Free and Open to the Public — All Ages Welcome — Tell Everyone You Know!

Sing along to your favorite songs — pop, rock, standards, show tunes, TV themes and more — with a live musician!

A musician/songwriter with credits in NYC and on national TV and honors from national songwriting competitions, Mark S. Meritt brings his vast repertoire of songs in styles from Ragtime to Rock and everything in between, along with his improvisational skills. With you or even the whole audience singing along, all the songs will come to life — like a piano bar without the bar, or karaoke but with a real, live musician taking your requests.

There are few better ways for a lot of people to have a whole lot of fun together. And with a potluck going on at the same time, you can enjoy dinner and a show!

Everyone is welcome to attend this special, free event. Just bring a dish to share for the potluck, and come enjoy — and hopefully participate in! — the singing. Even bring your own favorite sheet music if you like — Mark will do his best with it!

Saturday, March 20, 2010
5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Bertelsmann Campus Center, Bard College

Bard College Campus Map: http://www.bard.edu/campus/maps/pdfs/campusmap.pdf
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=42.019713,-73.909793&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=15&sll=42.017836,-73.908277&sspn=0.023689,0.031543&g=42.020127,-73.909922&ie=UTF8&z=15
Bertelsmann Campus Center Contact Information: http://www.bard.edu/campus/facilities/bcc/contact/

We’d love to know if you’re coming. Let us know by email, or call 845.481.0479 — though no reservations are required.

Mark’s 40th birthday is three days before this event, and this is how he feels like celebrating, because singalongs and potlucks are his idea of a good time. He hopes you’ll agree.

Pass this onto anyone who you think might enjoy attending.

Learn more about Mark, his Piano/Keyboard Performance offerings, and all the unique music, arts and creativity services he offers through Potluck Creative Arts.

Come to a HeartScrabble Shindig! — musical fun for everyone, all ages welcome!

Part of HeartScrabble — Celebratining community and helping raise funds for Hardscrabble Day 2010, Food Pantry, and Red Cross/Haiti. Cash bar and free pizza!

Join us for a number of entertaining, interactive group musical activities, including sing-alongs, dances and even playing instruments, all to some great love songs — something for everyone!

Presented by Kindermusik with Miss Beth and Potluck Creative Arts / Accredited Simply Music Piano Teacher Mark S. Meritt.

Saturday, February 27, 2010
5:00 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Cappucino By Coppola’s
4604 Route 9G, Red Hook, NY
Directions

$10/person or $20/family gets you in for all HeartScrabble events from 5:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

Pass this onto anyone who you think might enjoy participating!

Sing — Dance — Play — We look forward to Shindigging with you.

Learn more about Shindig! All-Ages Music Events: http://potluckcreativearts.com/shindig/

(For my students/parents, this past week’s lesson was all about my recent conference experience. I’ve been sending the below message out by email to a number of other people, and it seemed worth sharing more broadly, so that’s all I’m doing here in the newsletter this month!)

Earlier this week, I returned from the annual Simply Music teachers’ conference in San Jose, California. It was my first such experience, and in so many ways it made me realize that the Simply Music piano method is even more remarkable than I’d already known it to be. From the ways it teaches different aspects of music to how it fosters the very learning process itself, it is just extraordinary how well is cultivates music — and personal growth — for people.

Indeed, one of the highlights of the conference was a recital put on by the two very experienced teachers who planned the conference. The founder of Simply Music said afterward that it was like nothing he’d ever seen. The morning afterward, we all learned that more than half of the students performing there had special needs. Autism. Asperger syndrome. Developmental delays. One student had just two fingers on her right hand, and another was blind and mostly deaf. Except for the blind and deaf girl who’d had to be led to the piano, we would not have known anything about the rest, other than that these were students with command over their pieces — including many very sophisticated pieces – and comfort performing in front of a very large audience. It solidified for me that if this is what’s possible for them, then truly so much is possible for everyone using this method. And by offering it as I do online in addition to in person, it’s possible for even more people than ever before.

I teach a truly remarkable piano learning method, and I’m proud to do it. It not only brings music to anyone who wants it — it changes lives. I just wanted to share that with you.

Leave a comment below!

Potluck Creative Arts proudly announces the offering of Simply Music Beginner Piano Workshops through several area Continuing Education programs in Winter/Spring 2010 — a unique opportunity to experience the beginner piano workshop at a dramatically reduced cost!

No experience or instrument necessary! Simply Music is a revolutionary, Australian-developed piano learning method that offers a breakthrough in music education. This remarkable approach has students of all ages playing great-sounding contemporary, classical, gospel, blues and accompaniment pieces — immediately — from their very first lessons. Led by New York’s only Accredited Simply Music Teacher, you’ll learn how to play pieces in each of these styles, as well as variations and improvisation!

Choose from these offerings:

Rhinebeck Continuing Education
Day/Time: Mondays 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Dates: 1/25/2010-3/22/2010 (8 lessons — no class 2/15/2010)
Learn more and register through Rhinebeck Central School District’s Continuing Education Program.

Red Hook Continuing Education
Day/Time: Thursdays 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Dates: 4/8/2010-6/3/2010 (8 lessons — no class 5/20/2010)
Learn more and register through Continuing Education at the Red Hook Central School District.

SUNY Ulster Continuing & Professional Education
Day/Time: Fridays 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Dates: 4/9/2010-5/28/2010 (8 lessons)
Learn more and register through Continuing & Professional Education at SUNY Ulster — also, attend the program’s Open House, January 14, 2010, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., to meet me and learn more.

Learn more about Simply Music piano lessons and beginner piano workshops.

Joy. Accomplishment. Self-expression. Confidence. Relaxation. Learning. Connection.

Make these New Year’s resolutions — and make them happen by taking Simply Music piano lessons with me!

These and so many other amazing benefits of learning to play the piano add up to make it, quite simply, one of the best things you can ever do for yourself.

And to help make it easy for you to begin lessons with the New Year, I’d like to offer you a special discount that I normally give only to people attending an hour-long introductory session:

Submit your enrollment materials by January 3 with a two-month commitment and you’ll receive two free lessons.

After seven years teaching traditional methods, I couldn’t be happier that I switched to Simply Music over a year ago. Indeed, my students, their families and I have been so thrilled with the results, I only wish I’d learned about Simply Music years earlier. When you start experiencing what is possible through these lessons, you’ll also be glad that you decided to act now to get started sooner.

Visit http://potluckcreativearts.com/lessons/enroll/ where you’ll see complete instructions on how to enroll. I would let you know the total amount of your first payment based on your unique situation. If you have questions, feel free to be in touch.

I look forward to being your piano teacher!

Happy Holidays

Come to a Holiday Shindig! — musical fun for everyone, all ages welcome!

Join us for a number of entertaining, interactive group musical activities, including sing-alongs, dances and even playing instruments, all to lots of great songs of the season — something for everyone!

Presented by Kindermusik with Miss Beth and Potluck Creative Arts / Accredited Simply Music Piano Teacher Mark S. Meritt.

Free and Open to the Public

Saturday, December 12, 2009
2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Bertelsmann Campus Center, Bard College

Bard College Campus Map: http://www.bard.edu/campus/maps/pdfs/campusmap.pdf
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=42.019713,-73.909793&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=15&sll=42.017836,-73.908277&sspn=0.023689,0.031543&g=42.020127,-73.909922&ie=UTF8&z=15
Bertelsmann Campus Center Contact Information: http://www.bard.edu/campus/facilities/bcc/contact/

Pass this onto anyone who you think might enjoy participating!

Sing — Dance — Play — We look forward to Shindigging with you.

Learn more about Shindig! All-Ages Music Events: http://potluckcreativearts.com/shindig/

Potluck Creative Arts is proud to announce the offering of Simply Music piano lessons live online via videoconference.

After teaching piano lessons for seven years, nearly a year ago Accredited Simply Music Teacher Mark S. Meritt began teaching the revolutionary Simply Music method. Shortly afterward, he began teaching Simply Music through live videoconference to a small number of students. Now he is opening that offering to anyone, from locations around the world, who is unable to take Simply Music lessons in person.

Simply Music is a revolutionary, Australian-developed piano learning method that offers a breakthrough in music education. This remarkable approach has students of all ages playing great-sounding contemporary, classical, gospel, blues and accompaniment pieces — immediately — from their very first lessons.

Learn more about taking lessons online with Mark, with additional details available in the Videoconference Piano Lessons FAQ.

Last week, on Thursday, September 3, we held our first Piano Potluck, and it was happy success.

What the heck is a piano potluck!? The potluck part is easy. Everyone brought a dish, and we enjoyed some tasty food together. For the piano part, I had a keyboard set up, and throughout the potluck a number of my piano students performed favorite songs they’ve been learning in lessons. The students only played if they wanted to and what they wanted to.

So it was like a recital, but very informal, and with tasty food

Most of my students were there, and all of them who were there played — some played quite a lot! We even had guest performances from a few students’ parents and friends.

Thanks to all who attended and all who performed for contributing to a fun evening. To those who couldn’t attend, there will be other piano potlucks in the future, and we hope to see you there!

Potluck Creative Arts proudly announces the offering of a Simply Music Beginner Piano Workshop as part of Red Hook Continuing Education’s offerings for Fall 2009.

No experience or instrument necessary! Simply Music is a revolutionary, Australian-developed piano learning method that offers a breakthrough in music education. This remarkable approach has students of all ages playing great-sounding contemporary, classical, gospel, blues and accompaniment pieces — immediately — from their very first lessons. Led by New York’s only Accredited Simply Music Teacher, you’ll learn how to play pieces in each of these styles, as well as variations and improvisation!

This is a unique opportunity to experience the beginner piano workshop at a dramatically reduced cost!

Simply Music Beginner Piano Workshop through Red Hook Continuing Education
Day/Time: Thursdays 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Dates: 10/1/2009-11/19/2009 (8 lessons)
Location: Red Hook High School Music Room
Tuition: $80.00, to be paid directly to Red Hook Continuing Education
Materials: Excellent materials available for optional at-home practice. Cost: $12.00. Contact to pre-order directly through Potluck Creative Arts.

To enroll:

• Register through Continuing Education at the Red Hook Central School District.

Learn more about Simply Music piano lessons and beginner piano workshops.

After going through his initial training and becoming a Licensed Simply Music Teacher in October 2008, today Mark’s status has been adjusted to Accredited Simply Music Teacher.

Simply Music is a revolutionary, Australian-developed piano learning method that offers a breakthrough in music education. This remarkable approach has students of all ages playing great-sounding contemporary, classical, gospel, blues and accompaniment pieces — immediately — from their very first lessons.

Learn more about Simply Music piano lessons and workshops with Mark.