Friday Fave: GarageBand

As much as I write about my iPhone, Macbook, and other gadgets, you might think I work for Apple (or at least get paid to promote their products). Well neither is the case; I just happen to really, really love these pieces of technology. Even harder to believe is that up until two years ago, I was a total PC person. My husband made the switch in 2006, and I followed him after listening to a year's worth of gloating about his superior machine.

Now I don't know what I'd do without my Mac (and more recently, my iPhone). I do all of my recording using GarageBand, a music editing program that comes with every Apple computer. It allows me to record several different tracks either via a microphone or MIDI source, and then edit them to my heart's content. It is integrated with iTunes so that once my recording is finished, I can import it into my iTunes library and then either burn it to a CD or post it to my blog. How convenient!

Today my mom and I recorded a song that we wrote for my grandma's 80th birthday, and of course, we used GarageBand. She was amazed that I could easily add strings and other instruments, manipulate each track to make it perfect, and then email it off to her once it was completed.

I remember the first time my husband showed me the program; my exact words were "what would I ever do with this?". Now I can't imagine my life without it, since so much of it is spent writing and recording music for work and for fun. My newest GarageBand project? Creating custom ringtones using songs in my iTunes library for my iPhone...even Zach has joined in this action :)

I could probably go on and on all afternoon about the wonders of GarageBand, but I'll stop here. Enjoy the rest of your Friday, and hopefully I'll be back over the weekend with a new song or two.

On the Inside

Today's post is one I think (or at least, I hope) you'll like. I've been having so much fun experimenting with the video camera feature on my iPhone that I thought I'd put it to good use. So I'm going to take you on a tour of my home studio, where all of the Music Therapy Connections magic happens. Please pardon my lack of camera skills - I'm still new at this, and I need some more work on holding it steady :)



Please feel free to ask questions about any of the things you saw in the video. I am always more than happy to share my resources with you, my wonderful readers. Oh, and I also would like to mention that my Kickstarter Project, "Listen & Learn: Music for a Different Kind of Audience" has almost reached the quarter mark thanks to you! Currently, you have pledged $456 out of the $2,000 goal. I can't wait to see who brings it to the $500 mark...could it be you?

Help Me, Help Them

This is a song I wrote about my Kickstarter project:

Hi there, I'm Rachel,
Thanks for stopping by.
I wrote this song and made this video
To explain the reasons why
You should make a pledge and be a part
Of this project that I hope to start
It's called Listen & Learn and its for
A different kind of audience who needs more

Autism presents itself
In more than one way,
It's a disorder that affects how children learn,
And communicate and play.
But music is a bridge that can reach inside
It lets a child connect instead of hide
And that's why I do what I do,
Why I'm asking support from you.

Help me, help them
Give my gift of song.
Even if you pledge one dollar
You'll move this project along.
I write the songs but I need a hand,
To follow through with my grander plan
Which is recording a CD
Just for them, and sung by me.

I wanted to reach out,
So I started a blog to share
My music and thoughts with the people
Who could benefit out there.
They said my songs were part of the solution
So I want to make a bigger contribution
So please, if you feel inclined,
I hope that you will find that you can.

For more information, simply click on the Kickstarter box in the left-hand column of this page. As always, thanks for your support of Listen & Learn Music!

Cabasa is Boss

I've been neglecting this little beauty, otherwise known as the cabasa, since I purchased it back in early June. I really wanted to use it; I just never got around to it. Well I decided this week that it is time to put my newest instrument to good use, and I figured I may as well write a song about it, too.



Twist, twist, use your wrist,
That’s how you play the cabasa.
Twist, twist, use your wrist,
And play the cabasa for the whole wide world to hear.

The cabasa was born in Africa
Before it came to the USA
The cabasa’s a percussion instrument
And you’re playing it today.
Now pass it to your neighbor, that’s the way!

[REPEAT]

I'm going to try out this song this afternoon with one of my music therapy groups. The kids will sit in a circle, and I'll have them take turns playing the cabasa and then pass it to their neighbor as indicated in the song. This is a great instrument not only because it sounds cool, but because it is visually and tactilely interesting. I am looking forward to seeing my students' reactions today, because as far I know, they've never seen, heard or played a cabasa before. We'll see how it goes!

Oh, one more thing. I want to give you an update on my Kickstarter project, which you can learn more about by reading my previous post or following the link in the left sidebar. In the first three days since launching my project, I've had five people pledge a total of $141, which is 7% of my $2,000 goal. Thank you to those of you who have pledged...and I'd like to invite everyone else to get on board, too. Listen & Learn Music has grown because of you, but it hasn't reached its full potential yet. Let's make it happen!

Friday Fave: Kickstarter

Hi friends. I'm feeling exceptionally happy today, and not just because it is Friday. Also, not just because I'm drinking a huge mug of delicious coffee. The real reason is that I have something exciting to write about today, and this could quite possibly be my favorite "Friday Fave" to date. I hope you'll read on.

I discovered Kickstarter while reading one of my favorite blogs. The girl who writes the blog (her name is Lindsey Markel) also wrote a publication for girls with the goal of "empowerment through advice, education and encouragement regarding everything from school to credit cards, and heartbreak to living a life of wonder". Lindsey was seeking to self-publish her work in book format and distribute it to women's shelters, Planned Parenthoods, and after-school programs nationwide, which is why she turned to Kickstarter.

Curious, I clicked the link from her blog and was led to a site which calls itself a "a funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers...". I could become a backer of Lindsey's project by pledging any amount of money (from as little as $1) and if her goal amount was reached (which it was - twice over, actually), my pledge would be collected via an Amazon payment.

After I made my pledge, I began exploring some of the other projects on Kickstarter. There were all sorts of creative types hoping to turn their projects into a reality, which got me thinking about Listen & Learn. I have lots of goals for my song collection and website, one of which is to professionally record a compilation CD which can be widely distributed to those who it could possibly benefit. My current set-up, which consists of recording and editing each song on my laptop and burning CDs one by one, is funtional but not ideal. As my horizons have expanded, I'm ready for the next level!

So today is the official launch of my very own Kickstarter project, titled "Listen & Learn: Songs for a Different Kind of Audience". My hope is that if one of my songs or ideas has positively affected a child in someone's life, that person will become a backer. After all, backers get cool stuff in return (did I mention that part earlier?). I could keep writing, but instead I'll just give you the link to my project - HERE IT IS!!

Thanks for reading this super-long post, and for being a regular visitor. Have a beautiful Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Today at Listen & Learn Music Plus!

I need a little inspiration in my life right now, and I've turned to the fine folks at Listen & Learn Music Plus! to supply it. The readers who supply the three most creative, silly, and off-the-wall song topics will receive a free Custom CD and a shout-out when I post the finished songs here later this month. Join in the contest by becoming a subscriber...learn more today!

In the Water

One of the hottest topics among my students is animals. Well, any living creature, actually. Often times, a child will know more about a specific species than I could ever hope to, until the end of our conversation at which point he or she will have shared every tidbit of information. Incidentally, this happened just yesterday when I was leading a conversation song with a group of kids at The Autism Program. Needless to say, I wasn't at all surprised when they unanimously agreed upon that topic.

I have one student whose specific area of interest is aquatic life. Fish, sharks, whales...you name it, and he knows all about it. One day while I was planning his music therapy session, I came across a great song by Genevieve Jereb called "In the Water". I modified it just a bit so that my version sounds like this:



Little fishies in the water,
Little fishies in the water,
Deep deep down in the water,
Are the little fishies in the water,

Octopus in the water
People swimming in the water
Ect.

Dun-dun-dun-dun
Dun-dun-dun-dun

Shark coming in the water,
Shark coming in the water,
Oh, the shark is coming in the water,
Shark is coming in the water.

No more fish in the water,
No more octopus in the water,
No more people swimming in the water,
Just a happy shark in the water.

I thought it would be fun to turn this into an opportunity for tactile and visual stimuli, so I went to my local craft store and found small plastic aquatic figures, including fish, sharks, an octopus, dolphins, even a scuba diver, and more. I bought a blue foam basket to serve as the "water", and as I sing about each creature (adding verses as needed) the student chooses that figure and places it in the blue basket. I love watching as my students use their imaginations to act out this song!