1
It’s funny—I was telling my students this past week, “You know how we don’t really have Thanksgiving music like we have Christmas music?!” (I was giving them a challenge to rewrite the Lyrics to Jingle Bells in homage to Thanksgiving, thanks to Christina Whitlock’s suggestion on this episode.)
I was chuckling inside as I said that, though, because I conjured up a list of some really fun Thanksgiving songs in my custom Thanksgiving playlist.
Songs like “Sweet Potato Pie” by Ray Charles, “Let’s Turkey Trot” by Little Eva, “Carvin’ the Bird” by Charlie Parker, and more. So fun!
2
Teacher-friend Anna Haugen recently shared with me a resource she and her students enjoyed. It’s a series of improvisation prompts from Wynn-Anne Rossi. Check out the whole playlist called “One Minute Creations” on YouTube.
3
Talking Turkey: A Holiday Special (podcast episode from The Daily podcast)
4
Joy put together a nice blog post featuring collections of Christmas music she enjoys playing during the holidays.
Two of the books she mentioned have been favorites of mine as well: Christmas at the Keyboard by Mark Hayes. (Find it here: Sheet Music Plus Hardcopy, Digital) and Chris Rice’s The Living Room sessions, which is no longer in print is available digitally at MusicNotes.com.
5
One book I read this year and really enjoyed (thanks to the suggestion of Ashley Danyew) was Unreasonable Hospitality.
The author – Will Guidara was recently featured along with his wife Christina Tosi on Adam Grant’s Rethinking podcast. What a fun conversation!
6
I’ve always done my best to include some form of exercise in my regular routine. Yes, there are ups and downs in execution during various seasons, but one thing I’ve always lived by is variety. My three staples are walking, pilates, and weight lifting. In the summertime, I also bike.
During the winter months, I enjoy doing a “walking” video once a week. Here’s the YouTube Channel I’ve been using: Kat Gates-Buettner.
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Creatives and Copyright: What Every Musician and Music Teacher Needs to Know (Ashley Danyew)
8
I just made a pot of hidden veggie chicken soup from The Modern Nonna. I’m not a big chicken and noodles person and this was the perfect substitute. I wasn’t drawn to the recipe because I’m averse to vegetables in chunks – I just like how the base of this soup is robust with the pureed vegetables. I chop the chicken very finely when cooked before adding it back into the pot and use pearl couscous instead of potatoes. We had it for lunch one day, and then I put the rest in containers in the freezer in anticipation for a day when we are under the weather.
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How to Create the Best Audio for Online Piano Lessons (Melody Payne)
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This is an intriguing idea! Not for me per se, but if you were a crafty person, it might be fun for you!
Junk Journaling Joy: How to Make Junk Journals Unique to You (Stampington & Company)
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A menu of foods we might lose forever (Ted Talks Daily)
It’s the end of the year, so the new Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting deadline is coming up quickly! Find details here from Music Studio Startup as well as Music Teachers National Association.
