The Playground
The Simply Music blog
Sparking Memories with Music & Dan Cohen
To watch the amazing documentary Alive Inside and see the transformation in people through the simple act of listening to music, is a beautiful demonstration of the healing power of music. Here, Neil Moore talks with Dan Cohen, the man behind Music and Memory,…
About Lead Sheets
Very early in their learning experience, Simply Music students are introduced to chord accompaniments through songs like Amazing Grace, following written chord symbols represented by alphabetical letters. What they won’t realize at that point is how many applications there are for chords. The seeds…
Simply Music Student – Madison Abrams
Madison Abrams is a multi-talented, 10 year old, Simply Music Piano student taking lessons through her home-school co-op in Waterford, Michigan. Madison excels in many areas of playing the piano but her specialty is at composing and accompaniment pieces. Her first composition, “Seasons”, was written with lyrics even before her first piano…
Learn Jingle Bells the Simply Music Way
Christmas time has traditionally always been a time for the gathering of loved ones and the playing of music. I felt it would be great to have a collection of carols that anyone in the family could pick up and play, even if they only…
Simply Music Student – Ashton Rowe
Twelve-year-old Ashton Rowe’s path to musical success has not been without its bumps, but has clearly been paved with determination. Starting at age six with Marilyn van Roekel and continuing via Skype with Robin Keehn, in six years Ashton has worked his way through the…
Songwriting – Branding Yourself as a Musician
In our May issue, Katie Schmidt wrote a great article: Promoting and Releasing Your Songs. Here, we take that information a little deeper and give you some really specific ideas on how to brand yourself (musician or band) in order to produce results. The main…
Simply Music Student – Richie Rust
Richie Rust is a fantastic student in a class of four teenagers. After only four years of taking Simply Music, he is currently a level 9 student and studying the Jazz supplemental materials. The class was formed shortly after one year from the dates of…
Songwriters – Working With Other Musicians
Since Neil has so wonderfully helped us all understand the power and influence of arrangements, I am certain that when you write a song you envisage a lot more than just you at the piano and microphone. Working with other musicians can really allow your…
From Neil Moore
I’m sitting here at home looking out of my window. It’s a beautiful morning and it’s very quiet. I’m thinking about what has happened this year. So far, I’ve traveled throughout the USA. I’ve been to Germany and Canada, and next week I head off…
My Big Fat Playlist
My big fat Simply Music Playlist… how will I ever keep it all alive?! Do you have a hard time managing this aspect of your piano lessons? It’s fun to learn new pieces but sometimes it can seem like a lot of work to remember…
