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Simply Music is Simply Wonderful

My eleven-year-old son just came back from his fourth piano lesson and he is eager to practice the new musical piece he was taught today.  This is the same son who four weeks ago said he hated music and didn’t want to learn piano.

In addition, he has learned to play three, now going on four, wonderful pieces of music that one would normally hear from someone who has been taking piano for years.  Is he a musical genius? I’d like to brag and say ‘Yes’, but the credit really goes to the Simply Music program and Ms. Kim Nelson, his teacher.

The Simply Music program is a non-traditional method of teaching piano where the student learns to play one beautiful musical piece per week. Once the student learns about 35-50 pieces of music, the student is then introduced to the “language” of written music.

However, I can already tell that by the time my son gets to that point, he will intuitively know most of it already because he’s been using it all along.  For now he’s just having fun learning how to play music.

When we started the program, I was told that he would still need to practice every day and I make sure he does that but I don’t put time requirements on how long because he usually enjoys practicing and he’ll naturally practice the amount of time he needs before his fingers give out or he knows he’s got it. He can also hear when he makes a mistake so the method is self-correcting.

So, I’d say the amount of time spent in practicing would vary depending on the student and where they are in the program.  I suspect that the more songs we get under our belt, the longer the practices will become.  But nobody minds because, unlike tradition piano practices, listening to practice time is a pleasure.

Lastly, I found that I could not only have my son learn the piano in this way, but that my seven year old and myself could learn along with him without taking the classes.  You see, Simply Music has you pay for a $45 music kit when you sign up for your lessons, but you can purchase it online even if you choose not to pay for a piano teacher.

The kit basically includes everything you need to teach yourself how to play the piano using their method.  It even includes a paper-sized keyboard we had laminated and mounted on a ¼ inch foam-core at Kinkos to practice our fingering if we’re on the go.  So, for the price of one, we’re able to teach three members of this family.

If you’re in the McKinney, Plano or  Frisco, Texas areas and decide to take a class, go to Ms. Nelson’s class and mention my name.  I’d love to meet people who read my blog.  I wish this to be a blessing for you as it been to us.

For now, both kids are eagerly waiting for Christmas. Not because of the presents, but because they want to get a chance to show their grandparents their new-found talent.