The Lazy Organizer

This give away is now closed.  The winners are Lindy from Obsessed Insanity and Karen from The Tale of Our Quest.  Congratulations Lindy and Karen!

Another fabulous give away! Aren’t you so excited? I am thrilled to promote my friends who are using their super human gifts to educate and save the world.

This time I want to introduce our very own piano teacher Jerald Simon. He calls himself a music mentor and is very inspiring.  He teaches my kids how to improvise and write their own songs.  He plays 11 different instruments and he is amazingly fun and talented.  He not only permitted Muscles’ stunt at our very first recital but he encouraged it and played an intro for him while he rode in on his unicycle.

Blue Wig, White Lights, Little Song, Big Bike – The story of the stunt.

We are so lucky that a friend of mine introduced us to Jerald.  Her son started taking from him 3 years ago when he was practicing 30 minutes a week.  Now he is playing 3 hours a day!  My kids are the same way.  They will play a couple hours a day if they get the chance and when we were out of town last week they were in a panic to be without their piano for three days.  They wanted me to call the hotel to see if they had one they could use. Goofs.

Jerald is a wonderful teacher but he also writes his own music books and he has just finished his seventh and latest book, Jazzed About Christmas.  My kids are playing from it every day and loving it. It’s so nice to hear them practice these updated versions of familiar Christmas songs instead of the tired old boring ones.  This book would make a great (useful!) Christmas gift for family and friends.  That reminds me.  I need to get started on my Stop Buying Stuff tirade for the holidays this year. Music is actually a good thing to buy though so you have my permission to buy a book for every young (and old) piano player on your list. You’re welcome.

I am really mad because I wanted to get photos and maybe a video of Jerald teaching my kids to show you how talented he is but I have been sick and wasn’t able to be there for their lessons. I’ll have to post them for you another time.

Jazzed About Christmas Arrangements – Listen to the songs here.

(1). “Jingle Bells”, (2) “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”, (3) “Up On the House Top”, (4) “Deck the Halls”, (5) “Joy to the World”, (6) “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, (7) “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, (8) “O Christmas Tree”, (9) “Angels We Have Heard On High”, (10) “Silent Night”, (11) “The First Noel”, (12) “Good King Wenceslas”, (13) “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella”, (14) “I Saw Three Ships”, (15) “Still, Still, Still”, (16) “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, (17) “The Holly and the Ivy”, and (18) “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”.

Jerald has generously offered to give away two copies of Jazzed About Christmas to my readers.  Just leave a comment here and I will pick two random winners some time after Thanksgiving.

Jerald Simon on You Tube

P.S.  Thank you for putting up with us Jerald!

November 24th, 2009 Lara Gallagher Posted in Books, Giveaways | 33 Comments »

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