The Playground
The Simply Music blog
Year-End Greeting from Neil Moore
Take a moment to be with Neil Moore as he reflects on what it has been to have music as a constant companion over the past five decades, and his heartfelt thanks to all of you for your commitment to having music be a part…
2013 Has Been an Exciting, Musical Year
The ending of another exciting musical year coincides with the milestone of the 20th issue of The Playground. Our newsletter/blog was designed as a vehicle for the sharing of musical knowledge and a way to grow a community of likeminded musicians and music lovers. Since…
From Neil Moore
I’m sitting here at home looking out of my window. It’s a beautiful morning and it’s very quiet. I’m thinking about what has happened this year. So far, I’ve traveled throughout the USA. I’ve been to Germany and Canada, and next week I head off…
From Neil Moore
Do we reap what we sow? I’ve been thinking about this and want to talk about a recent experience. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a 17 year-old young woman called Maira Ramirez. Maira asked if I would be willing to…
From Neil Moore
I’m excited about this forthcoming year. It’s shaping up to be like no other. A couple of weeks ago, the entire Simply Music staff, from Australia and the USA, gathered in Sacramento, locked ourselves away for the best part of a week, and undertook a…
A Note of Thanks – Neil Moore
What an amazing year 2012 has been. So much has happened in the world of Simply Music. As the year comes to a close, I am reflecting on how much I appreciate not merely what has been accomplished but more so, the devotion, dedication and…
A Team Effort – from Neil Moore
Some of my earliest memories are centered around the piano. I have an older sister and three older brothers, the eldest being only 7 years older than me. As each of the boys turned 7 years old we began piano lessons. It was one…
From Neil Moore
It’s All About Playing Recently I was in Los Angeles and had an opportunity to attend a concert. The band was called Dukes of September, and it featured three men: Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, each of whom are Grammy Award winning artists.…
Polly Watkins Interview on ‘Dr Sarmast’s Music School’ with Gordon Harvey
A sad marker of Afghanistan’s tragic history is that for decades music has been suppressed and even, until recently, almost completely banned. But then, after the overthrow of the Taliban, Melbourne-based music professor Dr Ahmad Sarmast braved combat zone conditions to return to his native…
From Neil Moore
In the last edition of The Playground I wrote about the impact and possibility of creating a “whole-of-life” program – whereby students of any age, prenatal through to elders, could have access to a developmentally appropriate music education program. The completeness of providing something such…
