Attending Musikmesse - the international music industry’s big event

This week leading lights of the music industry are heading for Frankfurt am Main to attend Musikmesse, which runs from 7 – 10 April.

Present will be Alice Dagger, Managing Director of Black Cat Music who says, “'I'm very much looking forward to visiting Musikmesse and catching up with the latest product innovations from the international music equipment scene.  Black Cat Music & Acoustics prides itself on being innovative and offering the highest quality music equipment to our customers, both in the UK and abroad.”

Using the strap line “It’s my tune” Musikmesse, staged in conjunction with Prolight & Sound claims to offer a completely new concept for music businesses, entertainment and musicians. Musikmesse is described by the organisers as the international trade fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and marketing.

For those who cannot attend the event, we will be reporting next week on some of the highlights at Musikmesse, so watch our newsfeeds. Meanwhile you can view here the exhibition video.

Sound Isolating rooms for Preparatory School

Installation by Black Cat Music is scheduled to commence this month on the construction of two Sound Isolating Music Practice Rooms at Belmont Preparatory School, Dorking.

There are already many opportunities at Belmont Preparatory School for children to perform in dance, drama and music in the Theatre and Music School.The school which caters for pupils from 2 to 13 years can already claim excellent facilities including sports hall and theatre which are additionally available for hire by external groups, subject to availabilty. Located at Feldmore on a 65 acre site, the school is close to Guidford, Dorking, Horsham and London.

The two new wet build Sound Isolating Music Practice Rooms are being constructed in the Lower School Area and when complete will provide excellent acoustic spaces where pupils can learn and practice instruments in ideal conditions. Each room’s high level of sound isolation prevents their music disturbing children working close by in the Music School, or for the occupants of the room being disturbed by noise from outside. It means that completely different music can be played in the two new rooms, each isolated from the other and indeed elsewhere in the school.

The practice rooms are designed to overall achieve an insulation performance of 38dB (rw) thanks in no small part to walls and ceiling constructed of triple-layered Sound-bloc board with a 40mm insulation gap, full floating floors, acoustic doors (38dB rated) and internal absorption panels - up to six in each room.  The Sound Isolating Rooms create an ideal rehearsal space with climate controlled interior environment for the comfort of musicians and singers in which they can practice without their music causing disturbance to other classes in the school. The balanced acoustics within the room also provide a high quality space suitable for recording purposes.

Massive Spring Clean Sale

Today is officially the first day of Spring and Black Cat Music is celebrating with a massive Spring Clean Sale. With Prices slashed by up to 75%, it’s simply Spring Price Madness! And it would be madness not to take advantage of these unrepeatable price bargains.

Selected top selling products from the Black Cat Music catalogue -  Music Stands, Risers, Chairs, Staging and Storage products – are all on offer, right now at give-away prices . Go to the Black Cat Music web site to secure a great deal today. 

Or pick up the phone and discuss your requirements with our ultra-friendly sales team. And great news, the call is free on 0800 072 7799. But whatever you do, don’t delay, stocks are moving fast – and when it’s gone it’s gone!

 

Price discount on Conductor’s Stand

March is a great time to buy Wenger Preface Conductor’s music stands as for this month only they are offered 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.

Noise problems at the village hall

Throughout  England, the village hall along with the church, school, shop and pub is an important hub for rural communities. It is where people meet, play groups are organised, shows and concerts are staged, the scouts gather, dance classes rehearse, wedding receptions are held and a host of other events take place. Often the hall may have been originally constructed for a different use entirely and noise can be a big problem for many of the different groups using the facility.

Users will generally be aware that there is a noise  problem of some form, but may not be sure how to deal with it. Typical noise problems are  echoes, difficulty in hearing speech clearly, problems hearing sound on stage and noise originating within the building itself. This is where Black Cat Acoustics can help interpret the problems, then recommend and install solutions.

It is all in a day’s work for the team at Black Cat Acoustics, but we were delighted to receive an unprompted testimonial from a committee member for a village centre in Cambridge who told us, “We discovered Black Cat Acoustics via an Internet search and found their website extremely informative and easy to navigate. The service was brilliant. They came quickly to give us a free quote, which was completed and sent to us within two days! Fantastic. Really professional and personable people, from the initial telephone call to their offices and meeting their representative. Thank you Black Cat Acoustics!”

Back stage at the Music Teacher Awards

Alice Dagger with Margherita Taylor.

Alice Dagger,(left) Managing Director of Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com said, “It was a great honour to sponsor the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was won by the wonderful Dame Fanny Waterman, who has inspired pianists for generations.” 

Alice continued, "It was also an honour to meet other awards-winners and nominees throughout the world of music education - from ‘Best School Music Department’ to ‘Best Musical Initiative’. It was a truly inspiring evening.  Congratulations to all involved.”

Alice Dagger with Richard Hallam MBE.

James Manwaring and Paul Johnson-Hyde of Windsor Upper Schools, nominees for Best School Music Department.

Alice Dagger with Dame Fanny Waterman, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Merchants' Academy Bristol, winners of Best School Music Department.

There is nothing like a Dame

Alice Dagger with Dame Fanny Waterman, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Black Cat Music sponsored ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 2016 Music Teacher Awards evening was presented to the indefatigable Dame Fanny Waterman. And what a lifetime of inspiring a love of piano music Dame Fanny can claim, which at the age of 95 shows no sign of diminishing. As a music teacher her reputation for developing talented pupils is legendary, she created a popular series of teaching aids and was co-founder of the internationally acclaimed Leeds International Piano Competition.

Alice Dagger, Managing Director of sponsors Black Cat Music, (pictured here with Dame Fanny Waterman), said, “It was a great honour to sponsor the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was won by the wonderful Dame Fanny Waterman, who has inspired pianists for generations.” Alice continued, "It was also an honour to meet other awards-winners and nominees throughout the world of music education - from ‘Best School Music Department’ to ‘Best Musical Initiative’. It was a truly inspiring evening.  Congratulations to all involved.”