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
Holiday & Winter Parachute Songs for Children
The parachute is one of my favorite props to use with children of every age, but especially my early childhood groups. It seems novel to them every time we get it out, and there are so many different ways we can use it to address a variety of important goals while having a lot of fun at the same time.
During the holiday season, there are two songs in particular that I pair with the parachute. I wrote them specifically for this reason, though they also work well with the stretchy band, which I use when we don’t have quite enough hands to manipulate the parachute.
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Listen & Learn at Thanksgiving Time
Listen & Learn provides unique, fun, and goal-oriented music that can be used in so many different settings! At Music Therapy Connections in Springfield, we offer Listen & Learn classes that specifically utilizes this material.
I have had the privilege of teaching some of these classes each week. I primarily teach Listen & Learn for Little Ones, which is for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers. I also teach Listen & Learn a Little More, which is for children ages 3-5. Our classes typically run in four-week sessions. Each week during this period makes use of the same material because repetition is so valuable!
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Teaching Children to Give Thanks
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year! I love being able to reflect on my life and really appreciate all that I have. I also love being able to discuss this with the children that I make music with. I believe that even young children can begin to understand what it means to be thankful.
Being thankful and giving thanks are HARD concepts. It usually takes a bit of explaining so that my clients and students can truly understand the meaning of both. Incorporating a song like “Give Thanks” into my November music therapy sessions is the perfect way to begin a discussion about all of the things we can be thankful for.
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Taking the Unconventional Route
I knew even before I started my music therapy education that I was going to take the unconventional route. I’d already had plenty of practice at that, having completed my undergraduate education as a vocal performance major 3 semesters early in order to graduate and pursue my training as a music therapist.
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Pumpkins, Performances & Planning a Book Launch
Those 3 “P”s basically sum up the month of October for me! It’s been a busy one, between all the Halloween-related activities for my children, gigs I’ve played, and of course, the book I’ve been working on for the past 6 months.
Heading into October, I was worried about being able to accomplish everything I needed to do in between all of the events on my personal and professional calendar. Just opening the calendar app on my phone has been scarier than any Halloween movie — it’s packed with kids’ birthday parties (at least one every weekend!), school-sponsored events, local performances, family outings, mini deadlines related to my book, and of course, all of my responsibilities at my main gig, Music Therapy Connections.
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A New Adventure!
A little over 4 years ago, Music Therapy Connections (my private practice and music studio) found a new home at 1234 Centre West Drive. My co-owner Katey and I were convinced it was meant to be when we first took a tour of the building; the layout was absolutely perfect for our needs.
Not only was the layout perfect, but so was the location. Our families commented on how convenient it was, and it also happens to be the exact midpoint between Katey’s house and mine. It’s also right down the street from our bank, Walgreens, and Starbucks (you know, the essentials!).
For the first two years, we shared the building with an eye doctor clinic until they moved out, leaving the other half of the building vacant ever since. It’s been nice having the common restrooms and parking lot all to ourselves, but our current landlord listed the building for sale, so we worried a day would come when a new owner would want our space for his or her own use.
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Pick a Pumpkin (Song) or 2
I love incorporating seasonal themes into my music therapy sessions and music classes, and autumn is a special time of year where there are so many choices for themes to bring into my work! A few of my favorites are back to school, foliage, apples, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course, pumpkins!
With the incredible number of songs about pumpkins in the Listen & Learn Music catalog, it’s about time I wrote about all the ways we can bring the theme of pumpkins into music therapy sessions and music classes. Below, I’m highlighting my favorite pumpkin-themed songs!
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Self-Care Check In
As I shared with you at the beginning of September, I’ve been prioritizing self-care this month (with no plans to stop doing so anytime soon). To be completely honest, this has been easier said than done; I have a LOT on my plate right now, and at times it is temping to let my self-care practices slide in favor of completing other to-dos on my list.
I’m thankful that I was able to take part in Ami Kunimura’s 5-Day Self-Care Challenge this week, which provided me with support and accountability as I focused on practicing self-care. The daily videos and exercises helped me dive deeper into why self-care is so essential in my life right now, and I loved getting to hear from the other challenge participants as they shared their insights each day.
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How to Survive Your First Year as a New Professional
Being a new professional isn’t easy. I remember those days vaguely…mostly because I wasn’t sleeping very much and working super hard for my new clients and students.
Right now, many music therapists and music teachers are getting into the swing of their first school year, so I felt inspired to pass on some of the wisdom I learned while in their shoes, braving the world as a new professional.
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Unapologetically YOU
This is my 4-year-old daughter, Mia Belle. I couldn’t help but take her photo before she headed to soccer practice earlier this week, mostly to capture the unique outfit she had carefully curated just for the occasion.
If you know me in real life, then most likely you’ve heard the dramatic tales of our daily battles to get dressed and ready for school each morning. To put it lightly, Mia Belle is…selective when it comes to her clothes.
She wakes up with a strong opinion about what to wear that day, completely disregarding whether or not it is appropriate for the weather or situation (e.g. the sparkly bracelet, long plastic beaded earrings, and Superman headband she’s wearing in the pre-soccer photo).
I used to let her stubbornness get to me, and our morning struggle put me in a funk nearly every day. But recently I decided to loosen my grip, because I finally saw what was really happening here. She wasn’t purposely trying to antagonize me; she simply wanted to express herself.
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Falling Into Fall
Now that we’re all back into our school year groove, it’s time to jump into the first theme of the school year: FALL!
Ah, fall: that magical time of year when all of the leaves change colors, we go apple picking, take trips to the pumpkin patch, pull out all of our cozy sweaters…I could go on, but you get the picture! I like to bring seasonal and holiday themes into my music therapy sessions and music classes in order to change up my repertoire while still remaining goal-oriented.
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How I’m Prioritizing Self-Care this Month
Self-care is a term that you hear a LOT, especially if you work in a helping profession. Before I started taking my overall well-being really seriously, I laughed off self-care and the stereotypical activities associated with it — taking a bubble bath, getting a massage, etc.
However, not prioritizing self-care has led to some really unfortunate and even scary situations, including going into early labor during my second pregnancy. I’ve experienced several bouts of professional burnout as well, each of which I’ve attributed to a lack of self-care.
During this month of September, taking care of my mental, emotional and physical health is even higher on my priority list than usual. My family is adjusting to the new school year, my husband and I are buying a building (more on that soon!), my private practice is in a season of expansion, and I’m in the middle of writing a book.
So…yeah, self-care is essential right now.
We all have our own definitions, ideas, and maybe even misconceptions of what self-care looks like, so I’m going to share what it is for me at this moment in time and how it’s having a positive effect on my life.
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How to Wind Down at the End of Music
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Making sure children are in the “green zone” when they are finished with music is important for lots of reasons. Transitions are a lot easier when children are calm, because they are in a regulated state. On top of that, teachers, parents and caregivers will be forever grateful to you when their child walks away from music as cool as a cucumber.
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Last week, we reached a new milestone in our family: both kids are back together again at the same school, on the same schedule! My daughter started all-day Pre-K and joined my son, who started 1st grade.
If you’re a parent who has juggled multiple drop-offs, pick-ups, and differing schedules at any point in time, then I’m sure you can appreciate my excitement over this new development.
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Here in New England, there are single digit days left until back-to-school time. The kiddos’ backpacks are packed, first day of school outfits have been chosen, and every teacher I know is buzzing like a bee, making sure their classrooms are ready for that first day.
As a music therapist, that means lots of scheduling and preparing for the new year and the fall season! Personally, I’ve always felt like the school year is a fresh start, so I’ve taken it upon myself every fall to learn new repertoire, create new visuals, and refresh my musical tool kit.
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Innovative Income for Music Therapists
In early fall of 2018, I got the itch to write a book. This has always been on my bucket list, but I just couldn’t nail down a topic. I have dozens of ideas stored in the Notes app of my phone, most of which I quickly abandoned after brainstorming bullet points.
But on December 17, the topic I was meant to write about came to me — where else? — in the shower. (It’s where I get all my best ideas.) I got out, got dressed, then ran to my laptop to capture all the thoughts flooding out of my brain.
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4 Keys to Communicating with Children
When working with young children, it can sometimes be difficult to understand what they are trying to tell you. Whether that is because their language skills are still developing, their speech isn’t quite intelligible yet, or because other modes of communication are preferred, we need to make sure we are doing all that we can to communicate effectively with our students and clients.
There are many ways in which we can adapt our methods so that we can communicate with children of any age and a variety of needs. Below, I’ve listed a few strategies that I utilize in my music therapy sessions and music classes. I’ve also included a song from the Listen & Learn Music collection that makes use of each communication strategy.
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What I’m Reading This Summer
My absolute favorite thing to do when I have any downtime at all is READ. I have been a book nerd my whole life, and now that audiobooks are a thing, I’ve been able to fit in a lot more “reading” than ever before in my adult life (especially since becoming a parent!).
This summer, I’ve made a conscious effort to read more for fun, and I’m pretty proud of the number of books I’ve added to my list so far. In case you are looking for some good reads, here are my favorites so far this summer.
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Helping Children Slow Down and Stay in Control
One of the most amazing qualities about music is its versatility. It can pump us up, bring back memories, teach us new skills, and calm us down. There is so much power in our melodies and chords, so let’s use our powers for good, and make sure that our clients and students leave music therapy sessions and music classes in a regulated state.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about What It’s Like to be a Therapist at a Camp for Kids with Special Needs, and I briefly mentioned that I use music to help the campers (and staff!) stay calm and practice regulation strategies. This week, I want to expand on that and let you in on all my secrets for helping children remain slow and in control in situations where that is most appropriate!
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Keeping Caregivers Engaged in the Music
Parents and caregivers often attend music classes and music therapy sessions, and although those classes and sessions are not for them, their presence so important to the progress and growth of our clients and students.
It’s always important to engage everyone in the room through the music, and unfortunately sometimes the adults get forgotten. But parents and caregivers are more likely to engage with their children and return to music class and music therapy sessions if they are also playing instruments, singing along, and dancing.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that can help keep everybody engaged during music class or music therapy!
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