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Trio of Music Practice Rooms for Goldsmiths

Black Cat Music has successfully installed three sound-isolating Music Practice Rooms at Goldsmiths College in London.

Manager Teresa Rogers said, “The majority of the work was done in the summer of 2013. It was a busy installation period for Music Practice Rooms and Black Cat Music.”

Teresa explained, “ MusicPracticeRooms.com specialise in the supply and installation of sound-isolating rooms which provide the ideal rehearsal space for musicians and singers and also make excellent recording studios. The modular design allows for a wide range of sizes, suitable for a solo singer, or up to a room large enough to accommodate a choir or a band. Another valuable benefit is that the rooms can be relocated as space requirements and priorities change.” The Sound Isolating Rooms are designed to 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 college. The balanced acoustics within the room provide a high quality space suitable for recording purposes. The modular design allows for a wide range of sizes, from a solo singer to a choir or a band to be accommodated. And as needs and space allocations change the sound isolating rooms can simply be re-located when required.

Goldsmiths can trace its history back to 1891 when The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths set up its Technical and Recreative Institute to provide educational opportunities for the people of New Cross. The University of London acquired the new Institute and re-established it as Goldsmiths College in 1904. Since 1989, Goldsmiths has been a full College of the University with its own distinctive role as an independent university institution, at the same time committed to its membership of one of the world’s great academic federations.

The world-renowned music department at Goldsmiths embraces 21st-century culture. Goldsmith's music degrees bring together academic work with creative practice, letting students merge classical, contemporary, studio-based, ethnographic and popular music studies. Students at Goldsmiths are given the opportunity to perform, compose, study and experiment. The Music Practice Rooms from MusicPracticeRooms.com, installed by Black Cat Music, help to enable students to make music in sound-isolated pods - ideal both for rehearsing and for recording music.



Special Easter prices on Classic 50 music stands

During April, Black Cat Music is offering 10 per cent discount on their best selling Classic 50 music stands. 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.com

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



Black Cat is going to Harrogate

The Black Cat team is looking forward to the ISBA conference in Harrogate this May. The Independent Schools Bursar’s Assocation’s popular annual conference brings together many of the independent education sector's leading experts, offering topical updates for schools plus networking opportunities. Black Cat Music & Acoustics, incorporating MusicPracticeRooms.com, will attend an exhibition of more than 100 professional advisers and companies dedicated to providing high quality services to the education sector.

“Last year, ISBA conference delegates were very interested in our equipment for music departments,” reported Martin Loft, Technical Executive at Black Cat Music & Acoustics. Mr. Loft added, “Our sound-isolating Music Practice Rooms from MusicPracticeRooms.com were especially popular, as they represent a cost-effective solution for managing noise in school music departments.”

Black Cat’s Structured Payments system also caught bursars’ attention in 2013. Marketing Manager, Alice Dagger, commented: “Our leasing options are interesting to bursars as they enable schools to spread payments from 1 to 5 years and make significant savings.”

Speaking about this year’s Harrogate location, Ms. Dagger continued, “We very much look forward to attending the 2014 conference in its pleasant Harrogate setting. We have quite a few customers in North Yorkshire, so we will be able to combine the conference with some customer visits.”

Customers In Action - Brighton College

Black Cat Music are very proud to present another one of our customers, Brighton College.

We will be using our Friday morning blog to showcase our customers in action and promote some of our customers upcoming events and services. If you would like us to be promoting your events or showcasing your work, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Inspirational Music - Percy Faith

This morning, in celebration of Percy Faith's birthday, we are sharing an amazing video featuring one of his performances, enjoy!

If you have something that you find particularly productive, we would love to hear about that.

Inspirational Music - Johann Sebastian Bach

This morning, in celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach's birthday, we are sharing an amazing video featuring one of his performances, enjoy!

If you have something that you find particularly productive, we would love to hear about that.

Inspirational Music - Gino Marinuzzi

This morning, in celebration of Gino Marinuzzi's birthday, we are sharing an amazing video featuring one of his performances, enjoy!

If you have something that you find particularly productive, we would love to hear about that.

Black Cat choir folders selling like hot cakes in the run-up to Easter


Traditionally in the run-up to Easter the Black Cat team sees in an increase in the number of orders for choral and band folders. This year is no exception, and the Black Cat music folders are selling like hot Easter cakes this March. And deservedly so – as the folders look smart and professional and help singers and musicians to organise their sheet music during concert and rehearsal.

The choir folders and band folders from Black Cat Music are elegant, high-quality music folders. Whether for a professional orchestra, chorus, school band or church choir, the Black Cat choral and orchestral folders help to give the music group a sense of identity.

The music folders feature full leatherette covers, so they are hard-wearing and will look handsome for years. They are hand-stitched, so pocket seams won’t readily separate. All of the Black Cat folders have brass-bound corners to enhance durability and protect sheet music. The choir and orchestra folders come in three colours: Concert Black, Royal Blue or Cardinal Red. A choice of styles and sizes is available for orchestral or choral use. Strings or expanding pockets for choral music; pencil pockets and windows for bands and orchestras.

The Mastersinger folder has a metal-reinforced spine, hand-strap and inner cross-strap to prevent sheet music from falling out – especially useful for chapel choirs.

Black Cat Music offers a gold-blocking service on all of its choral and orchestral folders, so the customer can add a logo or school crest to the front of the folder. Gold-blocked lettering is also possible, and many customers choose to gold-block the instrument name or number in the corner of the music folder.

To order your folders for your Easter concert, just call the Black Cat team on Freephone 0800 072 77990800 072 7799 and they’ll be able to help you.

Christine Crowshaw and Vivienne Price receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Music Expo

Christine Crowshaw and Vivienne Price were the joint winners of the Music Teacher Lifetime Achievement Awards, sponsored by Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com .

The winners of the 2014 Music Teacher Awards for Excellence were announced at a prestigious ceremony attended by 190 guests from across the music education industry, on the evening of 7 February 2014 . The ceremony took place in the Barbican’s Garden Room & Conservatory.

Described by her students as a ‘magical musician who is always ready with the right words’. An outstanding performer and master practitioner of neurolinguistic programming, Christine Croshaw is known for her total commitment to helping others build the technical tools and mental strength to flourish as musicians.

Vivienne Price’s legacy is plain to see and hear – in its 35-year history, the National Children’s Orchestra has been a beacon of aspiration, benefitting thousands of children, including.many of today’s top performers. Her tireless tutelage continues to pay dividends in concert halls across the country and abroad, and her achievement in founding the organisation and ensuring it’s continued growth cannot be underestimated.

The Music Teacher Awards for Excellence were created by Rhinegold Publishing and supported by Music Teacher and Classical Music magazines to celebrate excellence in the UK’s music education sector and to recognise the projects, organisations and products that are contributing the most to the development of music education in the UK. The Lifetime Award was for the individual who has made a seminal contribution to music education. The winners were selected from a pre-announced shortlist by an experienced panel of music educators, chaired by Thomas Lydon, editor of Music Teacher magazine.

Group Marketing manager for the sponsoring companies, Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com, said.” We are delighted to once again be supporting the Lifetime Achievement Award and give our congratulations to Christine and Vivienne for the effort, enthusiasm and expertise they have brought to music education.”

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