TESTIMONIALS
“... your system is one of the most superb I’ve encountered in 30 years of adult education...
— Michael Zeiler, adult student
“Let me begin by saying just how thrilled I am with the [Simply Music] program. I’m playing better now than I did after years of traditional lessons.
— Steve Manuel Executive Producer - Prime Time, Discovery Channel
“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. In terms of presentation, effectiveness, philosophy - you name it - there’s nothing out there that compares at all.
— Mary Pride, Publisher, Practical Homeschool Magazine
“One half mastery, one half magic, Jy has a way with children: her teaching style is clear, fun and enabling, and the students in turn feel seen and supported to reach for their best. Strong and positive, Jy creates an environment of creativity, fun and respect ... her students follow her lead and in turn believe in themselves as people and pianists.
— Rachel Gaunt, parent
“...[Jy] engages the kids in an artful manner that demands the best of them and inspires the best in them. It’s a joy to watch her instruct
— Kathi Joy, parent
“Her enthusiasm is infectious! Her knowledge and skills are impressive. She is reasonable with the kids but holds them to a high standard — good balance!
— William Cargill, parent
“Limitless enthusiasm.
— John Gamblin, parent
“… I always remembered the teachers that made me love her/his subjects and this is exactly what Jy has done for us both. …We both love music but Jy has brought us a different dimension in music that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
— Asa Trupp, parent
“Ode to Jy!!
— Doug Lightle, parent
“…Jy’s relaxed, yet intense classes make it so kids have a blast, but also learn at a rapid rate. I wish all my kids’ teachers could be so inspiring and supportive.
— Will McKinley, parent
“Simply Music has opened up the world of music-making for our son in a way that we never could have imagined. My husband and I are conservatory-trained classical musicians. Our son literally runs to practice piano mornings before school… and will perform for anyone who cares to listen! He also enjoys sitting at the piano and making up his own songs. Simply Music makes absolute sense... children learn to speak before they read, why not learn to make music before reading notes on a page?
— Joan and Jeff Beal, parents
“I am amazed. Jy is most fabulous — incredibly knowledgeable and extremely down-to-earth, always clear.
— Deborah Harvey, student
“Jy is the consummate professional. Very personable, excellent at conveying piano concepts.
— Jeffrey Kahan, student
“Jy is gifted in her ability to make learning fun! I never thought my daughter would take to the piano so easily, but she has truly enjoyed her lessons and can’t wait to get home and play the new song she learned to the family. We are so lucky to have Jy in her life as a teacher, a mentor and a role-model.
— Manjeev Khush, parent
“Jy is great with kids — fun and funny — but also commands attention and gets a great deal of information across.
— Jeanne Iida, parent
“It’s been amazing for me to watch our three sons learn to play the piano so quickly. Not only do children learn to play quickly with Simply Music, they feel so free and competent to explore music that they compose their own songs. Our nine-year-old and our twelve-year-old have both composed original songs. Music fills our house and our boys’ hearts and I love that! Simply Music has been a gift for our family.
— Duane Carlisle, parent, Head Strengthening and Conditioning Coach, San Francisco Forty-Niners
“…in tune to each child’s personality…
— Tina Zachariou, parent
“Great rapport and connection with students — talented, encouraging and enthusiastic... a most special person. We are most fortunate to have Jy as our teacher.
— Gene Elliot, parent
“My daughter is only 7 years old with no previous music knowledge. Our experience has absolutely surpassed our expectations. Recently she played a well-known song in front of 100 people and she brought the house down.
— Marsha Goodstein, parent
“She pushes the kids to learn amazing things that I thought were beyond them. Inspiring, lovely, fun... I cannot say enough great things about Jy...
— Roberto Felici, parent
“Extremely knowledgeable and skilled, extremely dynamic and fun, precise, thorough, and extremely positive. Jy is the best.
— Karen Hensley, student
“At 83 years of age, this wonderful program has given my life a dimension that has brought me much joy and satisfaction. It is so fulfilling to sit down at the piano and play. The experience of Simply Music has helped me to cope with stress, and even sadness. I have been most fortunate and blessed to have had the experience of Simply Music.
— Sara Larmer Meuse, student
“I’ve never enjoyed playing so much. I want to learn everything you have! Where have you been all my life? To think of all the wasted hours of instruction I sat through and gained nothing, and joyless hours of practice. You can’t get me away from my keyboard now!
— Linda Bing, student
“Jy is so knowledgeable and fun! She brings music to life and is inspiring like no other instructor I’ve ever had!
— Michelle Liddicoat, student
“…unmatched musical ability... total command of music…
— Pat Tobin, parent
“It is such a joy to hear my daughter playing and singing at the top of her lungs!
— Jean Johnson, parent
“Proficient in all ways.... Excellent use of the English language — great presenter, big awake energy!
— Teri Augustine, parent
“You’re such fun to watch when you teach!
— Julia Dvorin, parent
“This is a wonderful music program and the results are astounding! Even if you don’t consider yourself musically inclined, this program is for you. I also think it could be a major breakthrough for children with a variety of cognitive delays and learning difficulties. I love Simply Music’s approach.
— Dr. Anne Margaret Wright (Psy.D.) Educational Consultant
“My boys are eight and ten. They’ve had just twelve lessons with Simply Music and already they know twelve songs. Not just ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’, but real music. The boys are already playing the blues. They think they’re hot stuff.
— Rebecca Neis, parent
“I have a Bachelor of Music degree from CSULB. Having now seen Simply Music, I wish I would have had your program many years ago. I so strongly believe in your approach that I will promote your program every chance I get!
— Kathy Troxel, student
“Jy is exceptional at working with the dynamics of children.
— Elizabeth Abell, parent
“The Simply Music program seems inherently self-motivating. Our son has learned to love the piano and his ability to create music on it has avoided the disenchantment we both experienced with having to spend weeks and months learning boring exercises which at times seemed only distantly related to music. Rather than parents and teachers having to make constant demands to practice, practice, practice, our son now has his own passion to motivate his continued learning.
— Richard & Patricia Brunner, parents
“…patience, her ability to sober up the class and still have their adoration and attention…
— Tony Lester, parent
“Jy is a great piano teacher. She is funny, goofy and even knows how to play piano with her feet! Now, I know 10 songs and I keep learning more.
— Noah Gannon, 6 ½
“[Jy] is gifted with kids and so engaging. Jy is an amazing teacher, very inspiring!
— Sara Whiteford, parent
“[Jy] rocks! She is a gifted teacher — truly an inspiration.
— Mary Barber, parent
“Simply Music is an amazing system for learning to play quickly. I’ve taken 10 lessons and I can play 10 songs, plus arrangements. I’m starting to improvise too. I’m having a blast with this technique, and Jy is a wonderful teacher
— Beth Greer, student
“I’ve always loved music and wished I could play an instrument. Although I took piano lessons as a child and played a few pieces on my own over the years, I felt frustrated and uncomfortable with the piano. When I started the Simply Music training at The Piano Studio, suddenly a whole world opened up for me. The teachers make the process exciting and fun and not the least bit daunting. I’m so encouraged that I want to practice playing piano every spare moment I have. Piano playing has suddenly become something that I can share with my friends and feel a sense of accomplishment with. Now I’m learning to read music, and since I’ve already learned how to play a long list of very satisfying pieces, practicing reading isn’t just a tedious exercise; I know I can already play, and it’s now just a matter of time before my reading catches up with my playing! I’m so thankful that I found this method.
— Madeline Rose, student
“Jy is immensely patient, warm, enthusiastic, passionate, positively reinforcing, creative, funny and flexible with the children. She gives each child very personalized attention and they learn early on to play confidently in front of an audience. Their pure enjoyment of playing piano and making music is evident early on with Jy. We feel so fortunate to have Jy in our lives! And I have taken advantage of lessons as well — I always wanted to learn the piano, but was told that learning to play the piano is very hard in adulthood. From the first lesson, I learned a new song every week with both hands! My family and friends are amazed at the progress I have made. I can sit down at any moment and belt out a few tunes! Thank you Jy! You are such an amazing teacher and Simply Music is such an incredible method!
— Michelle Gannon, parent
“I wish the Simply Music program had been around when I was taking piano lessons! It has been so wonderful for my seven-year-old daughter, who can’t believe she’s playing songs like Fur Elise and Ode to Joy with BOTH hands! The “playing-based” style of learning piano makes it so easy for children to focus on learning the songs, getting the rhythm and correct finger placement. There is so much behind the simple format! And Jy is a wonderful facilitator; the children adore her!
— Amy Bellin, parent
“She’s upbeat and positive, great with kids. A natural teacher and very energetic!
— Molly Baumhoff, parent
“I have tried several times to learn to play the piano beginning at age 7. Most recently I was in a class of five-year-olds (my skill level peers) where we didn’t touch the piano for the first month as we learned to read music. My classmates had more patience than I did with that method. I quit thinking I’d ever learn. But two months ago I enrolled in a class using the Simply Music method taught by Jy Gronner. I learned to play a song that very first day - now I play twelve songs with additional rich, complex arrangements for many of them. Jy taught me not only how to play the piano, she taught me to love to play the piano. Thank you, Jy.
— Susan Langdon, student
“I played piano as a child and quit when I was 14. This Australian method and Jy Gronner have awakened the long dormant pianist in me. I am now finding myself sitting down at the piano and really having fun playing. My kids have to share the piano with me and we compete for playing time.
— Andy Rader, student
“The level of satisfaction I’m getting from Jy Gronner’s advanced Simply Music class is beyond any other music lessons I’ve had in 40 years. After starting and stopping piano lessons many times, I now know why I wanted to learn to play piano so badly… for the pure ecstatic joy of being able to express myself with music instead of just playing songs like a trained monkey with no underlying knowledge of what I’m doing. The Simply Music method reveals (what I thought were) structural mysteries in easy to grasp ways — and the blossoms are starting to show, even after only one year of lessons! Thank you.
— Gary Yost, student
“Dear Mr. Moore,
I have spent my life as a classically trained musician and earned my living at that for 13 years in the San Francisco Opera. I read music very well, have a fairly good ear, though I always worked hard as well.
I have always yearned to be able to just sit down and play without depending always on music in front of me. I have yearned to have a more personal relationship with the piano, but never quite had the ability to do that. I understood the relationship to chords, but thought it would be a very difficult task to learn all the chords, and whatever else that would be required, to do this with some proficiency.
The way you talk about music makes perfect sense to me. I have certainly approached the study of languages in that way, but never generalized it to the piano. I also understand how children function in learning, but again, never made the leap to the “piano”.
I recently began with Simply Music. What a joy. I love your program. The instruction is fun and the progression enlightening. In just the 1st Level “I GOT IT”. It has been exciting for me. What I have learned has made me leap forward with songs I love. Figuring out the chords is not as hard as I thought it would be, and I am enjoying experimenting with different ways to do the accompaniments.
My grandchildren are nearing a good age to begin with Simply Music, and I think it is the PERFECT way for them to approach the study of music. It makes perfect sense.
Thank you for what you are doing. I hope it revolutionizes the way teachers of beginners view their task. After all, it is really about the joy of making and hearing music.... and feeling it through your whole soul.
Thank you for opening this door for me, I have wanted to do this all my life.
— Dottye Dean