About The Method
Teaching Blues & Accompaniment to a Reader
I have a potential adult student with a traditional/classical piano background (grade 7 RCM) interested in broadening her music education. She would want to learn the blues and accompaniment streams. Is there a way to use the simply music materials to someone who already knows…
- Last updated 3 months ago
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Exercise to Learn about Learning
Years ago I created an exercise to help students really learn, experientially, the value of Controlling the Events. Something that could, in a single exercise, give real felt clarity about the different results that come from CTE vs. not. I’ve done it for years in…
- Last updated 3 months ago
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Transitioning a Traditional Studio
A local traditional teacher is thinking of transitioning her current students to Simply Music. I found one (very helpful) entry in the FAQs library and would like to get some more info from all of you. What tips do you have for her? What can…
- Last updated 7 months ago
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Simply Music for Guitar
I recently met a local guitar instructor who is considering becoming a SM teacher but also apply the SM ideas/tools as much as possible to guitar. To what extent have any of you been able to do this with guitar? Obviously many principles like CTE…
Patterns in the Reference Book
Yesterday a coach asked me a question I really did not know the answer to fully. I promised I’d ask the ECL. Here goes: How important/crucial is it for students to fully understand the written patterns in the reference book and be able to explain…
Trying Out Lessons
I have run three FIS’s over the past week, and have encountered a number of potential parents who use the phrase “we want to give it a go”. Now, I know this is a phrase we don’t like to hear necessarily – as “giving it…
- Last updated 9 months ago
- 4-song workshop, commit, commitment, commitment to lessons, give it a go, giving it a go, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term, long-term relationship conversation, LTR, LTR graph, relationship, relationship conversation, relationship graph, sample lessons, sampling lessons, sticking with piano long term, teaching workshops, trail before committing, trial lesson, trial period, try it out, trying it out, trying lessons, workshop, workshop SHMs, Workshops
Preparatory Learning
Tip for ya. I remember several teachers commenting a while back on how challenging it was to teach Sonata in C (Level 4) online. I have found that ‘preparatory learning’ has made this piece SO much easier to learn. Beginning a song or two before…
- Last updated 12 months ago
- broken chords, chord, chord strategies, chords, concertina, D-Part, Laurie Richards, learning chords, preparatory learning, seeing chords in songs, seeing songs chordally, Sonata in C
Slowing Down Students
What creative ways do you use to get students to slow down? I don’t know any creative ways, I just resort to tapping a slow beat, and getting them to play along to the audio slow version. I wonder if it is a stage they…
- Last updated 12 months ago
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Defining Generative
Since my email last night regarding the “Swim Coach” reference to teaching students who play better than you do, I’ve had a couple of emails asking about what exactly “Self-Generating” or “generative” teaching or learning is. What it means, in a nutshell, is the ability…
- Last updated 1 year ago
- arrangements, comp, comp & improv, comp and improv, comp/improv, composing, composition, compositions, developing generative skills, generative, generative learning, generative students, generative tools, identifying patterns, improv, improvisation, improvising, patterns, Robin Keehn, self generating, self generative, self-generate, self-generation
Judging a ‘Talent’ Quest
I have been a judge in the St Luke’s Talent Quest for the last three years. The last two years I was judge for the finalists,but today I was judge for the finalist auditions. Well, the vocal talent is unbelievable and most were children. But…
- Last updated 1 year ago
- competitions, judging, Talent Quest