All Tied Up

Ahh, shoe tying. It's one of those rites of passage that most children go through in their early elementary years...at least, that's the goal. There are so many ways to go about teaching this skill, and a google search led me to countless rhymes, poems, and little ditties breaking down this skill into manageable steps. I thought I may as well throw my hat in the ring, so this is my addition to the collection.


Sheet Music: $1


I can tie my shoes, do you wanna see?
I can tie my shoes independently.
First I make a criss-cross, in the air,
Then loop one end under there.

Pull both laces nice and tight,
Make one loop that has a tail just like a kite.
Now I take the other string and wrap it round the loop,
Guide it through the hole, and that’s the scoop.

Now I’ve got two loops, so I’ll pull them snug,
All I really need is a little tug.
Repeat these steps for the other shoe,
Oh I can tie my shoes, and you can too!

This is a skill that takes lots and lots of practice, and it is one that requires patience on the part of both student and teacher. A song may help, but hands-on action is what will get the job done. Happy tying!

Jingle Joe

Happy Tuesday! It's another gray day, but it's always sunny inside the walls of the Hope Institute :) I have been burning CDs and preparing materials for May all morning, so I thought I'd take a break and do a little blogging. Yesterday as I was brainstorming new song ideas, a character popped into my head. His name happened to be Jingle Joe, and he plays the tambourine. So I opened up a new Word document, and immediately, the lyrics to "Jingle Joe" came pouring out of my fingers. The melody came just as quickly, and this is the result:


Sheet Music: $1


Jingle Joe is a guy I know,
I saw him just the other day.
His hair was green, and he had a tambourine,
And he taught me how to play.

He showed me how to jingle, jingle!
Tap the tambourine against my hand,
Jingle, jingle,
Jinglin’ with Joe, he’s the tambourine man.
He showed me how to shake it high, shake it low.
Shake it fast, Shake it slow.
Tap against my hand,
Jinglin’ with Joe, he’s the tambourine man.

Jingle Stu, well I know him too,
I saw him just the other day.
His hair was red, and this is what he said:
I have a tambourine and I’m gonna play.

He showed me how to jingle, jingle!
Tap the tambourine against my thigh,
Jingle, jingle,
Jinglin’ with Stu, he’s the tambourine guy.
He showed me how to shake it high, shake it low.
Shake it fast, Shake it slow.
Tap against my thigh,
Jinglin’ with Stu, he’s the tambourine guy.

I think next month we'll dust off the old tambourines and jam to this tune. Maybe I'll even add a few verses...I think Joe and Stu need some female counterparts :) Well it's time to get back to work - so long for now!

Counting Time: Umbrellas

Rain, rain, go away! I've been singing that tune an awful lot this month, which means I've also spent a good amount of time counting umbrellas with my students. Of course I'd rather be counting things like suns, sunglasses, and flowers, but I'm just happy to be through with snowflakes, jackets, and mittens. I'll take what I can get!



Counting time, it's counting time,
So let's all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little umbrellas, in a row,
Now let's count them nice and slow:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

How many umbrellas?
Ten little umbrellas,
All lined up in a row.

I think I probably have ten umbrellas between my car, house, and office at school. You'll never know when you'll need one next!

Friday Fave: Warm Weather Has Arrived!

Finally...and I think it's here to stay. We are in for two 80-degree days, and then a string of 70s, which is more than okay with me! It feels so good to be able to go outside without a jacket. And in honor of the beautiful warm weather, here is my "Warm Day" song, which I've been waiting to share for a couple weeks now:



Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

It’s warm outside, right in between
Spring is here, the trees are green
And so today we’ll play outside
Hop on our bikes, and take a ride
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s
Warm, not hot, not cold, just right.
Enjoy the day, it’s shining bright.
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.

I can't wait to get out and ride my bike, walk our soon-to-arrive puppy, and just enjoy the spring. Unfortunately, I won't have much time to do so this weekend, however. Tomorrow is my dad's 50th birthday, which we'll be celebrating in the afternoon. Then tomorrow evening, I am singing in a gala fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center. Church Mice, a music group for little ones I lead, begins its spring session on Sunday afternoon, and then the weekend will be over! Have a great weekend yourselves - hopefully it will be more relaxing than mine :)

Happy Earth Day!

It's April 22, which means it's time to recycle, plant a tree, and be thankful for Mother Earth. Of course, we should do those things every day of the year, and today - Earth Day - only reinforces our awareness. What are you going to do to celebrate? The students at my school will be planting trees this afternoon on the school grounds, and I'll be singing "Good Green Earth" from the album Good Morning Sun, Good Night Moon.

You won't be surprised to hear that this was another great iTunes find, originally written and recorded by James K. I absolutely love this song, and it's been a hit here at the Hope Institute for quite some time now. I love using shakers with this song - we shake them up high, down low, and in a circle during the chorus. Another plus is that we can work on days of the week and months of the year at the same time!

Have yourself a wonderful Earth Day...the forecast here is 70 degrees and sunny, so you know I will :) See you tomorrow!

The Digit Dance

Memorizing a string of numbers can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for each and every child to know his/her home phone number. And what is the best way to learn? Why, with a song, of course! "Digit Dance" makes this task a little more fun...I used a made-up phone number for the first half of the song, so just replace that with the child's number when you put this tune to use.


Sheet Music: $1


I have a little boogie that I do,
When I share my phone number with you.
There are seven numbers that you need to know,
So I’ll say them nice and slow:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Memorize your number and don’t forget,
Not to share it with the people you just met.
You can tell it to your teacher or friend,
Now I’ll say it once again:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

A great way to adapt this song is to use sign language when listing the phone number. That way, non-hearing students can still benefit, and everyone can work on signing skills at the same time. You could also play a game using this song, where you take turns pointing to a student, and that student fills in his/her own phone number.

Office Space

Good morning! I'm back from my trip to San Diego, which was amazing in every way. The weather was perfect - sunny and in the 70s every day - and the city definitely lived up to its reputation. We had a great time hitting up all of the tourist destinations, but I think my favorite aspect of the trip was just enjoying the resort, where we hung out at the beautiful beach and spent more time by the pool than I care to admit :) I have to say, it was really difficult to leave such a wonderful place and come back to Illinois, where it was cold and pouring down rain when we arrived, but it's home. I'm glad to be back and blogging again!

And that brings me to today's subject: my new office and studio, from which I write most of my songs and do my blogging. Beginning in June, I will be teaching all lessons and providing music therapy here, which will be a nice change after going to my students' homes for the past two years. As my practice has grown, it's been hard to keep up with all that driving; I'm sure many of you know that feeling! Now on with the tour.

My office/studio is located right off of the front hall, which is convenient in that my students don't have to go traipsing through the house to find it. The nearby living room will serve as a waiting area for families.

Here is the bookcase that houses the many music books and binders I've accumulated over the years, as well as books and other resources I use on a regular basis. My guitar hangs out there when it's not in the trunk of my car, along with a small keyboard for the little ones and a MIDI keyboard I use for recording.

This keyboard is mainly for my own use, though I may move it into the hallway and allow students to practice on it before their lessons. Above the keyboard, I plan to create a bulletin board featuring my students' pictures and studio news.

My desk, where I spend a ridiculous amount of time when I'm not at school or with students. Normally you'd find a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew next to my computer, but I tidied up for the purposes of this photo tour ;)

The top frame contains an awesome picture my parents gave me as a gift - a little girl version of Dorothy and Toto, looking out the window at the characters from The Wizard of Oz. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. Below is a framed copy of my undergraduate senior recital program, and a picture of my mom and I taken right after the recital. Yes, I am a giant compared to her.

My undergraduate diploma from Rollins College is on the left, though it's hard to tell considering the entire thing is in Latin. Good thing I studied the language for four years in high school so I can read it! At the top right is my master's degree diploma from Illinois State University, and underneath it is my Certification Board of Music Therapy certificate.

My childhood piano, which you can read all about here. I love the picture above it - I can pretend I am looking out the window, admiring my oceanfront view. Ha!

I wasn't so crazy about the idea of storing all my musical instruments and music therapy supplies in plain view, so I bought this chest of drawers, which matches my bookcase and desk. For now, it stores almost everything, though I'm sure it won't take long to run out of room.

The framed picture above the chest is actually a puzzle I put together a couple years ago and has been hanging out in storage. I love Mary Engelbreit, and I find this quote really inspiring. I hope my students do, too!

Thank goodness for these beautiful windows, looking out onto my front yard. They fill the room with light and give me a good view when I need to divert my eyes after hours of staring at the computer screen.

Here is a more comprehensive view of the room, taken from the doorway. It's a fairly big room for an office, which is lucky for me since I have a couple good-sized groups I need to accomodate.

Another view from the back wall. I wish the day had been sunnier so that there was more light in the room.

A close-up of the awesome rug I found at Target. After weeks of searching online, I stumbled upon exactly what I'd been looking for: something cheerful and kid-friendly, tying all of the colors in the room together.

I still have some orgaizing to do in these drawers, but have a look. Lollipop drums, maracas, visual aides, picture cards...

...tambourines, bells, shakers, rhythm sticks...

...harmonicas, kazoos, a bag of stuffed animals, star tambourine...

...animal clackers, ipod/speaker bag, boom box. Everything else is in the trunk of my car, so I'll have to find homes for it once I cease my tour as traveling music therapist.

So there you have it - a sneak peek at my second most frequented place in the world (the first being my tiny closet..er, office...at school). For those of you who work or teach from home, any other suggestions to make the room complete? I am always searching for new ideas, so yours are welcome!

California, Here I Come!

In just a few hours, my husband and I are taking off for a much-needed vacation in San Diego, where hopefully the weather will be warm and the sun will be shining. (Basically the polar opposite of central Illinois, where it is overcast and cold.) We have plans to explore the city, tour the San Diego Zoo, meet up with friends in L.A. for a Dodgers game, and enjoy our stay at the Hotel Del Coronado. Can you tell I'm excited?

Before I left, I wanted to stop by and say hello, as well as post some additional lyrics to the April Song, written by fellow music therapist Kim Gilbert. Here they are:

April 11th is Easter Day
The Easter Bunny came to hop and play
Hiding eggs and candy too
Yummy treats for me and you.

Birds will sing their happy songs
Robins and bluebirds chirp along
Cardinals and chickadees
Singing songs of Spring.

Cute, right!? To listen to the orginial version of the April Song, click here.

I'll be returning late Sunday night, so make sure to come back on Monday for a photographic tour of my brand-new home office/studio. I can't wait to see what you think!

Picking Favorites

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how fiercely my students become attached to certain books, songs, and activities, but it never ceases to amaze me that they can be just as amused today with "Eight Silly Monkeys" as they were 18 months ago.

One of my students in particular is very attached to that book, along with "Down by the Station". Every week, I pull out new books in the hopes that he will move on, but it just hasn't happened yet. He will happily listen to the new book, even participate and answer my questions, but when it's over, he will without fail walk over to my bookshelf and pull out the two old standbys. He will flip through the pages, hum the melody to himself, even answer the questions he remembers me asking about the book. Then he'll close the first one and move on to the second book, doing the same.

I've considered my options: 1) remove the books from the shelf, 2) stop him when he goes to take them off the shelf, or 3) continue to let him do what he's been doing. For now, I'm sticking with option 3 because he is not resitant to the new books, and his skimming through the old ones only adds about three minutes total to the session. He completes every task I present to him, and his behavior is almost always impeccable during individual music therapy.

So what would you do?

Happy Easter!

I hope you all are enjoying your Easter Sunday. Mine started with a beautiful church service, which included a great sermon and lots of music. On the way home, my mom and I were discussing how Easter celebrations have changed over the years, now that my brother and I are adults and we have no other children in our family. No more Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, or egg hunts, though hopefully that will change once Zach and I have kids of our own...far, far down the road! Until then, I'm content with church and a delicious meal :)

Speaking of delicious meals, I better get going! But I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a happy Easter, and leave you with this cute little tune about Easter eggs.




I take an egg
All shiny white
And then I dip
It out of sight.
I leave it there
Within the cup
Then after a minute
I pick it up.

And oh!
It's a lovely
Shade of green!
The prettiest Easter egg
I've ever seen.

CHORUS

And oh!
It's a lovely
Shade of blue!
What a perfect color
For me and you!

CHORUS

And oh!
It's a lovely
Shade of pink!
The best Easter Egg
of all, I think!

Amazing Deal Alert

Would you like to own all 150 of these songs? Well guess what...you can, for only 99 cents. That's right - 150 fun kids' songs for less than a dollar. No, I am not doing an infomercial; I'm just really excited about this incredible deal. It's happening on Amazon through April 12, so the clock is ticking. To purchase the digital download, go HERE.

And that concludes tonight's public service announcement (courtesy of Danette via the music therapy listserv). Now go to bed!

Ten Little...Eggs!

I know we just counted bunnies yesterday, but I had to share this cute book with you that just happens to feature counting, as well. It's called Ten Little Eggs by Jean Marzollo, and the best thing about this book is the 3-D colored eggs on each page. As the story progresses, a bird hatches from each egg...take a look:

This continues until there are no eggs left, just birds.

I made up a simple little tune to go along with this story, but really anything will do. All of the verses rhyme, which makes it nice and simple. This is the perfect book for my kiddos who are working on counting, because the objects being counted are pretty and tactile.

Oh, and about those bunnies we were counting yesterday...they must read my blog, because yesterday when I looked out my office window, I saw five of them sitting neatly in a row on my lawn. I tried to get a picture of them, but they scampered off too soon. I did manage to get two of them, though:

Counting Time: Bunnies

Easter is on its way, which means we've been singing about all things related. Bunnies are an especially hot topic, and that is what we're counting today. Here we go!



Counting time, it's counting time,
So let's all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little bunnies in a row,
Now let's count them nice and slow:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

How many bunnies?
Ten little bunnies.
All lined up in a row!

What songs or activities do you use around Easter? I know that at many schools, celebrating certain holidays is not allowed...good thing there are plenty of spring songs out there if this is the case! I have a great book I'll share with you tomorrow, so make sure you stop by and check it out. Have a fantastic day!

Playing Catch-Up

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring Break, and I packed a whole lot into just a few hours. I took my mom out to lunch for her birthday, ran errands, snuck in a nap, taught two piano lessons and led one music therapy group, all before 6 pm. After a quick dinner, my friend Victoria came over and we watched a movie and talked. I went to bed early, because I knew that today was the day to get down to work. This is what my desk looked like by 10 am:

I finally have some time to finish a project I've been working on for the past couple of months...a project with a deadline looming over me! I am super excited about it, and there will be more to come on this soon. Here's a close-up of the chaos:

I have been holed up in my office all day, and am just now taking a break to write this post. However, I really can't complain too much; after all, I do have these beautiful windows which provide me with a view of the sunny day outside:

My office at school is the size of a closet and has no windows, so I am enjoying every second of working at home. Now I think I have procrastinated enough - back to work for me!

Friday Fave: Spring Break!

Woohoo! After a long, cold winter, there's really nothing better than an entire week off of school. Spring break was made for catching up on sleep, friends, and life in general, and that is exactly what I plan to do with mine! I will still be seeing some of my students who are not on spring break, but I won't be waking up at 5:30 to get ready for school. And boy, am I looking forward to that :)

Spring fever sets in for me towards the middle of February, when Mother Nature teases us with those semi-warm, sunny days. Now that April is in full swing, spring fever has taken over the Hope Institute. If you'll be taking your spring break next week, please enjoy it! If you've already had it, or if you don't get one at all - I apologize for the reminder ;) Either way, have a wonderful weekend!

1 in 150

I spend most of my days working with children who are diagnosed with autism. Today is a day to recognize every single one of those children, as well as the rest of the world's population of individuals with autism. It is also a day to be thankful for all of the people who provide care and treatment, including (but not limited to):

• physicians
• teachers
• educators
• childcare providers
• therapists
• first responders
• early interventionists

And of course...the families. I have never met a more patient person than a family member who has a child, grandchild, niece, or nephew who is diagnosed with autism. Just yesterday as I was leaving a music therapy session with Carter, I commented to his aunt that she must have the patience of a saint (which is completely true). She responded, "only when it comes to Carter," but it is apparent that Carter comes first in her life. I hope that someday I can have possess that same patience and persistance.

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month

You can help spread the word about autism in many different ways. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Write an article and send it to the newspapers.
• Dedicate a song on your local music radio station for "Autism Awareness".
• Wear your ribbons & put your magnets on your cars.
• Make a donation on behalf of an autistic child.
• Try to get your favorite business to make a donation to autism research or donate a percentage of the daily sales.
• Bring awareness to you community with a bullentin board.
• Post an autism awareness message on Facebook and/or MySpace.

World Autism Awareness Day is April 2. For more information about World Autism Awareness Day and listings of events from around the world, please click here.

April Fool's Day!

It's only 8:30 am, and I've already been pranked...by my principal! He sent out an email telling us to come to a faculty meeting at 8:00 am, and then when we got there, we found that there was no meeting, only delicious muffins :) I'll take a prank like that any day of the year.

And in honor of the first day of April, here is the newest song of the month:



April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April Fools is on day one,
Jokes and pranks are so much fun,
Play a trick on one of your friends,
Before this day ends,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April 22nd is Earth Day,
Let’s keep our planet clean,
Recycle and plant some trees,
And make the whole earth green,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

Spring is here the whole month long,
And flowers start to bloom,
When April showers are over,
The sun shines in our room,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

I have a busy but exciting month ahead of me. I'll be celebrating both my mom and dad's 50th birthdays, next week is spring break, and then the following week, Zach and I are off to San Diego! I can't wait. But for now, enjoy your April Fool's Day and if you play a prank on somebody, make it a nice one!