The Playground

I can recall countless fond memories of growing up in a household that was filled with music. I would get home from school and my dad, who was a music educator, would have anywhere from one to ten students in our home. At that time,…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jul 18, 2018
• Leon Moore, neil moore, simply music, the playground, Trumpet

We asked Laurie Richards some questions to gain some insight into her role here at Simply Music, what lights her up musically and some facts that make her the wonderful person she is. Laurie and her daughter, Leah, just being their fun selves. Your full…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Jul 3, 2018
• Laurie Richards, learn piano, Master Teacher, Meet the Team, Music Lesson, piano, piano lessons, simply music, teach piano, the playground

Feist might be the only artist on my lists of both the saddest songs and the happiest songs ever. I’ll resist talking about the heartbreaking track “The Limit To Your Love”, because this is a series about happy songs – but we can stay with this…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on May 23, 2018
• Feist, gordon harvey, Happy Songs, sesame street musicians, simply music, the playground

If you are a music student or a beginning Simply Music student, or perhaps a curious piano teacher, we recommend you check out this video. This video is the first in a mini video series called ‘How it Works’. This first video offers an overview…

• Written by SM Admin on May 2, 2018
• learn piano, music lessons, neil moore, piano, simply music, teach piano, the playground

Mark S. Meritt continues our series on songwriting, discussing some guiding principles and idea-generating approaches he uses. Legendary musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim noted some fundamental principles that guide his work, the primary one being Content Dictates Form. He also said that his…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Apr 18, 2018
• coaching, simply music, singer-songwriter, songwriting, the playground

I have spent my lifetime learning and exposing myself to the arts on all levels (paintings, music, dance – any way I could really). Being exposed to so much variety was a greater gift than I knew at the time. I didn’t know how lucky I…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Apr 4, 2018
• Artists, Famous Artists, music, music education, Paintings, piano, pianos in art, simply music, stephanie iadanza, the playground

You might think musical skills are the province of some especially gifted breed of person, but nothing could be further from the truth. Every human being, without exception, is deeply and naturally musical! Neil explains how that musicality manifests itself in our everyday lives, and…

• Written by SM Admin on Mar 28, 2018
• music, music education, musical, neil moore, piano, simply music, the playground

Previously, I talked about the benefit of making the most of simple activities and valuing the journey as much as the goal. But how? As a Simply Music student, your teacher will be regularly on your case about keeping your Playlist alive. Of course, you…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Mar 21, 2018
• coaching, gordon harvey, improvisation, learn piano, music, music education, performance, piano, Simple Things, simply music, the playground

Our series of songwriting hints continues with Eliette Roslin, who has taken time out from her amazingly busy life to share the very personal story of her song “Believe”. Eliette sang before she could speak and music has always played an important role in her…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Mar 14, 2018
• eliette roslin, piano, simply music, songwriting, the playground, Write Music

You may not be aware of the many informative and useful videos posted by Neil Moore on our YouTube channel, so we thought we’d highlight a selection of them in The Playground. Some of them are especially useful for teachers wanting to know more about…

• Written by SM Admin on Feb 28, 2018
• music, music education, piano, simply music, Simply Music Began, the playground