About The Method

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 9 months ago
• classically trained, experienced players, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), previous experience, prior experience, prior reading experience, student background, student with previous experience, students that already read music, students who already read, students with experience, students with previous experience, students with prior experience, traditional background, traditional experience, traditional student, traditional students, traditional students to SM, traditional to Simply Music, traditional vs. Simply Music, traditionally trained, transitioning traditional students

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 10 months ago
• conscious learning, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, fast playing, getting student to slow down, how quickly students learn, how to practice, learning, learning a new way of learning, learning a way of learning, learning pace, learning rate, learning slowly, learning strategies, learning tools, learning tools and strategies, mindfulness, pace, pace of learning, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing too fast, practice, practice guidelines, practice habits, practicing, practicing slowly, rate of learning, relearning, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speed of learning, speed of progress, students speed of progress, teaching how to practice, working with parents on how to practice

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 1 year ago
• starting SM with traditional students, traditional, traditional and Simply Music enrollment, traditional background, traditional experience, traditional student, traditional students, traditional students to SM, traditional studio, traditional teacher, traditional teachers, traditional to Simply Music, traditionally trained, transitioning into SM, transitioning students, transitioning to SM, transitioning traditional students

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…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• applying PB strategies to music, guitar, learning other instruments, method, methodology, methods, other instruments, other methods, PB, playing other instruments, playing other instruments with patterns, playing-based, playing-based strategies, playing-based tools

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…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• creating awareness, learning tools and strategies, memorization, memorizing, memorizing pieces, memorizing songs, patterns, PB, playing-based, playing-based strategies, playing-based tools, remembering patterns, thoughtlessness, tools and strategies

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 1 year 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

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 2 years 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

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 2 years ago
• audio, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, events, getting student to slow down, Gordon Harvey, learning slowly, mindfulness, piano event, piano events, play along, playing along with audio, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing too fast, playing with audio tracks, practicing slowly, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speed of learning, SSME, using audio recordings, using audio tracks, using the audio recordings to learn songs

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 2 years 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

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 2 years ago
• competitions, judging, Talent Quest