Celebrating St Cecilia - music’s patron saint

November 22^nd is St Cecilia’s Day. The patron saint of music is said to be one of the most famous of Roman martyrs whose feast has been celebrated since about the fourth century. Legend has it that St Cecilia was a noble lady of Rome who suffered martyrdom around the year 230.

Various music has been inspired by St Cecilia down the centuries from Gregorian chants to popular songs of today. So this Sunday, why not raise a salute to music’s patron saint and sing along to this ..

Music Teacher Awards for Excellence Finalists announced

Classic FM’s Margherita Taylor

Finalists for the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence have just been announced where once again Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com are sponsoring the Lifetime Achievement Award category. 

Following a record number of nominations, the 59 finalists for the 2016 Music Teacher Awards for Excellence have been listed. The winners of the 11 award categories will be announced on 25 February 2016 – along with the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Music Teacher Magazine Editor’s Award – in a gala ceremony at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Kensington. The evening will feature music from the Locke Brass Consort, under the direction of Leslie Lake and a Yamaha music scholar, and will be hosted by Classic FM’s Margherita Taylor.

Alice Dagger, Managing Director of Black Cat Music said, “We are pleased to be again sponsoring the Lifetime Achievement Award at this important annual event.”

Alex Stevens, editor of Music Teacher magazine, says: “We are delighted to announce a very strong selection of shortlists for this year’s awards. It is inspiring to see how much hard work goes into music education in the UK, and we are excited to be able to recognise some of the teachers, schools and initiatives achieving excellence – often in challenging circumstances.” 

Black Cat Music team enjoy ABRSM Conference

Back from the recent ABRSM conference in London, Alice Dagger, Managing Director of Black Cat Music said, “The ABRSM conference was extremely well organised and offered us the chance to speak to music teachers and examiners alike - many were already familiar with Black Cat's products and services. Others who were not familiar with our acoustic services were very interested to learn about products such as our sound-isolating practice rooms.” 

Brigitte Downs, Sales Executive at Black Cat Music added, 'We enjoyed the ABRSM conference and it was a great opportunity to meet and chat to many of our customers”.

The 2015 ABRSM conference concerned the broad range of skills that support musical performance.  The organisers described the event as offering “a wide range of practical and thought-provoking sessions for class, group and one-to-one lessons. Presenters introduced inspiring resources and gave interactive demonstrations to show how to use them effectively within your teaching.”

ABRSM is the UK’s largest music education body, one of its largest music publishers and the world’s leading provider of music exams, offering assessments to more than 630,000 candidates in 93 countries every year. ABRSM’s mission is to inspire achievement in music. In partnership with the Royal Schools of Music, it supports high-quality music-making and learning around the world offering pathways and resources for learners and teachers that help build musical skills, provide goals and encourage progress.

Wenger choral risers benefit from 15 years warranty

Tourmaster and Signature Choral Risers distributed by Black Cat Music are now backed by an impressive 15-year warranty on all new products sold.

This extended warranty demonstrates Wenger’s confidence in their choral risers that are already widely used and recommended by choirs everywhere. Signature risers with classic black styling benefit from safe, simple set up, lightweight handling, easy mobility and an integrated back rail with safety crossbar. They are strong and quiet in performance. Available in 3 – step or 4 – step models, configurations can be changed quickly and securely, or optional side rails added without the need for tools.  The patented fold-down design allows easy one person set up.

No other risers fold, roll, set up or travel as smoothly as Tourmaster Choral Risers. Easy to take up stairs, navigate round tight corners or load into vehicles for transport, the Tourmaster is a world leader. Precision engineering and use of top quality materials are reasons why these products now come with a 15-year warranty.

Tourmaster Choral Risers enjoy 10 per cent discount this month

Black Cat Music is currently promoting Wenger Tourmaster Choral Risers, which are subject to a 10 per cent discount for orders placed in November.

TourmasterChoral Risers bring a professional look to performances and are ideal for choirs on tour as they are designed to fold away, roll into place and set up smoothly and easily. Tourmaster is easy to take up stairs, around tight corners, across the parking lot and load into a bus or van. Thanks to precision engineering and use of high quality materials Tourmaster risers will deliver reliable operation for a long, long time.

Tourmaster Choral Risers distributed by Black Cat Music are now backed by an impressive 15-year warranty on all new products sold. This exceptional  warranty demonstrates Wenger’s confidence in their choral risers that are already widely used and recommended by choirs everywhere. Tourmaster is a world leader.