It’s Listen & Learn’s birthday, but YOU’RE getting the presents.
My baby is hitting double digits! It’s hard to believe that this little website I started as a brand-new music therapist is still going strong 10 years later. Recording the songs, creating the materials, and writing the blog posts that fill up these pages brings me SO much joy, but what fills me up even more is knowing that they are benefiting YOU.
YOU are the reason that Listen & Learn Music is still alive and well today, and YOU are the reason I’ll be celebrating another 10 years in 2028. Every email and comment I receive detailing how a song was brought to life in a classroom or music therapy session, and how it helped a child to learn a new skill, provides the motivation to make this an even more valuable resource for you.
To properly thank you for your support, I want to give you a gift for every year of Listen & Learn Music. Starting September 1, I’ll be sharing one of my favorite resources with you from the L&L collection each day in yearly chronological order, all the way through September 10.
Our Biggest Giveaway Ever
And last, but not least, I hope you’ll participate in the GIVEAWAY I’m doing on September 10! One extremely lucky winner will receive a LIFETIME VIP MEMBERSHIP to Listen & Learn Plus, including all current and future CMTE courses.
All you have to do is help me celebrate by:
1) following Listen & Learn Music on Instagram
2) Creating a post about how you’ve used a L&L resource, or just simply sending a birthday wish
3) Tagging @listenlearnmusic on your post
4) Using the hashtag #listenlearnmusicturns10
Feel free to save and post this image and use the caption:
Wishing @listenlearnmusic a very happy 10th birthday! I’m joining in the celebration and hoping to win a lifetime VIP membership to Listen & Learn Plus! #listenlearnmusicturns10
Follow the steps above to enter as many times as you’d like between September 1 – 10.
Start from the beginning.
Each day, I’m writing a blog post recapping each year of Listen & Learn Music and announcing the resource gift for that day.
If you’ve entered your name and email address above, you’ll receive these directly to your inbox, and you’ll also have access to them (along with other cool stuff) inside the private Facebook group.
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More from Listen & Learn Music
{23 Days of Gratitude} Day 3 – Meditation
I’ve been dipping my toe into the waters of meditation over the last couple of years, but this fall, I decided to finally take the plunge. I knew from practicing on a sporadic basis just how effective meditation can be, so when I had the opportunity to take a class, I went for it.
{23 Days of Gratitude} Day 2 – Dinnertime
Up until this summer, I wasn’t home at dinnertime to eat with my family most nights. Since I taught lessons, led music therapy sessions, and taught classes in the afternoons and evenings, I missed out on meals with my family during the week. Zach either made the kids dinner at home or took them to his parents’ house to eat, and by the time I got home, we had to start the bedtime routine.
The older my children got, the harder it was to miss out on dinner with them — especially after being apart all day long. That was a part of my decision to stop teaching lessons at the end of May, and I’ve since adjusted my schedule to make sure I’m home every night for dinner together.
{23 Days of Gratitude} Day 1 – My Neighborhood
I have a long history with this neighborhood. I didn’t grow up in it, but several of my childhood and high school friends did, so I spent a lot of time at their houses. My mom and stepdad moved here when I was in graduate school. I spent the summer in between school years there, and then the following summer, Zach and I moved into our own house in a different neighborhood.
23 Days of Gratitude
November always feels like such a magical month to me. We leave behind the sugar rush and spookiness of Halloween (while still embracing all things pumpkin) and officially make our way into the holiday season.
Everyone seems so much more friendly and happy during this time of the year, which to me, is the best part of the holidays. I love the spirit of Thanksgiving, and this year I want to get a jump start on celebrating right away.
“Shakin’ in the Rain”
When I set out to write a mash-up of songs about rain, I realized there were wayyy more than I could possibly include in a single song. So I chose the ones I thought would be most recognizable and singable by my little students and their families, and ended up with Shakin’ in the Rain.
I Heart My Hydro Flask
Never did I ever think I would shell out almost $50 for a water bottle. Crazy talk, right!? BUT, I am not a water drinker, and that is not a good thing. I even ended up in the hospital during my last pregnancy due to dehydration. So while I’ve tried to do better ever since that scary event, I was still slacking.
The only way I knew for sure that I would actually drink the amount of water my body needs was to become financially invested. I had heard about the Hydro Flask on a podcast I love, and after that, I just kept spotting it everywhere. Obviously it was a sign — I was meant to have this water bottle!
Learning to Tolerate Love Halloween
It was my during my music therapy internship that I realized I would have to get over my grudge against Halloween. If I wanted to work with kids, I needed to just accept October 31st as a day that is, to them, right up there with Christmas.
Even as a child, I wasn’t a fan of Halloween. I didn’t like the creepy decorations, the pressure to choose a costume, or going door-to-door asking for candy (although I didn’t mind eating it later). But as an adult, I put my personal feelings aside and wrote numerous songs devoted to Halloween.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve sung about orange and black, all the candy we’ll eat, and jack-o-lanterns with conviction, and I bet none of my students ever guessed that I didn’t love Halloween just as much as they did.
Getting Out of Go-Mode
For as long as I can remember, that has been my default setting. But in 2017, a switch was flipped in my brain, and I decided I didn’t want to live in go-mode anymore.
It has taken time to adjust to the idea and practice of living at a slower pace, and I’m still not all the way there yet. It was easier during the summer, when I had a built-in excuse to slow down; now that we are in the throes of fall, it feels like I should be back to life at warp speed like everyone else.
What’s Up, Buttercup?
It’s been a month. Between launching a new course, starting a new early childhood music class session, and restarting a podcast, I needed some content creation downtime. As a result, the crickets have taken over around here…womp, womp, womp.
BUT — they got their eviction notice today, because I finally feel ready to get back to writing and sharing. Just this week, I added a few new songs to the store, and it felt GOOD. I can’t tell you how much I missed the songwriting and recording process, since to be honest, I did almost none of that over the summer.
As much as I loved creating my Introvert’s Guide course, it took up just about all of my creative energy. I was thrilled at how well it was received, and equally thrilled to get back to my roots after the enrollment period ended.
{It’s Here!} A Look Inside the Introvert’s Guide
Well, this cartoon basically sums up my entire professional life. Every single day, I push outside of my comfort zone in order to be the best music therapist and business owner that I can be, even when I’m feeling completely spent.
If your work day is anything like mine, it probably includes facilitating sessions, teaching classes, leading groups, interacting with client families, speaking with colleagues, networking with other professionals, and attending work-related events. Add to all those face-to-face interactions the inevitable emails, social media exchanges, and phone calls, and I’m 100% “peopled out” by the end of the day (if not sooner).
I absolutely love my career, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But I will admit that it’s been a steep learning curve, becoming good at my job, given the fact that I am a total introvert. I’ve had to challenge myself with uncomfortable and sometimes downright scary situations in order to grow as a music therapist, and after 10 years, I finally feel like I have insight to offer fellow introverts who also experience similar professional challenges.
A Labor of Love
It seems fitting that I decided to release The Introvert’s Guide to Thriving in an Extroverted Career the day after Labor Day. When I committed to creating this course earlier in the summer, I didn’t realize what an undertaking it would be.
While I’ve created many courses in the past, none have required the amount of focus, vulnerability, and transparency that this one has. But I knew that in order for it to be truly beneficial to my fellow introverts, I needed to tell my own story as openly and honestly as possible. That meant sharing my shortcomings, failures, and hard lessons learned throughout the course of my life and career.
One Last Summer Hurrah
This has been one of the most chill summers my family’s ever had. Aside from a few performances and work-related obligations, my weekends were free and clear to spend at the pool or just hanging out at home, and I loved it. Slowing down summer was the best idea ever.
But we did plan one quick getaway to celebrate the end of the season: a trip to Florida that was anything but slow. No, the Rambachs don’t do slow while on vacation, thanks to my husband who likes to plan everything down to the hour.
10 Years of MT-BC
July 2007 was a good month. I got engaged to my now-husband, and then just a few days later, passed the board certification exam to become an official board-certified music therapist. This photo was taken the following month — the earliest one I have in a work setting with those four letters (MT-BC) behind my name.
These past 10 years have been full of learning, growing, and stretching myself in ways I never though possible. I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane, highlighting my music therapy journey from the beginning to where I am now.
8 Songs for Rhythm Sticks
Rhythm sticks are a go-to instrument in our music therapy sessions and classes. They’re not colorful and interesting-looking like some of our other instruments, but they are super versatile and can address so many important skills.
Another benefit of rhythm sticks is that they’re inexpensive, so we always have enough on hand to that everyone can play at the same time, no matter how big our group. We buy these in bulk.
Since we use our rhythm sticks so often, I’m constantly writing new songs specifically for them. It’s been awhile since I shared a song round-up, so here are 8 of my favorite stick tunes for working with children.
“Since When Are You an Introvert?”
It was my dad, of all people, who asked me this question just the other day.
“But how can you be an introvert? You’ve been performing in front of people your whole life. That doesn’t seem very introverted to me.”
That’s when I had to debunk the common misconception that being an introvert means being shy and uncomfortable around other people. I explained to my dad that while I have no problem getting up on a stage and singing, it’s the interaction with many people before and after that completely drains me and necessitates time alone to recharge afterwards.
The Favorite Song Challenge
Can I tell you how excited I am about this week!? We’re getting ready to host Music Therapy Connections’ annual Favorite Song Singalong, which is a free event for families with young children.
The Singalong, which will be held on both Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening, features a variety of our favorite songs (both original and traditional) that we’ve included in music classes over the last year.
One of the reasons I love this event so much is that it allows us to welcome in many new families from the community who haven’t attended our classes before. We also get to see our “regulars” — a big treat since we’ve been on break for the last month.
Add to that the opportunity to share my favorite songs, play our favorite instruments, and make music with lots of excited kiddos…well, it’s basically the recipe for an awesome time.
As I was working on the details of the event this past week, I thought, why not bring a similar concept to Listen & Learn Music? Except instead of sharing only MY favorite songs, I want to hear YOURS. Enter the Favorite Song Challenge.
Slowing Down Summer
Growing up, I loved summer for its perfect blend of laziness and activity. I spent my days sleeping in and hanging out with my friends at the pool, and then, once I was in high school, my evenings were filled with community theater rehearsals and low-key plans with friends.
As an adult, especially the last few years before having kids, summers were a blur. I packed them with full work schedules, gigs, vacations, and obligations to which I felt bad saying no. I barely spent any time in my summer happy place (next to a pool), and let the season slip by because I was so “busy”.
That was my experience even after having kids, as we added all kinds of new activities to the mix. I continued to say yes to work opportunities and performances, even though really, I just longed for weekends completely free of plans.
But this summer is different. I’ve spent the first half of 2017 slowly paring down commitments and work to that which most fulfills me and suits my family life, and now, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I have more white space than plans on my calendar.
“Under the Sea” Adapted for Castanets!
Last summer as I was planning an ocean-themed music class, I thought, “what better song to adapt than a Disney classic that’s perfectly on topic?!” So I did exactly that.
The tune is (mostly) the same, but the lyrics got a little makeover so that now, “Under the Sea” can be used to facilitate castanet playing.
My new version is a bit less wordy than the original, so it works well in an early childhood or music therapy setting. You can also easily switch out “castanets” for “rhythm sticks” and keep the rest of the lyrics the same. I love a great multi-purpose song!
Download the mp3, instrumental track, and chords here.
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The Next Chapter in My Story
In the summer of 2007, I started a little side hustle called Music Therapy Connections. That side hustle grew into an actual business that took up all the hours I wasn’t working at my full-time job, and it eventually replaced my full-time job. In time, it grew into a partnership with another music therapist and didn’t stop there.
10 years in, Music Therapy Connections is a full-fledged brick and mortar business with a team of 10 that serves hundreds of families within our walls and hundreds of people in the community each week. What a wild ride it’s been.
And through it all, I’ve not only run the business, but also provided music therapy, led early childhood music classes, and taught piano, voice and guitar lessons. I’ve taken two summer maternity leaves and extended summer breaks to be with my kids, but always returned to my students in the fall.
And Then She Was 2
Two years ago right around this time, I was holding a brand new baby girl in my arms and wondering how I got so lucky. Her entrance into the world wasn’t quite as smooth as her brother’s, but all those hours of labor made the moment that much sweeter.
Mia Belle was not what I would call an easy baby; she didn’t sleep through the night for her first 18 months of life, and she clung to me for dear life at all hours of the day. She cried just about every afternoon as I left for work. But in between the clinging and crying, she was unbelievably sweet. And funny. This girl learned how to go from coy to total ham in about 6 seconds, and she charmed everyone in her path with her huge blue eyes.
And she still does, this little 2-year-old of mine. Complete strangers stop to comment on how cute she is and how beautiful her eyes all are the time, but really, the best part about her is her personality. She’s always had so much of it, and now that she is talking nonstop, we are getting to experience the full extent.
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