by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
My first Thanksgiving post of the season! I love, love, love this time of year and the songs and activities I have to go along with it. The 10 Days of Thanksgiving is my favorite of all, which is why I blog about it year after year.
This time around, I decided to do something new; I took the visual aide I created and set it to the music, as you saw above. My students love using the iPad in our sessions, so now I can play the video if I don’t feel like using the good ol’ fashioned paper version.
Every time I sing this song, I’m reminded of all the goals and objectives that can addressed: counting, memory recall, reading and sight words, singing along, attention to task, and more. In addition to all that good stuff, I love that it gets everyone excited for the holiday.
The video is available on YouTube, but members of Listen & Learn Plus! get the download (so that it can be used without an internet connection) — along with an instrumental version so that you and your students can sing without me.
Get immediate access to this, plus over 100 other songs, lead sheets, visual aides, and valuable resources for only $9.99 per month…learn more about becoming a member or just subscribe below. You won’t be disappointed!
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by Rachel | Uncategorized
I really wanted to write another Thanksgiving-themed song this week, but I was feeling a bit stuck. After 4 years of churning them out effortlessly, I realized I was out of fresh ideas. But a little writer’s block never stopped me before; I was bound and determined to celebrate the holiday with one more new tune.
By Saturday, I still hadn’t come up with an idea. Later that night, I was over at my parents’ house having dinner and White Christmas (one of my favorite movies of all time) was on television. As Bing and Rosemary crooned about counting their blessings, I had a thought: what about a song that literally does just that?!
And that’s how Count Your Blessings came to be. Each verse gives an example of some of the blessings in our lives, and then comes the actual counting — by 1, 2, 5, and 10. You know I love a good multifunctional song, and this one definitely falls into that category.
I envision this song serving as a great conversation starter about the things in our lives for which we are thankful, although you could also just focus on the counting aspect. Another thought I had was having students draw pictures of their “blessings” to be counted, especially if they are just beginning to grasp the concept of counting by multiples.
As we get down to the wire, don’t forget about all the other Thanksgiving-themed tunes available to you. You can find my collection here, and there is still time to use discount code “givethanks12” to receive 20% off The 10 Days of Thanksgiving.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Now that it’s officially November — which in my world signifies the start of the holiday season — I’m not wasting any time getting to work on new Thanksgiving songs. This may be one of the topics I’ve written the MOST songs about (check ’em all out here) but that certainly isn’t stopping me from adding to the collection.
Colors of Thanksgiving doesn’t need much of an introduction or explanation; I think the title pretty much tells all. This is another one of those songs where I really had to refrain from writing additional verses, because there are just so many great symbols that represent this holiday. And yes, most of those symbols are edible, but I managed to work in at least one non-edible item. Listen and find out what it is:
What colors would you add to this song that I haven’t already? The beauty is that if you use this song with your kiddos, you can add as many extra verses as you want. And to really kick it up a notch, make visuals (or have the kids make them) to go along with each verse.
P.S. Speaking of Thanksgiving songs and visuals, use the code givethanks12 upon checkout to receive 20% off my 10 Days of Thanksgiving album up until Thanksgiving Day. It’s by far my most popular Turkey Day resource!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
When it comes to apps that are not directly related to music and music therapy, Instagram has quickly become my new favorite. In fact, I much prefer my iPhone to my camera (even the fancy new one my husband and I just bought) these days so that I can ‘gram my pics immediately.
Although I use Instagram mostly to share photos of my dog, yummy food, and other random things, I have seen other music therapists using it to give us an insight into their work day. (Two such friends who come to mind are Rachel See Smith and David Symons.)
I must admit, ever since downloading this app, I find myself going out of my way for opportunities to take Instagram-worthy photos. I’ll have plenty of opportunities in a couple of weeks, when my husband and I jet off to Europe :)
You can find me on Instagram by searching for @rachelrambach, and you can also check out my weekly photo round-ups over at my personal blog. Feel free to share your Instagram handle in the comments!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Last night as I stood in front of a huge crowd of family, friends and strangers, doing one of the things I love most — singing and playing my heart out — I was reminded of just how much I have to be thankful for.
Not everyone is lucky enough to do what they love (for me, music) on a daily basis in various capacities. The fact that I get to share it with so many people, whether on a professional or personal basis, just makes life that much sweeter.
Reading through my past Thanksgiving blog posts (2008, 2009, and 2010) this morning, it’s nice to see that the things I was thankful for 3 years ago are still constants in my life now. My family, beautiful home, career, and students bring me joy and fulfillment every single day.
I’m celebrating all of the blessings in my life today with both my family and my husband Zach’s family (we have become pros at eating multiple holiday meals, which I’m not sure is a good thing!). Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
