Practical Homeschooling Magazine - Issue #40
March/April, 2001
by Mary Pride, Editor
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I have seen a lot of music programs over the years. Some were fun. Some were clever. Some were thorough. Here's one that has it all.
Simply Music is a "playing-based" program rather than a "reading-based" program. What is the difference? Well as of 1994, there were 11 million unused pianos in American homes. The vast majority of those pianos belonged to families that had invested in traditional reading-based lessons, where children are taught music theory and sight reading as a precursor to playing music and enjoy the thrill of "piano practice" involving lots of work with scales. Typically, those who emerge from such a system either (a) quit playing the piano the day their parents stop forcing them to take lessons or (b) can only play when the music score is sitting right in front of them.
In contrast, the Simply Music method provides students with an initial repertoire of 25 or more songs that they can play at will, before note-reading. In addition to playing classical, popular and blues pieces, students are taught techniques of accompaniment that allow them to provide the musical background while others sing. This feature, lacking in most musical programs, brings a social dimension to your child's playing right from the start. Recently launched in the USA, Simply Music is currently used by over 10,000 students, and a network of Simply Music instructors is being set up for the benefit of those who prefer outside instruction. However, the video courses were set up for use in the home, and everything you need is in each package.
Currently, Simply Music has three Learn-at-Home courses available.
Throughout Level 1 and the next level course, each lesson or two introduces a new song along with a new chord or technique. No traditional note-reading is used. Instead, students learn to play chords by their shapes, and songs by their patterns. Neil Moore demonstrates every step of every song with the help of a girl sitting next to him, whose hand he places in the proper positions and who you watch playing the songs with the camera positioned above the keyboard.
Level 2 picks up where Level 1 leaves off. After completing both levels, your child will know 20 songs and be well on his way to a lifetime of music enjoyment. The Accompaniment Clues program is somewhat different, and performs the almost unbelievable job of teaching you all the major chords, minor chords, 7th chords, major 7th, minor 7th, add 9, augmented, suspended, and diminished chords for every key on the keyboard. If you are an adult who loses control when more than one black key is introduced in a song, this video course will be a revelation. After completing it, you should be able to play accompaniment to any sheet music you can find that includes guitar chords, even if the guitar chords in question are B flat minor 7 and F sharp diminished.
Everything about this video curriculum is right. The packaging is attractive, the materials are first-rate, Neil Moore's video lessons are paced just right, and the blend of song types means every type of student will end up with songs he really likes to play.
Originally published in Practical Homeschooling, March/April 2001.
© Homelife, Inc. Used by permission.
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