The Playground

The holidays are fast approaching! This may mean quite a long break for both teachers and students. Whether that’s a scary thought for you or a time you use to spread your creative wings, this group of helpful posts from our archives is sure to keep…

• Written by Mel Karajas on Nov 23, 2015
• concert, music, music lessons, neil moore, perform, performance, piano, piano lessons, recital, simply music, teach piano, the playground

  ” can cast light into the darkest corners of the heart that nothing else can reach. It can illuminate feelings we might otherwise not even know that we have. In that way, it helps us to know ourselves better, and in ways that words…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Nov 16, 2015
• ambient, aquiline, gordon harvey, piano, piano lessons, piano teacher, simply music, the playground

  Many people have the misconception that the Simply Music program doesn’t teach music reading, but as you may have gathered in my recent article asking how important is it to read music?, we consider music-reading a valuable and wonderful tool.  However, that doesn’t mean that…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Nov 1, 2015
• gordon harvey, music, music lessons, musicianship, neil moore, piano, piano lessons, play piano, reading music, simply music, the playground

Throughout September and October, Simply Music has asked its community to collect iTunes cards and gently-used or new iPods for Music & Memory. It’s been a powerful experience to see how many people have shared our message far and wide, focussing their energy on a local…

• Written by Mel Karajas on Oct 26, 2015
• alive inside, apple, documentary, ipod, itunes, mp3, music, music & memory, simply music, the playground

Halloween is just around the corner, so we thought we’d share some musical tricks and treats to get you in the spirit 😉 How about some ghoulish new lyrics to Night Storm? Here are some ideas from Katie Knipp: “Rolling pumpkins, witches gather, isn’t it…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Oct 18, 2015
• halloween, music, musical, simply music, spirit, the playground, treat, trick, trick or treat

It was interesting to read a recent article by educator Robbie Gennet suggesting that sheet music may not be necessary in music education. Just as enlightening, if not more so, was the reaction in the comments section, a lot of it quite hostile, which prompted…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Oct 11, 2015
• classical, composer, culture, ensemble, learn piano, music education, music lessons, musicians, notation, piano lessons, play, reading music, robbie gennet, sheet music, simply music, solo, teach piano, the playground, tradition

  Your Simply Music teacher will tell you that the real learning occurs more at home than in the lesson. As Neil Moore puts it, coming to a lesson is like a chef going to the market to buy his ingredients – of course that’s…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Sep 28, 2015
• achieve, goals, gordon harvey, music, music lessons, neil moore, piano, piano lessons, practice, practice makes perfect, practice makes progress, simply music, the playground, time

  Music & colour. Of course they have things in common – they can be beautiful, they can trigger memories – but there are other more intriguing connections reported by some people.   Isaac Newton was inspired by music to add to the rainbow. According…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Sep 13, 2015
• Chromaesthesia, color, colour, music, music and color, music and colour, simply music, synaesthesia, the playground

  “People are connecting with each other through the neuroscience of singing, their brains are changing, their hearts are opening, and they help one another”   – Tania de Jong   The founder of Simply Music, Neil Moore’s driving belief is that everybody is profoundly…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Aug 24, 2015
• creativity australia, elizabeth gaikwadopera, group music, music lessons, music theatre, neil moore, simply music, sing, sing for good, singing, song room, tania de jong, tedx, the playground, umbrellas, voice

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