The Playground
The Simply Music blog
Simply Music is a world-leader and pioneer in the field of playing-based music education. We're interested in developing programs and projects that fundamentally impact populations of people. Basically, we focus on causing breakthroughs in creativity for humanity.
Tim Ringgold shares his incredible story of love, loss and transformative healing through music [Interview]
Tim Ringgold, Author, Musician & Board Certified Music Therapist, sits down with Neil Moore and discusses music and it’s transformative healing powers. From the pitfalls and pain of extreme adversity, and what the power of music can do to revive us. Tim works with many…
Teacher, Singer, Songwriter & Mother, Katie Knipp hits the Billboard Charts [Interview]
Leon Moore sits down with Sacramento-based Simply Music Piano Teacher and Blues artist, Katie Knipp and discusses her latest album, “Take It With You”, her recent SAMMIE award win (think of it like the Sacramento Grammys) and becoming a Billboard featured artist. Katie, a teacher…
Music Reading – A Video from Neil Moore
Perhaps the most common question people have about Simply Music is “How can you learn music without reading?” Of course, we do teach you to read, but not until we consider it to be the best time for you to embark on that leg of…
Get to Know World-Class Jazz Musician, Joe Gilman [Interview]
Leon Moore sits down with the wonderful Joe Gilman to get to know a little about him and his background as a professional jazz musician. Joe shares his musical inspirations over the years, and how he approached playing the songs that are outlined in the…
Bringing Both Hands Together – A Video from Neil Moore
Do you find you can learn to play using separate hands but struggle when you try to play both together? You may not be making full use of a really valuable tool. When we can see each ‘event’ in each hand represented in a simple…
Meet the Team – Mary K Ferreter
We asked Mary K Ferreter 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 person she is. Your full name: Mary Kathryn Ferreter When did you start and what…
Teaching the Blues Scale & Improvisation – A Video from Neil Moore
Were you ever wowed by the wizardry of a blues musician? Really, anyone can achieve an authentic blues sound with a few basic tools. Using some very simple tools Blues can be taught to entry-level students with great success. One of these tools, the principle…
Teaching Chords & Accompaniment – A Video from Neil Moore
Chords are one of the most fundamental building blocks of all music and, taught in a particular way, they are incredibly simple to learn on piano. It’s amazing how much is opened up by an easily-developed grasp of chords. Neil describes here, for both students…
Interview with Giana Nguyen: Simply Music Teacher, Singer/Songwriter
Giana Nguyen is an Advanced Simply Music Teacher and Singer/Songwriter based in Irvine, CA. She has just released her new self-titled album, “GiANA”. Leon Moore spends a few minutes learning about her musical background, influences and inspiration behind her music, and how she got involved…
Teaching the Melody of a Classical Piece – A Video from Neil Moore
Let’s talk about a famous classical piece, by Beethoven, and give you a taste of how we break the melody of this song into a simple ‘Melody Diagram’ that will have you instantly remember how to play it. We’ll also show you the left hand…
