Today at Listen & Learn Music Plus!

It's time for post number three of my series focusing on money!  I've already shared sheet music downloads for two songs: one about coins, and the other about paper bills. Today, a PDF visual aide to supplement BOTH songs is now available to subscribers...learn about becoming one today!

SONGBOOK SALE!

It's regional music therapy conference time, and we (myself and songbook publisher Michelle Erfurt) are celebrating by offering a limited-time-only sale on my songbook, Listen & Learn: Songs for School, Home and Play.

From March 15 – April 16, when you purchase a songbook for $25, we will also include the supplemental CD (usually sold separately for $10) and free shipping. Also, a portion of all Listen & Learn songbook sales will be donated to the music therapy clubs of Colorado State University and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (you choose which university you'd like to support when you make your purchase).

Listen and Learn: Educational songs for School, Home, and Play contains 24 of my most popular songs. It includes the melody line and chords for songs that address goal areas such as counting, daily care, directions, transitions, friendships, and more, along with activity suggestions for each one. It was developed for other music therapists, educators, parents, or anyone who works with children. I made a video in which I talk more about the book and sing a song from it; you can watch here.

So if this sounds like something that belongs on your bookshelf, please take advantage of our sale!  You can complete your purchase securely (using either a PayPal account or credit card) below:

I choose...

Colorado State University Slippery Rock University

Even the Penguins are Maraca Rockin'

Seriously, how cute is this?  Illustrator and graphic designer Naomi Robinson sent me an email last week, asking for my permission to use part of the lyrics from my song "Maraca Rock" in this adorable picture, and of course, I said yes.  We're already talking about more ways in which we can collaborate! To see more of Naomi's artistic creations, visit her flickr stream.

Today at Listen & Learn Music Plus!

It's time for post number two of my three-part series focusing on money!  I've already shared a song about coins (and the accompanying sheet music), so today it's all about the dollar bills. The sheet music for "Green Money" is now available to subscribers...learn about becoming one today!

Friday Fave: Sibelius

Those of you who are non-musicians might not find this particular "Friday Fave" very interesting, but I've been spending so much time using this program (and loving *almost* every minute of it) lately that I just had to share.  Sibelius - named after Finnish composer Jean Sibelius - is a scorewriter program that can do just about anything you could think of when it comes to producing or editing sheet music.

I actually have my mom to thank for my version of Sibelius.  My contribution was my student discount, which she was able to apply when she purchased the program a few years back, during my undergrad days.  I'll say that the price is definitely a bit steep, but it has been worth every penny.  I used Sibelius to create all of the sheet music for my songbook, after all!

The learning curve for this program is also steep, especially if you are used to more basic software like Finale Notepad (which is what I used prior to Sibelius).  But the key is sitting down and experimenting; the more you  use it and explore its features, the easier it gets.  Here are some of the cool things you can do with Sibelius:

• Scan in printed sheet music and edit it
• Input music using a microphone, keyboard, or other MIDI instrument
• Record playback and turn it into an audio file
• Create worksheets (comes in very handy for studio teachers like me!)

And the list goes on and on.  I haven't even touched half of the plug-ins that come with Sibelius, but I'm hoping to get around to that someday.  In the meantime, I'll stick with my current project: creating sheet music for each and every Listen & Learn song written thus far.  I compose my songs in lead sheet form, but now that I have more and more orders coming in for sheet music (you can place yours here), I decided to convert my entire library.  I've been using Sibelius so often that I'm even having dreams about it, but hey, I could think of worse things :)

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin

I incorporate books into my music therapy sessions almost on a daily basis.  Adding a visual component to any activity, intervention or song always helps grab and keep attention, and there are so many goals and objectives that can be addressed with an appropriate book.  I started my collection during my internship, and now have an entire bin full of them.

The book Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is one that I picked up a couple of years ago, but have just recently rediscovered amongst my library.  It's funny how you can forget the great resources you have at your very own disposal!  A Caldecott Honor book, this one is currently at the top of my list for several reasons:

• The pictures are bright, beautiful, and detailed.  Talk about attention grabbers!
• It's all about orchestral instruments and the sounds they make, which means lots of fun words.
• It provides an opportunity for counting.  On each page, a new instrument is introduced, and all of the other instruments are pictured, as well.
• The words were meant to be sung.  It just so happens that the entire book fits perfectly to the tune "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush".

I'm planning to make audio clips of each instrument to play as they are introduced throughout the book, just to give my students an idea of how they really sound.  It never hurts to throw in a little music appreciation along with the other goals that we're addressing.

What children's books are on your shelf?  I'm always looking for new ones to add to my collection, so any and all suggestions are much appreciated!  You can see some more of my favorites here (just click on "Children's Books" in the top-left category box).

Today at Listen & Learn Music Plus!

Today's post is the first in a three-part series about a subject we all can relate to: money.  I'll be sharing sheet music downloads of songs to teach the identification and characteristics of coins and paper bills, as well as a visual aide (downloadable as a PDF file) I created to supplement the tunes.  The first song in that series is now available to subscribers...learn about becoming one today!