Today at Music Education Expo

Today at the Barbican

Platinum sponsors - Black Cat Music & MusicPracticeRooms.com

New! Acousticabins Express sound isolation cabins

Establish favourites - gold block customised music folders

Busy exhibition hall today.

The Sound of Silence

Today at Music Education Expo - the Barbican, London

See the video

Mark Rasmussen gives a seminar - Acoustics for Dummies

10 Minute challenge! Can the team put up a sound isolating cabin in under 10 minutes?

See the video

The flat pack awaiting assembly

The Acousticabin Express takes shape

7 minutes 29 seconds and the door goes on

The final stages ... the clock is counting down!

All ready for the sound check!

LED music stand light no wires, no fuss - it just clips on

A great offer from Black Cat Music throughout March is a 10 per cent discount on LED music stand lights. 

Black Cat Music’s popular dual-headed, bright white LED light simply clips on to any music stand to provide even illumination of sheet music. The standard version is battery powered, so no trailing wires to trip over in the orchestra pit. The adjustable twin goose-neck lighting heads pack the illuminating power of 4 bright white LEDs that thanks to economic operation give extra long battery life. Supplied complete with 3 x AAA batteries the stand light is ready to use straight out of the box. But if you want to plug in, there is an alternative option of using the included USB power cable supplied in the pack. Ideal for rehearsal or performance these LED music stand lights are bright, light and versatile and very affordably priced. 

Music Folders Offer Closing Soon

If you were thinking of buying a set of music folders for your musicians or choir, then February is the time to take action. Black Cat Music are offering up to 30% off selected folders and 10 per cent discount on all the rest. But hurry - offers like this can’t last forever. You have until the end of February!

Imagine the visual impact created by a set of smart new matching music folders to give a great identity to your orchestra, chorus, band or choir. The hard-wearing leatherette covers enhanced by hand stitching and brass-bound corners are sure of a long life protecting your music and keeping it together. Choose your style and size, whether for orchestra or choir, some with options such as expanding pockets or retaining strings, pencil pockets and windows.

And there is a choice of colour – Concert Black, Royal Blue or Cardinal Red. Check out the February deal now!

Moscow musical theatre opts for Diva Acoustical Shell system

Nazarov Musical Theatre

Black Cat Music recently installed a Diva Acoustical Shell system in Moscow’s Nazarov Musical Theatre.

In a competitive tender, Black Cat Music’s Berlin based team won the contract in the face of tough international competition. Originally built for the Moscow Olympic Games of 1980, the Nazarov Musical Theatre has recently under gone a major refurbishment. The revival in fortunes for the theatre, located within the Olympic Games legacy site, began when it became part of the legendary Moscow State Philharmony in 2014. A requirement of the building overhaul was an upgrade for the auditorium acoustics, with an acoustic shell being specified by Moscow State Philharmony. 

With the contract awarded, the Berlin based project team of Paula Ulrich and Tim Ehrlich worked to increasingly tight time scales while also accommodating client changes to the final dimensions of the Diva shell. Thanks to support from Wenger Corporation in facing these challenges the Diva Acoustical Shells were delivered to site right on time and ready for the installation to go ahead on schedule. Wenger flew in Jim Smith and Larry Werner from America to ensure the installation went smoothly.

Diva is a system of tower and ceiling panels designed to enhance the aesthetics and acoustics of a theatre dramatically. Rigid honeycomb composite construction provides a strong acoustically reflective surface that projects a maximum range of audible frequencies. Each tower consists of Three sections – a centre panel and two adjustable wing panels. Diva ceiling panels are suspended from the facility’s rigging system and balanced for ease of adjustment.

And a final word from the musicians rehearsing ahead of the official opening night – “the acoustics are fantastic!”

Discover more about Diva.

10 Minute Challenge at Education Expo seminar

Black Cat Acoustics will be demonstrating their new AcoustiCabins Express Sound Isolation booth at Music Education Expo 2015.

In a “10 minute Challenge” a two-man team will build the new sound cabin from ‘flat-pack’ components during the Black Cat Music acoustics seminar as the clock counts down from ten minutes to zero. Demonstrating how quick and easy assembly of an AcoustiCabins Express Sound Isolation Cabin can be, the new cabin is just one tool in Black Cat’s seminar to de-mystify some of the technical jargon and present practical solutions for dealing with unwanted noise problems in schools.

Scheduled to start at 10.15 am in Seminar Theatre 2 on March 13^th 2015, acoustic specialists from sponsors Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com will talk through common noise problems experienced in schools and how they can be remedied.

And if the prospect of this important learning experience and 10 minute challenge is not enough, Black Cat Music is providing free coffee and pastries!

Music Education Expo is the UK’s largest conference and exhibition for music teachers. Hosted in four conference theatres, the 2015 conference programme will feature more than 50 high-quality professional development sessions designed for primary, secondary and instrumental/vocal music teachers. The event takes place at The Barbican, London on 12^th an 13^th March 2015. 

Great New Year offer on Classic 50 music stands

During January, Black Cat Music is offering 10% discount on their best selling Classic 50 music stands in a special ‘New Year promotion. Quantity discount breaks allow purchase prices as low as £37.12 when purchased in quantities of 50 or more. Schools and colleges looking to equip with new music stands designed for robust and regular handling can take advantage of this great offer throughout the month.

Already a top seller, the popular Classic 50 Music Stand is tough enough to handle the hardships of regular classroom use thanks to a formula of advanced polymers offering inherent tensile strength that will not bend or dent like metal stands.  Its elegant design makes it quiet and rattle-free during performances. And the scratch resistant desk surface also incorporates a unique recess for keeping pencils in place. The patented one-hand height adjustment of the music desk is simplicity itself, requiring no screw or locking collar adjustments. To learn more watch the Classic 50 put through its paces at YouTube.

Full details of the January offer can be found on the Black Cat Music web site.