The Playground

Connection, Awareness & Practice If you’re not telling a story with your playing, not conveying an emotion, you might even say it’s not music at all. Last month Simply Music Senior Teacher Laurie Richards wrote about the importance of musical expression. That article was very…

• Written by Laurie Richards on Jun 2, 2023
• coaching, Laurie Richards, music, musical communication, self expression, simply music

Long-time Simply Music Teacher and respected contributor to the music education community Laurie Richards is a believer in the communicative power of music, but only when we really think about just what it is that we want the song to communicate. In this article she urges…

• Written by Laurie Richards on Apr 28, 2023
• coaching, Laurie Richards, music, musical communication, self expression, simply music

As far as we know, parents have always sung their children to sleep. It’s understood that for a young child the melodies and rhythms of simple songs add to the already profoundly comforting experience of a familiar voice. And the comfort can go the other…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Dec 13, 2017
• Classics, improvisation, Lullabies, music, self expression, 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

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

Our voice is the original musical instrument – portable, always available, universal and versatile. Instruments created entirely new worlds of sounds. With those new sounds came different layers of music, no longer strictly melody but now additionally rhythm, harmony, accompaniment, dynamics and texture. However, that…

• Written by Daniel Kielman on Mar 14, 2017
• Beatboxing, create, daniel kielman, improvisation, music, music education, piano, self expression, songwriting, the playground

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 love technology, and how excited I am about its future…

• 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

How many times have you embarked on some new project bursting with enthusiasm, only to find that motivation deflated like an old party balloon at the first setback? It’s happened to all of us, and it’s at that moment that we really see what we’re…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Aug 11, 2015
• enthusiasm, journey, Laurie Richards, long term, motivated, motivation, motivational, music, music lessons, musical, peaks, piano, piano lessons, plateau, play, practice, process, robin keehn, self expression, setback, simply music, the playground, valleys