When the “Mamma Mia!” musical first came out, I listened to the Broadway soundtrack nonstop. I still turn it on from time to time, because the songs are so upbeat (for the most part) and put me in such a great mood. “I Have a Dream” is one of my favorite songs to teach beginning voice and guitar students, and like I said in the video, I like to use it in music therapy sessions with my middle school students. They’ve always enjoyed the song and the discussions it sparks, but it’s even more popular now that the movie is out.

I watched “Mamma Mia!” (the movie version) for the first time yesterday, and now I’m craving a sunny beach vacation in Greece. That’s not in my future anytime soon, but I will be heading to exotic St. Louis tomorrow for a week in the recording studio.  I’m enjoying one more lazy day before the fun begins, and it just happens to be my puppy, Sadie’s 1st birthday!  Just take a look at this little sweetie:

I’m off to play with the birthday girl (who is currently covered in mud and rain thanks to the lovely weather), so I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.  If you haven’t yet, please go enter my DVD giveaway, and stay tuned this week for updates from the recording studio!

“That Yellow Bus” was a February staple in my music therapy classes, and quickly became a student and staff favorite.  (I think the main reason is because it shares a title with a certain Justin Roberts song I did last year – that one still gets requested all the time!) Like I mention in the video, it was written specifically for a little guy with bus transitioning issues, but since many of my students do ride the bus, they were able to benefit from it, too.

That is the beauty of what I do: there is so much crossover from one part of my job to another, and so many different situations in which to apply the same therapeutic interventions, activities and songs. For example, many of the tunes I’ve written and shared on this very blog are also included in this semester’s Church Mice class, which is actually where I’d headed in just a little bit. 

Which leads me to wonder…is it already Sunday afternoon?  This weekend has certainly flown right by, as they usually do.  After Church Mice, my husband and I are heading to my parents’ for a cookout with my brother (who is in town for spring break) and his fiancee, and then I’m looking forward to vegging out on the couch and watching the Academy Awards.  What are you up to tonight?

In today’s video, I’m singing “Making Friends” – a song I recently wrote for a class at The Hope Institute. It was featured throughout the month of January in my music therapy sessions, and I already miss singing it now that February is here (along with all-new tunes).

This has been the weekend of all-new tunes, in fact. I spent most of yesterday writing and recording, as I finished up a custom CD for a consult client.  Since I began offering consultative services in January, I’ve had no shortage of new songs in the vault to share here at Listen & Learn.  I love it!  I’ve been so inspired by the new topics presented based on the goals and objectives of my clients.  Make sure to come back tomorrow for one of those new songs!

How was your weekend?  Aside from my intensive writing/recording session yesterday, mine has been pretty relaxing.  My husband and I finally saw Avatar (in 3-D no less!) and last night, we had the opportunity to attend a viewing of the new HBO film, Temple Grandin.  I’ll be sharing more about that in the coming week, so stay tuned…