby just turned 14 months old and is getting to the point where he can repeat most sounds and words, so the fact that he can participate is so much fun :)
Oh, and speaking of baby bands, registration for the fall session of Listen & Learn for Little Ones is now open! We’re offering both morning and evening class options this time around, so if you’re in the Springfield area, I hope you’ll be able to join us.
