The Playground

Next time you’re with a group of people who are at all interested in music, insert the word “jazz” into the conversation and observe how they respond. For every person who pricks up their ears, there will probably be a half-dozen who roll their eyes.…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Mar 20, 2019

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

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

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

I once attended a workshop with the British singer Sheila Chandra in which she sang a whole bunch of songs from various world cultures over a two-note drone. It was amazing the rich variety of sounds that flowed from such a simple source. It made…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on May 10, 2017
• chords, gordon harvey, gretta dunn, music, music education, musicians, One Chord Songs, piano, Play Music, self expression, simply music, the playground

The Playground has previously posted a list of some of films worth watching in which our favorite instrument, the Piano, was featured prominently. Following up on that post, I’d like to share some notable films that not only featured pianos, but are about the process,…

• Written by Daniel Kielman on Apr 26, 2017
• Composers, composing, daniel kielman, music, music education, musicians, piano, simply music, the playground

March 29, 2017 isn’t just any ordinary day when it comes to the world of Piano. A worldwide group of likeminded individuals decided that because this day is the 88th day of the year it would only make sense to designate it Piano Day. The…

• Written by Daniel Kielman on Mar 28, 2017
• create, daniel kielman, Innovative Keyboards, music, music education, piano, piano day, play, self expression, simply music, the playground

We’ve already shared our favourite songs from seasonal celebrations, so for something different, we thought we’d celebrate the seasons themselves, with some of our favourite songs for each season. See which ones transport you to another time of year. Here in Melbourne, it’s almost a…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Dec 22, 2016
• gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, seasonal songs, simply music, the playground

Some human beings just can’t get enough creativity. It’s not enough to have the most amazing music machine to play, now it seems there’s the irresistible urge to get visually creative with it as well! Perhaps inspired by the wonderful Play Me, I’m Yours project,…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Nov 2, 2016
• art, create, music, Music & Art, music education, Painted Pianos, piano, play piano, simply music, stephanie iadanza, the playground

A picture is worth 1000 words, but a 1000-word online talk is free! Here’s a selection of interesting and informative Ted Talks and other Talks about music and creativity. Enjoy! 1. Daria van den Bercken: Why I take the piano on the road … and…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Aug 23, 2016
• gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, simply music, Ted Talks, the playground, Videos