Listen & Learn Music

Over in the Garden

Rachel — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:48:10 +0000

“Singable stories” are one of my all-time favorite ways to target a wide array of goals and objectives. Whether you’re working on attending to task, color/object/number/word recognition, early reading skills (and the list goes on from there), singable stories can be super effective.

My go-to series lately has been the Over in the… and Somewhere in the… books, some of which are authored by Jennifer Ward and others by Marianne Berkes. Each of the books follows the same original “Over in the Meadow” tune you probably learned as a kid.

I created a different recording for each book, featuring different types of instruments and sounds that I thought reflected the habitat or environment in which the book is set. Since it’s springtime and everything is finally in full bloom, I chose to highlight Over in the Garden this week.

I’ve had fun with my kiddos reading/singing along to the instrumental version, and even having them record themselves reading/singing it. I send the vocals version home with them so that they can listen to it on their own time. Both my vocal and instrumental-only versions of Over in the Garden are available to members of Listen & Learn Plus! today.

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!

Members, click here to access this post.

Oldies But Goodies

Rachel — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:29 +0000

Last summer, I sat down and made a list of every song I’ve ever written. I had every intention of going through that list and revamping old songs that needed to be tweaked and/or re-recorded, but with upwards of 200 songs, that task seemed extremely daunting.

I’ve tackled a few of them, though — most recently, for my new songbook, Tapping, Shaking, Music Making. I chose 3 revamped faves to share with members today.

This week’s download contains sheet music, full mp3s, and instrumental tracks for “Click Clack”, “Play the Cabasa”, and “The Shakin’ Song”. I find myself putting them to use all the time, and hope they will be just as useful to you!

Members, click here to access this post.

Friday Fave: Kasia’s Music

Rachel — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:40:30 +0000

The internet is a wonderful thing — because of it, distance, language, and cultural differences are no longer barriers to communication. One of my favorite things about writing this blog is connecting with other songwriters and musicians from many different places and backgrounds.

Most recently, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from Kasia, a singer-songwriter whose music reflects her Polish roots. Kasia shared two of her songs with me, and in turn I’d like to share them here with you. The first is in Polish and titled “Lubie” which means adoration in English.

The second is in English, and titled “Little Dove”. I love how serene and peaceful Kasia’s music is — quite the opposite of mine in most cases!

This music has me feeling inspired to write some lullabies for baby Rambach, who is due to arrive in just a few weeks! Thank you for sharing, Kasia. To learn more about her and listen to all her lovely songs, you can visit Kasia’s website.

My Secret Weapons for Productivity

Rachel — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:08:14 +0000

I’m straying from the norm this week with today’s post over at Listen & Learn Plus. While I usually share a new song or resource with subscribers, today I’m filling them in on some of the tricks and tools I use to stay productive. And trust me, for someone who has not had a sip of coffee in 7 months (thanks to this baby I’m growing) that’s not always an easy feat!

It always makes me chuckle a little bit when people ask me how I do it all, because honestly, there are times when I feel like a huge slacker compared to the rest of the population. I guess that must mean that my secret productivity weapons are super effective…have I piqued your curiosity yet? :)

Members, click here to access this post.

Tapping, Shaking, Music Making!

Rachel — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:08:00 +0000

There’s a little over a month remaining in the school year, and if you’re anything like me, it’s right about this time that your repertoire needs a boost. Whether you work as a music therapist in the classroom or one-on-one setting or you are a music educator, my newest creation might be just the boost you need.

Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! is a digitally downloaded songbook containing 12 Listen & Learn songs for playing instruments — including rhythm sticks, shakers, bells, drums, castanets, cabasa, ukulele, and more. Not only does the PDF songbook provide the notated melody line, chords and lyrics, but you also receive full and instrumental mp3s for all 12 songs:

“Animal Rock”
“Click Clack”
“I Can Do It By Myself”
“The Lollipop Bop”
“Play the Cabasa”
“Rhythm Sticks Waltz”
“Ring to the Music”
“The Shakin’ Song”
“Shaky Fruit”
“Tap Your Rhythm Sticks”
“The Ukulele Song”
“You Can Strum Too”

Purchasing the lead sheet and mp3s for each individual song would cost you $3 a pop; multiply that by 12 songs and you’re out $36. But since I’m all about sharing the love (especially at this time of year when spring fever really sets in) I’ve priced Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! at a mere $12. Get it now and instantly increase your arsenal of songs.

Once you complete your transaction and submit payment safely and securely via PayPal, your copy of Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! will be emailed directly to you.

Questions? Simply send me an email!

1-2-3, Tap With Me

Rachel — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:06:50 +0000

I have been on an “instrument song” rampage lately! It seems like I go through cycles when it comes to choosing song topics, and all of those instruments stashed throughout my studio are currently getting plenty of use.

I went back to the basics — good old rhythm sticks — with my latest song, because there is just so darn much you can do with them. As far as addressing goals and objectives, the possibilities for motor development are endless. At one of my classes recently, the mom of one of my tiny kiddos commented on how much progress she had seen her daughter make when manipulating a pair of rhythm sticks.

1-2-3, Tap With Me offers specific directives for playing the sticks, but I always change it up when using this song in a class or music therapy session. It’s also fun to let my students take the lead, choosing different ways to play.

1-2-3, Tap With Me by Listen & Learn Music

Members, click here to access this post.

Music is For Everyone

Rachel — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:58:47 +0000

A few years back, I was invited to join my local chapter of the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs. At first, I was completely intimidated. Most of the members had been teaching piano, voice, and other instruments for many years — some even longer than I’ve been alive! I was relatively new to teaching, since it was something I did in addition to providing music therapy.

But it was nice to be part of a group, and I’ve become more and more involved since joining. I’ve learned so much about music education from my fellow members, and yesterday, I had the opportunity to give back by presenting on a topic that is close to my heart: teaching music to children with special needs.

Many of you may already work with this population on a regular basis, and even though I’ve been teaching adapted lessons for quite some time now, I still find that I can always learn from my peers. That’s why I’m sharing my presentation handout, including my added notes, with members of Listen & Learn Plus.

Members, click here to access this post.

Studio Turned Nursery

Rachel — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:50:33 +0000

If you’ve followed this blog for a while now, then you’ve probably seen the evolution of my home studio. When my husband and I first purchased our house in 2009, I set up my studio in what quickly became my favorite room in the whole house. It made for a beautiful work space, and it stayed that way for 2 years. The studio looked like this:

But when I decided to go into private practice full-time, my husband and I agreed that I needed to make some changes to my studio. Since I’d be working longer hours, it made more sense to have a studio that was separate from the rest of my house (so that Zach didn’t feel like he was intruding on my business when he came home).

We came up with the perfect solution — one that still allowed me to have a home studio, but offered a separate entrance and was closed off from the “home” part of my house. So in the summer of 2011, we renovated the two back bedrooms and turned it into my new studio.

After we moved out my studio, we talked about the fact that someday that room would make the perfect nursery. It’s right next to our bedroom, the space is bright and cheerful with lots of natural light, and like I said before, it’s my favorite room in the whole house. That time has now come, and the transformation has begun! Here is Baby Rambach’s nursery it in very beginning stages:

We’re still missing a glider, curtains, and of course, decor, but at least now we have a starting point! I’ve been collecting ideas for a nautical-themed nursery on my Pinterest board for a couple months now, and I’m so excited to bring those ideas to fruition (with the help of my female family members).

It’s pretty hard to believe that in just two short months, this will be home to a newborn baby. I’ve spent some amazing moments in this room, and I have a feeling there are many more to come.

Single and Teen Numbers

Rachel — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:56:11 +0000

This is one of those songs I wrote on the fly about an hour before a session, but still find myself using consistently month later. The student for whom it was written is working on identifying numbers 1-20, but she was having trouble telling the difference between single digits and the “teen” versions of those numbers.

I use the song Single and Teen Numbers in conjunction with a visual — a simple PDF I made and display on the iPad — so that my student can see the numbers and point to them as we sing about them. The PDF is included in the download, along with the lead sheet and both full and instrumental mp3s.

Single and Teen Numbers by Listen & Learn Music

Members, click here to access this post.

Friday Fave: Music for Me

Rachel — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:10:36 +0000

I was on the elliptical machine at the gym listening to Pandora a couple of weeks ago when this song popped up (on the Rihanna channel of all places!). The title was “What Can I Do? (But Love You)” and I was shocked to realize that the singer was Joy Williams from The Civil Wars, one of my very favorite groups.

I immediately downloaded the song from iTunes and listened to the entire EP nonstop for a couple of weeks, and then decided that I wanted to learn to play that first song that had caught my ear at the gym. Unfortunately, the sheet music was nowhere to be found…I couldn’t even find the chords. So I learned it by ear instead.

It’s been a long while since I sat down and played music for myself. By that, I mean music that isn’t new repertoire for my students or for a gig, but purely for my enjoyment. So it felt really good to learn and practice this song, under no pressure or time constraints whatsoever. After a couple days of playing, I decided to record it.

What Can I Do? (But Love You) by Rachel Rambach

My recording is definitely far from perfect, but the best part is that it doesn’t have to be, since it’s just for me :) Spending the time learning and playing this song was an excellent reminder that I need to do more of this. It’s good for my inner musician and good for the soul!