The Playground

Written by: Katie Knipp   So, you’ve just spent hundreds of “man hours” writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and stressing! Now what? Now, my friends, the real work begins. There is a certain order to releasing a song, and having released 5 CDs myself, there are…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Sep 7, 2023
• business, katie knipp, katie schmidt, music, piano, promotion, simply music, songs, songwriting, the playground

Written by: Page Stegner It is not as intimidating as one might think! 15-year-old level 3 Simply Music student Antoine ROCKED the house when he jammed for the first time with my band ‘the Smokin’ Rats’. As Antoine stepped through the front door his eyes grew…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Aug 8, 2023
• 12 bar blues, coaching, group music, learn piano to play in band, music, music for bands, page stegner, piano for band, play in a band, simply music, smokin rats, the playground, tutorial

Written by: Ray Nelson “I can’t count how many times over my teaching career I have heard students say this. There is such an interest out there to be able to play in a band together with other musicians and yet I have often wondered…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jul 11, 2023
• accompaniment, chords, coaching, how to play guitar, how to play piano, keyboard, music, music lessons, musical journey, musicians, piano in a band, play in a band, ray nelson, simply music, tutorial

Connection, Awareness & Practice If you’re not telling a story with your playing, not conveying an emotion, you might even say it’s not music at all. Last month Simply Music Senior Teacher Laurie Richards wrote about the importance of musical expression. That article was very…

• Written by Laurie Richards on Jun 2, 2023
• coaching, Laurie Richards, music, musical communication, self expression, simply music

Long-time Simply Music Teacher and respected contributor to the music education community Laurie Richards is a believer in the communicative power of music, but only when we really think about just what it is that we want the song to communicate. In this article she urges…

• Written by Laurie Richards on Apr 28, 2023
• coaching, Laurie Richards, music, musical communication, self expression, simply music

Credit: David Cassolato I will start with a little story. In 2007 I was beginning University studies and surfing the internet one weekend, when I came across a piano teacher’s blog. This teacher was on about this great new discovery. After teaching for many years…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Apr 11, 2023
• Anna Abraham, book review, Creativity, music, music education, music neuroscience, piano, playing-based, simply music, The Neuroscience of Creativity, the playground

I looked everywhere for the enemy and failed to see it right in front of my face. Sometimes things that should be obvious aren’t. Sometimes an obvious thing only becomes obvious after someone states it in such an articulate and relatable manner that its essence…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Mar 8, 2023
• book review, Creativity, music, music education, music neurology, piano, playing-based, simply music, Steven Pressfield, the playground, The War of Art

By Rebecca Harding This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel LevitinThis Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel Levitin is a fascinating and in-depth exploration into the neurological processes that make us love and connect with music. Levitin,…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Feb 8, 2023
• book review, Daniel Levitin, music, music education, music neurology, piano, playing-based, simply music, the playground, This Is Your Brain On Music

The Great Courses: Creativity & Your Brain I’ve been a fan of The Great Courses for a long time. Typically designed as packages of ‘lectures’ that might mirror a semester of university study, these comprehensive courses cover topics as varied as your imagination. In my…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jan 12, 2023
• course review, Creativity, gordon harvey, Indre Viskontas, music, music education, piano, playing-based music education, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, simply music, the playground, University of San Francisco

Quincy Jones may well be music’s all-time greatest multitalent. From jazz trumpeter to band leader to arranger for the likes of Frank Sinatra, conductor, composer, Broadway and Academy Awards director, producer for the likes of Michael Jackson, record company executive, impresario, educator, activist and more,…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Nov 30, 2022
• 12 Notes, book review, Creativity, gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, playing-based music education, Quincy Jones, simply music, the playground