A tip for adding music to your iPod or MP3 player.

For those of you that know me well, you know that I absolutely love music. My whole life is one giant soundtrack. If I hear a song, I am immediately transported to a particular place in time. I can remember what was happening at the time, what the people around me were wearing, the scents in the air, and the different emotions I was feeling. Given the choice between music and television, I would choose music hands down.

My musical taste is very eclectic. Itunes is one of the best places on the internet (in my humble opinion), and if money were no object, I would spend thousands of dollars there without blinking an eye. In fact, I play my iPod at work on a daily basis and the kids love it. I have found that music soothes the children and gets them in a learning frame of mind. It is good for "transitions", background sound while they work in centers, or for just being silly and dancing around on "fun Fridays".

About a year and a half ago, I realized that I could go to the library and check out cds. These cds could be burned onto my computer and added to my iTunes library. What a great money saver! That is another little tip that I have shared with friends. Of course you can preview the music at the iTunes store, but, it is only about a thirty second clip. With a cd from the library, you can listen to the whole song and decide if it is iPod worthy or not. For those of you who may think that library cds are not current...wrong! They are! You can even request/put a hold on a certain cd that you are looking for. Sometimes they have music that the iTunes store does not carry.

Because I have so many albums on my iPod, the smartest thing for me to do is take the device with me and double check to make sure that I do not already "own" it. My husband is proud of the money that I save (that is such a good feeling as well) and I am proud of the music library that I am growing.

If you haven't tried it, put together a musical montage of your life. You just might be surprised at what comes out. Remember to make a joyful noise, and be proud of it!