by Rachel | Uncategorized
I’ve most definitely written my fair share of songs about numbers. And while it’s not my FAVORITE topic in the world, I do have a bit of a soft spot for it…after all, I was president of the math club in high school (a fact my family will never let me live down).
So when one of my Listen & Learn Plus! members came to me in need of some fresh ideas for teaching the numbers 11-19, I was game. I wrote the song Numbers With a 1 with the idea that when it’s used, the music therapist/educator/parent will have visuals of each number in order to match the name with the number. You’ll understand what I mean after listening:
I made sure to keep the tempo nice and slow, and hopefully the song is interesting enough to keep a child’s attention — especially considering the topic isn’t the most fun! Do you know any other songs for teaching the numbers 11-19?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Choosing this week’s song topic was sort of a no-brainer, thanks to a certain holiday coming up tomorrow. I’ve written plenty of songs about love, including The Feelings in My Heart (follow the link to get a free visual aide download) and You Are Loved.
But this time I wanted to focus on a very specific kind of love: the kind you feel for your family.
I love the way this song turned out…so much so that I couldn’t wait until today to share it with at least a few people. Any guesses as to which people I sent it to? My FAMILY, of course!
I know there have been many songs written about family love, but there’s always room for one more when it comes to such a wonderful topic. What are your favorite songs about L-O-V-E, either the family kind or just in general?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
This weekend as I was brainstorming ideas for today’s new song, I thought back to a lesson I helped a teacher at my former job teach to his students. The topic was clapping at appropriate times, which may seem very basic to most, but for students with developmental and behavioral issues, it wasn’t so simple.
I don’t remember exactly which songs I wrote or used in that particular case, but the lesson was my inspiration for I Like to Clap — the latest song here at Listen & Learn.
The song touches upon several different occasions on which clapping is appropriate and encouraged, and of course, includes hand claps and applause (at the very end).
Hopefully this is one that your kiddos can have lots of fun with, and learn from as well. I’m looking forward to singing it with my students this week!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Are you ready for the most info-packed song about penguins you’ve ever heard in your life? Okay, so I probably didn’t have much competition when I wrote this, but I do have to admit I’m pretty proud of the amount of penguin facts I managed to include — and they rhyme, no less!
You might be wondering: why penguins? The answer: why NOT?! Actually, this was written as a custom music therapy song for Rene, a 1st grade teacher who is teaching a unit on penguins this winter. Thanks to the fact sheet Rene sent along with her custom song order, I was able to wrap up the most pertinent information into a fun tune that I hope her students will not only learn from, but also enjoy.
And since I figured who doesn’t love penguins, I decided to go ahead and share “Penguin Party” with all of you, too. It’s a little long, but it’s catchy! And educational!
Writing custom songs is one of my favorite things to do, because I get to tackle subject matter that I otherwise might not even think to write about. And now I’m off to ponder next week’s song topic…hmm…this one is going to be hard to top!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last week’s song featured a picture of a ukulele on a sandy beach…so this is just about as opposite as it gets! But it is January, after all, so I’m getting in those wintery songs while I can.
I actually wrote “Clackin’ On the Ice” in just a few minutes while putting together my Church Mice curriculum for this session. I needed a song that would go well with rhythm sticks and provide the opportunity for changing dynamics.
When I use this in person with my little mice, we start by singing and playing loudly. Each time we repeat the verse, we get softer and softer. In my recording, I reflect the gradual diminuendo by removing instrumental and vocal lines after each verse.
The rhythm sticks make the perfect “clackin’ on the ice” sound, though castanets would work very well, too. It might also be neat to experiment with vocal ostinatos and other instruments for a really progressive sound. I love a song that covers all kinds of objectives and provides so many fun possibilities!
