South East based cover band ‘Back In Time’ opted to use a Music Practice Room at Black Cat Music’s Tonbridge HQ as a drum booth when recording their latest album. 'Back in Time' band member Martyn Wright also heads up the company’s IT department and was aware of the acoustic characteristics of the Music Practice Rooms making them suitable for recording purposes. In addition to Martyn who plays guitar and keyboard, other band members of ‘Back in Time’ are Mark on guitar, Dave on bass and Ray on Drums. All four musicians are also accomplished singers. The band has been performing on the club circuit in the south east of England since 2007, receiving constant favourable reviews and repeat club bookings due to their popularity with audiences. They have their own style of music, covering the more traditional material from legends such as The Beatles, The Kinks, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones, but also include numbers by ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Queen, Bryan Adams – to name but a few. They are enjoyed equally by both listening and dancing audiences. The balanced acoustics within the sound isolating room creates a quality space suitable for recording purposes. The modular design allows for a wide range of sizes to be constructed, from accommodating a solo singer to a choir or a band. And as needs and space allocations change, the sound isolating rooms can simply be re-located when required.
Here is a great opportunity to own a sound-isolating Music Practice Room. Previously a central feature of our exhibition stand at Music Education Expo 2014 this room is now available at a dramatically discounted price of £10,995 + VAT. Even better value, this one time only offer price, includes installation too.
Measuring a generous 2,610 x 2,045mm this model includes two ventilation panels and window door for security. Some Terms & Conditions apply.
Black Cat Music has recently installed a music practice room at Trent College for use as a dedicated percussion room in their existing music school. This new facility now allows the percussion teacher to hold lessons without disturbing other music lessons taking place in the rest of the music building.
Director of Music, Steven Henderson said, “Music at Trent College is growing and changing quickly. Arriving as Director of Music this year, I have brought a new approach to Ensembles and to the organisation of the Music School. Our percussion department have ambition but were held back by how much their ensemble rehearsals affected everyone else. Our new dedicated percussion room from Black Cat Music was assembled quickly and fitted within our existing building, so the percussionists were soon able to start more demanding work in a space all of their own. The previous problems of rehearsal space and sound disruption were improved straight away.”
Trent College is delighted with the sound isolating qualities of the new room, a view shared by many others who have invested in music practice rooms. At 6m x 4.8m the new structure is the largest single sound isolation room Black Cat Music has installed so far in what has become a rapidly expanding estate that already spans the length and breadth of the country. In the North West, Lancaster and Morecambe College discovered that by installing three music practice rooms, the college was able to make much more effective use of the space available to the music department. Head of Music Pete French explained, “The music practice rooms are being used every day. We are very happy having them.” Meanwhile, on the South coast, Youth Development Worker James Brill was delighted with the two music practice rooms that were installed at Hollington Youth Centre, Hastings, East Sussex. “We offer young people the chance to engage in music. My main concern was noise pollution and complaints from the neighbours and community.” James added, “Now we have absolutely no problems with the sound. The sound-proofing is absolutely second to none – fantastic.”
Black Cat Music’s sound-isolating music practice rooms offer a solution that controls noise at source, providing an ideal rehearsal space for musicians and singers. The modular design allows for a wide range of sizes to accommodate musicians from a solo singer to a choir or a band. The rooms can be relocated, if and when major changes in use and allocation of space are planned. For comfort and to create a pleasant environment, the rooms are supplied fitted with integral lighting and fan-assisted ventilation. Thanks to balanced internal acoustics they also make excellent recording studios with high sound quality. Teachers and students can now practise within controlled conditions whilst minimising the impact upon those going about their day-to-day activities.
Lancaster and Morecambe College discovered that by installing three Music Practice Rooms, the college not only made more effective use of available space, but was able to reach out to support musicians in the local community.
Head of Music at Lancaster and Morecambe College, Pete French explained that “this is only the third year we have been running this course and we required proper facilities. There was a need for music practice rooms because we had facilities that were a little bit outdated and we wanted something new to accommodate the new course that we are building on.” Describing the new suite of music practice rooms supplied and installed by Black Cat Music he said, “the facility used to be a lecture theatre, it was just one space we could use, fortunately now we've got three spaces. The music practice rooms are being used every day with all three year groups time tabled in, so they are getting maximum use. We also have some work with an outside community organisation called ‘More Music in Morecambe’ who are now hiring them out on a Tuesday night, so we are getting use in the evenings as well, not just in the daytimes.” The opportunity for other local musicians to hire the facilities is also important for the college within the community.
The rooms, from MusicPracticeRooms.com , use a prefabricated panel design that is affordable, easy to install and allows rooms to be custom configured to suit available space. “We are very happy having them here,” continued Pete French. “After the college had planned how we were going to use the existing space they built in the floor plinth in what was the old lecture theatre and got the maximum use of space available. Black Cat Music then came up and erected the music practice rooms in a pretty short period of time, last summer. The service we got from Black Cat was absolutely spot on,” said Pete. “The music practice rooms have changed the whole nature of the course, because they are so sound-proofed. Before we had a big echoing lecture theatre, now we have three contained spaces. The students love them and yes, they work very effectively.”
“We found out about MusicPracticeRoms.com on the Internet. We got prices from several other possibilities, some of which were a lot more than Black Cat Music, which came out the best in terms of overall cost.” Information and technical specifications for Music Practice Rooms can be found at MusicPracticeRooms.com or by contacting MPR on 0844 846 9740 for a free consultation.
Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com are looking forward with anticipation to the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition 2012 which takes place this Sunday 11th March at The Stag Community Theatre in Sevenoaks. The event starts at 10.30 am, concluding with Presentations at about 5.45 pm.
Marketing Manager, Alice Dagger said, “ We are delighted to have the opportunity to be involved with the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition and wish all the participants the very best of luck for what we a sure will be a wonderful musical occasion for both performers and audience.”
Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year is a competition open to instrumentalists aged 21 years and under and with a minimum Grade 8. The final heats of the competition take place on Sunday when the Sevenoaks District Arts Council presents the winner with a Silver Memorial Medal in memory of June Clements who founded the competition in 1995.
Tonbridge based Black Cat Music supplies a comprehensive range of equipment for music, performance, practice and theatre including music stands, orchestral chairs, staging, choral risers, conductor’s equipment and music folders. In addition there is a range of theatre products embracing staging, tiered audience seating, make-up stations, costume racks and instrument storage cabinets. MusicPracticeRooms.com supplies sound-isolating, modular Music Practice Rooms for schools, recording studios and for home use. MusicPracticeRooms.com is proud to offer superb acoustic performance at an affordable price, enabling musicians to rehearse and perform in controlled acoustic environments.
Black Cat Music exhibited a comprehensive range of equipment for music, performance, practice and theatre at the FMS Conference 2011 in Manchester on the 17th and 18th June. Marketing manager, Alice Dagger (pictured) said, "It was good to meet face-to-face some of the customers we speak to regularly on the phone, and we received some excellent feedback on our products. Our Classic 50 Music Stand in particular remains very popular with Music Schools and Services, which was music to our ears".
"The interest in our new products especially our Music Practice Rooms was very welcome, and it was great to see all the FMS delegates again." said manager Teresa Rogers commenting on the event. Music Practice Rooms allow music teachers and students to rehearse within a controlled environment that minimises the acoustic impact upon other classes. The flexibility of the modular design permits Music Practice Rooms to be configured to fit available spaces.
Performance equipment including examples of music stands, orchestral chairs, staging, choral risers, conductor’s equipment and music folders were on show. In addition Black Cat Music offer a range of theatre products embracing tiered audience seating, pit filler staging, make-up stations, costume racks and stage boxes. Black Cat Music is the Master Distributor in the UK and Ireland for Wenger Corporation a company widely recognised as world leaders in fully guaranteed staging and music performance equipment.
Staff, experienced at advising and supplying equipment for the diverse needs of performers, technicians, architects, events companies and teachers were available on the stand to demonstrate products and provide advice. Whether looking for musical performance equipment, event staging, audience and performance seating, theatre equipment or acoustic solutions, Black Cat Music can provide high-quality equipment, which is as durable as it is elegant and easy to use.
