Black Cat Music will present a paper at the Music Education Expo 2014 conference at London’s Barbican venue on 7th February. Black Cat Music and partner company MusicPracticeRooms.com are proud to be Platinum Sponsors of Music Education Expo 2014. The conference paper – Four important considerations in planning a music suite – takes place at 2.15pm in Seminar Theatre 2 on Friday 7th February and will be presented by Mark Rasmussen and Martin Loft of Black Cat Music When it comes to planning facilities for music education there are some important differences to consider compared to the needs required for teaching other subjects. Because of the number of music students and the physical nature of music education, music activities require more space, greater flexibility, and more fresh air than other classrooms. Planning the spaces and equipment requirements is critical to a successful outcome. Delegates' tickets for the Music Education Expo are free if you register in advance - just visit just visit this link to register for your free entry.
During February Black Cat Music are offering the Wenger Preface Conductor’s music stand at a 10% discount compared to the usual price. Already affordably priced thanks to elegant design and clever engineering, the Preface Conductor’s stand still benefits from plenty of useful features. This stylish conductor's stand enjoys a large desk, a sleek, non-scratch black surface, and dual posts offering superb stability and strength. Although robust it's also extremely lightweight and easy to use and store. The tilting desk permits easy angle adjustment while integrated storage keeps all the conductor's needs nearby and out-of-sight. In fact, it's been exquisitely fine-tuned to give conductors more stand for less money. Plus each stand comes with a 5-year warranty. For full details of the Preface Conductor’s stand and to take advantage of this special offer visit the Black Cat Music web site.
Portable staging that is easy to transport and store, yet is strong, safe and configurable into any combination is about to set new standards thanks to the soon to be released Wenger StageTek system. StageTek system available from Black Cat Music is a refined smart staging system resulting from extensive research, engineering and technical advancements in materials and manufacturing. These technical advances have resulted in a staging system that is 20 per cent lighter, stronger, easier to handle and faster to set up. Affordably priced, when it comes to stretching investment across multiple needs like seated risers and performance stages, this new system has it all. But there is no compromise on performance, comfortably exceeding required standards on three critical loading capacity measures for uniform load, point load and dynamic load. Plus it is easy to handle, lighter to lift and with nice smooth edges for safety it is really easy to set up too. Anyone can set up StageTek in minutes all without the need for any tools. Configurations including single or multi-level stages, thrust stages, choral risers, runways and many more options become possible in both scale and shape facilitated by a selection of different height, ‘plug-in’ legs. These simple to use, economical but strong plug-in legs secured by hand-turned locking knobs make hundreds of configurations possible to meet a wide variety of needs. When it is time to dismantle, legs can be stored on the underside of the deck and panels quickly loaded on to a storage and transport cart that fits through standard door sizes. Designed to save as much as 50% in storage space compared to other systems, StageTek can be wheeled to a storage place or transported to another venue.
Instrument storage can be a problem. Instruments of every shape and size, some delicate, some cumbersome, all need a dedicated space where they can be stored neatly, safely and securely. Bulky theatre props, costumes and sheet music also take up a lot of storage space. Where do you put it all in a way that keeps it accessible, but also secure and well protected? How do you make sure storage doesn’t impede movement and access? What kind of options do you have? And where in the world do you start? A good starting point is talking to Black Cat Music, a company that has been providing instrument, costume and sheet music storage solutions for years - both custom-built, and from the well-respected and trusted Wenger range. Joining the comprehensive range of established instrument storage products is the new Edge™ Storage System. With budgets under pressure the Edge™ Storage System has been developed as an economical product, but without compromising quality or durability and is supported by Wenger’s ten-year warranty. It is also eco-friendly being constructed from fewer materials, and includes an FSC wood option amongst the choice of styles. This flush-to-wall instrument storage system cuts down on the amount of material used, as does the open back concept between the unit and the wall behind it. These design elements help to make cost savings, while maintaining the long-lasting quality and elegance for which Wenger products are renowned (hence the ten-year warranty). The system can be custom-designed to accommodate the number and size of instruments required by the school; it can also be designed to store costumes, theatre props or sheet music. Doors are available with the option of wood or grille fronts. Either way they are pretty tough. Experience has shown that students have a tendency to hang on locker doors, so doors are load-tested with more than 300 lb (136 kg) of pressure on the outer edge. It is also the case that easy theft is the most likely theft, and to prevent that the patented lock-bar is 12-gauge steel, the strike plate heavy-duty, and locks tamper-resistant.
We explain how knowledge of ergonomic design and good posture is essential for developing chairs that correctly support musicians. Ergonomics – a brief overview. Derived from the Greek ‘ergon’ (work) and ‘nomos’ (laws), ergonomics is the science that examines how humans interact with the systems they use. An understanding of ergonomics can be applied to develop systems and products that are better tuned to the physical and mental needs of the people that use them. Ergonomics can describe physical activities such as posture, materials handling, repetitive movements, workplace layout, safety and health. Processes such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response involving mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction and human reliability are referred to as cognitive ergonomics. While the optimisation of sociotechnical systems such as communication, work design, culture and quality are known as organisational ergonomics. Why ergonomics are relevant to musicians Musicians should be aware that good posture is essential to minimise health problems and that playing wind, string or percussion instruments can lead to repetitive strain injuries. This human interaction can benefit greatly from an understanding of ergonomics and application of the insights revealed applied to the design of equipment and instruments and how they are used. For players of wind instruments holding a good posture, with the instrument properly held, opens up the chest cavity allowing for good breathing. There are differences, sometimes significantly different, between sitting and standing postures. Musicians who have learned to play in one position may find it difficult to play in the other so both postures need to be exercised in order to strengthen the necessary muscles. Repetitive Stress Injuries - tendonitis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back, neck and shoulder pain and calluses - are risks for musicians who play for any length of time, whether professionally or for pleasure. Many musicians are likely to suffer from some level of repetitive stress at sometime since playing and practising music calls for repetitive motion. To counteract it you need to know what causes repetitive stress injuries and ensure that you warm up properly, stretch before and after playing, to take breaks and generally keep fit. Why standard chairs are not suitable for musicians Standard chairs let the musician slouch, allowing the spine to be forced out of its natural supportive position. This lowers the rib cage and constricts the diaphragm, reducing airflow. Wenger Music Posture Chair design redefined what a music chair should be by providing the seated musician with the same strong, natural posture as if they were standing. Nota takes that concept to the next level, providing rear and forward seating positions that allow musicians to sit in the manner that best suits their style and instrument. Both the Premier and Standard models also feature a narrow convex back that provides lumbar support while still allowing freedom and range of movement, and a rounded waterfall front that provides better circulation and comfort for a wider range of body sizes. Nota popularity is growing fast because there’s no other chair like it and it’s built to work and look great for the long run.New ergonomically designed dynamic frame chair supports natural movement of musicians The new Wenger Nota conBRIO chair available from Black Cat Music is built on a dynamic, flexible frame that encourages and supports a musician’s natural movement. The Nota conBRIO chair was developed following years of discussions with educators and musicians who were looking to progress the functionality of existing music posture chairs. Inventors, Wenger explained, “with the variety of postural positions required of musicians, and brain, mind, and body research establishing significant links between movement and learning we knew we had to develop a dynamic chair.” The Nota conBRIO chair, with its cantilever frame, is as much a “teaching tool” as a chair. Built on a dynamic frame that encourages and supports the musician’s natural movement, it promotes the engagement of the musician’s entire body in the musical performance. It also further enhances the chair’s ability to mimic a standing posture - the posture that is the strongest and most supportive - when in a seated position. “There’s never been a music chair that provides such a stable, yet fluid foundation and the means to so co-engage in the musical performance” said a Wenger spokesman. Another smart feature is music directors can mix and match the ConBrio with the traditional Nota chair as the look and footprint of the chairs allow them to work together, even inter-stacking the two models of chairs on the same cart. The current Nota chair has been received positively in the market and is providing great benefits to its users. With its passive ergonomics, it enables the musician to sit in a variety of positions and be supported or encouraged to sit with good alignment. The dual position seat allows them to sit back and have the support of the convex shaped backrest or they can sit forward, perching on the front edge of the chair. Many musicians prefer this position but most chairs aren’t designed for this -- the Nota chair is -- with a forward “flat” position and also with the rounded waterfall front. Whether sitting straight in the chair or angled - as so many musicians do - musicians will be encouraged to sit with good posture. The narrow convex back really makes the Nota chair unique. The narrow back provides support but doesn’t get in the way of the musician playing, even when sitting angled on the chair. The introduction of Nota conBRIO chair now offers the option of dynamic or static ergonomically designed chairs, or a mix of both that can happily be used together.
