Simpedia

I have several students who are reading music and want to learn to play hymns from their church’s hymnal that is arranged for SATB singing (see photo for example). I’ve been reading a few related conversations in Simpedia about the process of teaching hymns (most notably, this one: https://simpedia.info/reading-from-a-hymn-book/). I’m wondering if any teachers who…

I think sometimes students do mindless repetition for practice without breaking it down in such a way that the brain retains the piece. I had a student today who struggles with remembering her pieces so we just slowly went through a series of questions and answers before she played. 1] tell me anything you remember…

I have a private student break his left arm. I need ideas for how to engage him for the next 6 weeks. He is just starting level 5. He is reading music and came from a traditional background. He is almost done with RR. I could focus on lots of reading and playing pieces with…

HI everybody – any tips for growing skills to line up fingers accurately to play fast passages like the beginning and end of Ballade? Of course – play slowly and gradually increase speed. That alone doesn’t seem adequate. I feel like all the things I did in my traditional piano years make this kind of…

Do other teachers have rules on strong scents in their studios? I have an adult that swims ahead of our lessons and the chlorine smell bothers me. She seemed upset that I prefer she swim on a day other than before our lessons. What would you do in a situation like this? I have had…

I have an elderly student who can’t bend fingers 3 and 4 in his RH. We are adjusting songs accordingly. For Alma Mater Blues 3rd Section CAGE chord I, what would you suggest? C G E – fingers 5, 2, 1 – 100% C A E – fingers 5, 2, 1 – 0% I like…

Choosing recital pieces question: I usually try to give students a choice on which piece they want to play; and also try to not have the same piece played multiple times in the same recital. With a small number of students, this hasn’t been too difficult in the past. However, in the last year or…

I’ve got a question for you. During each lesson, I have my students do an improvisation or play their composition. I just received a short composition in which the piece doesn’t end on a tonic key. I texted her mom about that, and she said that her daughter consciously chose not to end on a…

I just reread Laurie Richards’ book yesterday ‘I Found Your Keys’ on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It is so packed with good information. Every now and then we need a 30,000 ft view of what it is that we are all apart of and why it’s so worth it! Thank you Laurie for writing this!…

Who has gone paper/bookless in their studio? What’s your thoughts? How did you go about the process? Any tips appreciated. Yep Entirely digital using a 13” iPad Pro for scores and 10” for reference book Robin T. what do you do for notes/ record keeping? I’m using a book atm. Cate R. I have a…

Hi all, I wanted to let you know that my TEDxTalk has been approved for public release, and is now Live on YouTube. Over the years, many people have said to me that I should do a TEDTalk about Simply Music. And whilst promoting oneself and one’s business is not permitted in a TEDTalk, the…

I’ve been working on I IV and V on accompaniment 1 programme with some students and was asked these questions which I couldn’t quite answer with confidence. Care to share your experience and thoughts please? So does the I IV and V only work for songs that only have those 3 chords and not other…