The Playground

A picture is worth 1000 words, but a 1000-word online talk is free! Here’s a selection of interesting and informative Ted Talks and other Talks about music and creativity. Enjoy! 1. Daria van den Bercken: Why I take the piano on the road … and…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Aug 23, 2016
• gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, simply music, Ted Talks, the playground, Videos

Neil Moore was recently the subject of a video podcast with Tim Topham. This wide-ranging and entertaining chat gave Neil the opportunity to discuss the philosophy and methodology of Simply Music, tell stories of his own unusual musical upbringing and share his vision of a…

• Written by SM Admin on Aug 9, 2016
• learn, learning, method, music, music education, neil moore, piano, simply music piano, the playground, Tim Topham TV, Tim Tophm

Photo Credit: Trusty Joe – https://trustyjoe.com/   Creating your own original music is one of the most beneficial aspects of studying an instrument and being a musician. In Part 1, I talked about two of the three keys to reaping those benefits. First was understanding…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jul 26, 2016
• benefit, composition, improvisation, instrument, mark meritt, mark s. meritt, music, musician, piano, simply music, the playground, toolkit, tools

Credit: http://www.intuneaudio.ca/ In the last two articles, we talked about the benefits of recording yourself and what to listen for when reviewing your recorded efforts. In this installment, we’ll discuss some practicalities of making recordings. Even if you’re simply making a cheap and cheerful recording…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jul 12, 2016
• chords, coaching, gordon harvey, listen, music, neil moore, pedal, play piano, record, simply music, tempo, the playground, tutorial

Credit: college.usatoday.com We hope all our Teachers and Students in the United States are enjoying 4th of July celebrations. But why not spread the national pride further afield? We enlisted the help of the wonderful Elizabeth Gaikwad to create some simple accompaniment versions, using the key…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jun 24, 2016
• 4th of July, accompaniment, america, australia, blog, canada, chords, coaching, music, national, national pride, national songs, new zealand, piano, pride, simply music, the playground, tutorial

  Here in the Information Age, there’s no end to the opportunities to learn stuff. Trouble is, there’s no end to the stuff we ought to learn. How do you narrow all the available information about your favourite subjects down to the nuggets you can use in your…

• Written by Mel Karajas on Jun 12, 2016
• create, infographics, knowledge, music, simply music, the playground, visual

Credit: http://sepeusz.blogspot.com.au/   In the first instalment of this series, we talked about the value and benefits of recording yourself.  It’s amazing what you’ll notice about your playing when you listen back to it without the distraction of having to actually play.  But there can…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jun 3, 2016
• chords, coaching, gordon harvey, listen, music, neil moore, pedal, record, simply music, tempo, the playground, tutorial

Stories of Music is a multimedia book with heart and soul, telling its tales through poems, pictures, videos, recorded music and text in print and online, and giving something back in the process by its contribution to music-based charities. Publisher and Editor Holly E. Tripp…

• Written by Guest Contributor on May 5, 2016
• anthology, collection, holly e. tripp, hungry for music, mel karajas, music, music and memory, rachel geans, simply music, stories, stories of music

In the old days, music was an ephemeral thing – if you weren’t there at the performance, it was gone forever. Nowadays if you wanted to, you could chronicle your every moment at the instrument via video or audio and share it instantly with the…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Apr 28, 2016
• audio, benefits, catalogue, develop, gordon harvey, library, listen, music, neil moore, playing, preserve, record, recording, simply music, the playground, video

Credit: theconversation.com   We have a unique opportunity to play a role in contributing to the evolution of human consciousness and self-expression, through music – Neil Moore   Many of you know how much I love technology, and how excited I am about its future…

• Written by Neil Moore on Apr 15, 2016
• blog, expression, learn piano, music, musicality, neil moore, piano, piano lessons, play piano, self expression, teach piano, technology, the playground