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

We asked Jose Rivera some questions to gain some insight into his role here at Simply Music, what lights him up musically and some facts that make him the person he is. Your full name: Jose Benjamin Rivera When did you start and what is…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Feb 21, 2018
• blog, jose rivera, music, piano, simply music, the playground

Songwriting doesn’t have to be done balancing pen, paper, guitar and coffee cup on your lap. In fact, most modern pop music is constructed on the computer from the get-go. Gordon Harvey outlines this process through the example of a song by his band Aquiline.…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Feb 7, 2018
• create, gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, simply music, songwriting, the playground

Simply Music Teacher Jennifer Lee continues the conversation about writing songs with a reflection on how simple projects can be the unexpected beginnings of great inspirations, including some of the wonderful songs on her forthcoming album. Photo by Remo Fioroni For me, I’m certain that…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jan 31, 2018
• create, jennifer lee, musicians, simply music, singer-songwriter, songwriting, teachers, the playground, women songwriters

Will Henshall is a successful songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, researcher and infectious personality. He’s also the developer of Focus@Will, a program that uses specially-designed music to improve focus and productivity. In this wide-ranging chat, Neil Moore speaks with Will about the science behind music’s ability…

• Written by Neil Moore on Jan 17, 2018
• focus, interview, music, neil moore, piano, productivity, science, simply music, the playground, will henshall