The Playground

Welcome to A Way of Listening, an occasional series where we look at music from a range of angles designed to open you up to new listening opportunities and hopefully teach you a little along […]

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Oct 4, 2016
• Fred Hersch, gordon harvey, Hiatus Kaiyote, Lalah Hathaway, listening, music, music education, piano, Rosa Passos, Sarah Vaughan, simply music, Snarky Puppy, Stephane Grappelli, the playground, Yehudi Menuhin

In previous posts we have discussed some benefits, learning value and methods of recording yourself, mostly from the perspective of developing your own playing. But what if you feel the urge to share your work? The […]

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Sep 20, 2016
• BandCamp, CD Baby, gordon harvey, itunes, music, music education, piano, Sharing Your Recordings, simply music, SoundCloud, Spotify, the playground, YouTube

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: […]

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

Neil Moore was recently the subject of a video podcast with Tim Topham. This wide-ranging and entertaining chat gave Neil the opportunity to discuss the philosophy and methodology of Simply Music, tell stories of his […]

• Written by SM Admin on Aug 9, 2016
• learn, learning, method, music, music education, neil moore, piano, simply music piano, the playground, Tim Topham TV, Tim Tophm

  Creating your own original music is one of the most beneficial aspects of studying an instrument and being a musician. In Part 1, I talked about two of the three keys to reaping those […]

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jul 26, 2016
• benefit, composition, improvisation, instrument, mark meritt, mark s. meritt, music, musician, piano, simply music, the playground, toolkit, tools

Credit: college.usatoday.com We hope all our Teachers and Students in the United States are enjoying 4th of July celebrations. But why not spread the national pride further afield? We enlisted the help of the wonderful Elizabeth […]

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jun 24, 2016
• 4th of July, accompaniment, america, australia, blog, canada, chords, coaching, music, national, national pride, national songs, new zealand, piano, pride, simply music, the playground, tutorial

Credit: Fabrizio Paterlini – The Art of the Piano Creating your own original music is one of the most beneficial aspects of studying an instrument and being a musician, even if you’re not especially interested […]

• Written by Guest Contributor on May 22, 2016
• benefit, compose, composition, create, enjoy, fun., improvisation, improvising, mark meritt, mark s. meritt, original, piano, simply music, the playground, toolkit, tune, tune toolkit

Credit: theconversation.com   We have a unique opportunity to play a role in contributing to the evolution of human consciousness and self-expression, through music – Neil Moore   Many of you know how much I […]

• Written by Neil Moore on Apr 15, 2016
• blog, expression, learn piano, music, musicality, neil moore, piano, piano lessons, play piano, self expression, teach piano, technology, the playground

We’re excited to launch the Creative Coaching Series, programs designed for both students and teachers to deepen and broaden the music learning experience. The first title, from our Director of Programs Gordon Harvey, looks at […]

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Apr 10, 2016
• anxiety, coach, coaching, instrument, music, performance, performing, piano, play, simply music, stage fright

I’m just learning to take baby steps into improvisation. And I have a secret to tell you. But first, let me tell you where I’m coming from and what my personal experience with music has […]

• Written by Guest Contributor on Mar 31, 2016
• classical music, composition, Eastman, ensemble, improvisation, Julliard, literature, musician, Oberlin, patti phears, Peabody Conservatory, piano, playing, simply music, technique, the playground