The Playground

  Amazing Grace is a beautiful song. And, as is apparent from Neil’s introduction of it in both the foundation materials (Levels 1 and 2) as well as in the variations, it’s also a wonderful tool for learning! In the next several issues of the…

• Written by Guest Contributor on May 30, 2012
• amazing grace, arrangements, chords, groove, jennifer lee, learning, lessons, music, new, piano, recording, sheet music, simply music, the playground, tutorials, variation

Documentary Review by Elizabeth Gaikwad The Musical Brain – Writer/director Christina Pochmursky, producer Vanessa Dylyn, Matter of Fact Media For me this is one of the most interesting documentaries made about the scientific evidence that music and emotions are fundamentally wired into the brains of…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on May 30, 2012
• book review, books, Elizabeth Gaikwad, gordon harvey, media, music education, piano, piano movies, simply music

How many things can you think of that have nasty side effects? Medicines. Technologies. Political policies. Even just things we’ve said or done to people we know. How many times have you been thrust into a role or responsibility you weren’t ready for? How many…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Apr 8, 2012
• coaching, learning, lessons, mark meritt, music, piano, play, simply music, speed, the playground, time, walk

I remember hiring a car on a holiday a few years ago. We could only tune the radio to one station, playing popular music, and as the songs cycled by, I started to realize that maybe a third of them featured the same four chords,…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Apr 8, 2012
• chords, learn, music, piano, simply music, songs, teach, the playground

Today I want to talk about some of the benefits of using digital software for composing music. First off, I would like to acknowledge that I began sequencing music on my father’s old “Ensoniq SQ-2” keyboard. I learned the keyboard in and out, and taught…

• Written by SM Admin on Apr 8, 2012
• chase moore, composing music with digital software, digital software, simply music

‘Tis the season to drag out the carols and traditional songs. But do we mindlessly mouth the well-worn words of all those all-too-familiar Christmas standards? We asked the Simply Music staff to tell us about their favorite seasonal songs, and discovered a treasure trove of…

• Written by SM Admin on Dec 16, 2011
• blog, Christmas, holidays, seasons, simply music, songs

The term “Coaching” brings many things to mind but perhaps the most common is the image of a professional sports coach—like Vince Lombardi or soccer coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Professional sports coaches train athletes to perform at their very best. They spend time each day…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Dec 16, 2011
• art, coaching, lessons, music, piano, play, robin keehn, simply music, students, teachers, the playground

Never one to stand in his father Neil Moore’s shadow, Chase Moore has carved out a career as a music producer, engineer and hip-hop artist.  And now he’s working on a program soon to be offered by Simply Music so everyone can explore modern music…

• Written by SM Admin on Sep 24, 2011
• chase moore, composing, digital age, gordon harvey, hip-hop, simply music, the playground

  What do raising children, going to school, holding down a job, and taking piano lessons have in common? They each start with a goal that requires a long term commitment! In Simply Music, we talk about the goal of having music as a life-long…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Sep 24, 2011
• benefits, create, learn piano, learning, music, music education, music lessons, piano, robin keehn, simply music, success, the playground

  In January of this year my first grandchild was born. His name is Jack and he was named in honor of my father who passed away last year. Baby Jack’s birth was very complicated and he spent the first few weeks of his life…

• Written by Neil Moore on Jul 20, 2011
• music, neil moore, piano, simply music, the playground