Simply Music

From Gordon Harvey

Dr Katrina McFerran is a music therapist, researcher and a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne.  Author of many works including Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy, she has a special interest in reaching adolescents through music, but she has wide experience of many aspects of music therapy.  We spoke to her about this under-appreciated field, where much wonderful work is done using music’s unique ability to help us connect with the world.

Use the player below to listen to the interview.

From Gordon Harvey

Never one to stand in his father Neil Moore’s shadow, Chase Moore has carved out a career as a music producer, engineer and hip-hop artist.  And now he’s working on a program soon to be offered by Simply Music so everyone can explore modern music creation and production.  We talked to Chase about composing in the brave new digital age.

Chase’s music on iTunes

Listen to the interview, followed by Chase’s track  All That You’ve Got

From Gordon Harvey

“Music is very very old.  The rules of music are very young”. The Jazz world is full of textbooks and how-to guides that use theory as the setting for learning jazz – an approach that seems at odds with the instinctive way jazz musicians actually play.  Steve Sedergreen is well-known across Australia and internationally as a highly regarded jazz pianist, but equally well-known as a music educator, with a gift for making jazz accessible to people with no background in the field.  He has just released a book, “Start Playing Jazz Piano Now!” which is less about rules and more about giving yourself permission to explore.  His approach seems to fit well with the way Simply Music works, and is a great pathway for someone who wants to explore the world of chords and improvisation.

We spoke with Steve about playing from the heart.  The interview concludes with an excerpt from Steve and Mal Sedergreen’s band Mistaken Identity playing his composition “Musician and Chef”.

Steve Sedergreen’s website

Download the interview with Steve Sedergreen or use the player below.

From Gordon Harvey

Peter Roberts is a Music-Thanatologist – the only one in Australia, and one of a only small number around the world.  He plays music designed specifically to assist the terminally ill, as well as now for premature babies and others who might benefit from music’s therapeutic qualities.  His harp is a well-known fixture in hospitals in his home city of Geelong.  In this interview he talks with us about how he discovered his calling, and the powerful contribution the right kind of music can make to people facing great challenges.

Download the interview with Peter Roberts or use the player below.

Dr Catherine Crock is the dedicated physician from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital who has created the Hush Collection, a project bringing support to children’s hospitals through the medium of music. The music on this popular collection of CDs from some major artists is designed specifically to aid and comfort patients, parents and staff during difficult times, and the proceeds of their sales supports the hospitals themselves. And the music is wonderful too! Gordon Harvey met with Catherine in a Melbourne cafe to chat about this inspiring project, what led her to begin it, and how it contributes to people on multiple levels. The interview ends with ‘Illuminated’ from the newest Hush CD, featuring guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.

You can learn more and order Hush CDs at  http://www.hush.org.au/

Download the Interview

In this interview, Neil Moore talks with two-time GRAMMY Nominated jazz pianist, Taylor Eigsti. Regarded by many as a child prodigy, Taylor began studying piano at the age of four, and by age eight he was performing with internationally renowned jazz artists. At age 15 he joined the teaching staff at the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University. In this informal dialog, Taylor talks about his earliest experiences of learning music, as well as his thoughts on the future of music education.

Download the interview with Taylor Eigsti or use the player below.

An Interview with Ben Niles, Director and Producer of the Award Winning documentary, Note By Note – The Making of Steinway L1037

In this installment, Neil Moore talks with Ben Niles, the Director and Producer of the Award Winning documentary, Note By Note. This documentary follows the journey of a tree – from forest floor to concert hall floor, as a 9 foot, Steinway Grand Piano.  It explores the relationship between artist and instrument, master craftsmanship and raw materials.  Ben talks with Neil about his experience and the process as a whole.

Download the Ben Niles Interview or use the player below.

Learn more about the movie.