Curriculum
Student Requests to Play Other Songs
I have a student who has just started F2, had done 4 arrangements. She is learning a few other instruments as well. She is a fast learner, able to play the new songs hands together immediately after I show her. She has asked me to…
Adults who don’t like the Blues
I have an issue with an adult student in her sixties who is objecting more and more to playing the Blues. We are up to Billy at the Footy and she tells me she is just not going to learn it because it sounds horrible.…
Questions from Parents – Trust the Process
I received a few questions today from a mum of a 11-12 year old girl. Because I’m reasonably new to SM, I’d truly appreciate some advice from those of you who are further down the track than me – particularly in regard to reading. Here…
Questions from a Parent – Intonation & Register
A parent who has been with me for over 2 years asked me the following question: When and how do the students learn the basic building blocks of music? Symbols (letters & signs)? Intonations? Registers? What is she talking about? These terms sound like musical…
Providing Students With Music
I would welcome feedback. During the Accompaniment program, how do you approach teaching music pieces outside of the Simply Music curriculum. 1. Do you provide the music pieces or do they bring one of their own? 2. Is this a licensing issue? If I purchase…
Homeschool Workshops
Teaching Simply Music and have shared with a local home school activities group, so that they might consider Simply Music piano as one of their activities next term. The mother of one of my students has recommended me and the Simply Music program. One of…
Improvisation as a Calming Tool
Recently at a friend’s place my daughter Niluka, came crying to me holding one hand in the other. A young girl, about six years old, had dropped the piano lid on Niluka’s fingers while she was playing the piano for a few others in the…
Putting Poems to Music
Just thought I’d share an idea I got from a workshop I attended on composing. It relates to setting poems to music. The teacher was actually talking about using words that are not yet in poetic form where you have to start by creating the…
12 Bar Blues and Jammin’
I just thought I’d share something exciting that happened tonight! I lead the praise band at my church and just playing around I played Alma Mater blues while the band was getting organized and we were going through a sound check. After practice, the band…