Simpedia

I’ve read in Kat M.’s post about travelling. So, here’s a question to all INTERNATIONALLY travelling teachers. I’m travelling in Europe for a month in the summer and the airline charges an arm and a leg if I took a keyboard. How do you travel with your keyboard? Do you use one specifically for travelling…

I have a question about accommodations. I have a 10 year old student with severe anxiety and perfectionism. She is unable to understand that she needs to practice songs even if she doesn’t like them. She is working on this skill, among others, with a therapist. She is very intelligent and talented musically. I have…

If a student already knows the names of the rhythm ingredients (whole through sixteenths) can we use those or should we actively use the informal terminology anyway before the note naming process? This comes up from time to time with students with prior experience! Personally, I change it to whatever they’re already familiar with. Changing…

I wanted to share something I did in my studio this semester. I held an Apprenticeship Workshop class for upper level piano, bass, and guitar students of mine. It was designed to teach them how to play in or form their own bands. We met at my studio for 8 Friday night sessions and finished…

Has anyone tried doing piano ensembles within your own studio? I have come across Susan Staples Bell Music, in which she composes music and then has a group of students work together. It sounds like fun but wondering how far through would the student need to be to start something like this? Even if it…

I’m in the process of enrolling my first student and I’m wondering who of you is using the SM enrollment form. I’ve seen two different versions of it. The current one with the teacher’s notes and an older version that has some policies on it. I like the policies mentioned on the older version form…

Jazz Clues…doing clue one with Here to stay. The Bmin7-5 sounds bad with 1 and 5 LH because the 5 is supposed to be flatted. So do you have the students flat the 5th or stick to the clue? I don’t recall this being addressed in the TTM, but maybe I missed it. Flat the…

Just wondering if the sheet music for ‘Lament’ in the Jazz program is treated as a completely separate exercise to the improvisation in the reference book. Alternatively, do we work out what 4 note chords to use in the LH for the sheet music version as well? I like to put them together by creating…

Those that also work with students 60+ might find something useful in a recent post to my students: Happy New Year! 🎉🎊 I hope you’re looking forward to an enjoyable year of music making in 2023! Here are a few tips that will support your progress. Correct Glasses: Using regular progressive glasses (those that have…

Feeling a bit disheartened- I did a free information session yesterday and said to the lady there was more Information at Simply Music website and she emailed today thanking me and has enrolled in the free foundation course 😞 I guess I’m just a bit shocked as in my 12yrs of teaching SM I’ve not…

I am finding the variation on Family Tree a challenge, even after leaving it for a time and coming back to it. Can someone give me some tips please? (Or should I just leave that one out?) It is challenging, indeed, in a very similar (but slightly different) way to the Chester Variation. It benefits…

I’m finding in some of my small groups that individuals need some one on one that is hard to achieve in a group setting. I’m curious if any of you do ‘hybrid’ lessons when one week they might be in a group and the next they have a private lesson? I feel l am not…