Concert

Affordable 5.0 Marimba Options for Student or School Use

With ever changing skill level and demand in marimba repertoire being expanded to the lower registers of a 5-Octave marimba more frequently, there is a growing need for affordable 5-Octave marimbas that can meet both student and school use needs. While there are many companies currently making 5-Octave marimbas, we think a few standout in both affordability and value. This weeks blog will cover a few different models that may be right for you and your students, while giving you our recommendations for the options that are the best bang for you buck. Musser MSPM550 5-Octave Marimba The Musser MSPM550 is a padauk bar 5-octave marimba that is a newer offering in the 5-octave options available on the market today. The bar sizes are slightly smaller than some of the other offerings in the market, but as a student model for someone needing an at home practice instrument that they can also perform on, this is a great choice. The frame is height adjustable, although the it is not as easy to adjust as other models on the market. This model is an excellent option if budget is your number one concern. Price – $6394.95 Bar Type – Padauk Resonators –

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Oct 24, 2024 No Comments

Which One Is Right for Me? Grover Pro Percussion Chime Mallets

With every instrument in the percussion world, you always have multiple choices of which implement to use to get the sounds you are looking for in your performing ensembles. Today, we look a the two Grover Percussion mallets designed specifically for the chimes. The two mallet options offer a good balance and can work well in many musical settings. Let’s take a look below at the similarities and differences between the two models. Grover Pro Percussion PM-3 The PM-3 model is the smaller of the two chime mallets offered by Grover Pro Percussion. Made with high-density PVC, the mallet head features dual surfaces to meet the demands called for in the musical repertoire of todays percussion world. One side has a hard surface for more aggressive playing while the other side features a softer rubber surface for more subtle playing with less articulation. This model (PM-3) has a weight of 130 grams and features a 1.5″ head size, which is the smaller of the two mallet options. Grover Pro Percussion PM-4 The PM-4 model is the larger of the two chime mallets offered by Grover Pro Percussion. Made with the same high-density PVC as the PM-3, this mallet head also

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Oct 1, 2024 No Comments

What to Choose? An In-Depth Look at Concert Tambourines

With concert festivals and evaluations coming up in the coming weeks and months you may be missing the exact sound that you want from your concert tambourine. We thought we would do a deep dive this week on what makes different tambourines unique and give you some recommendations based on our past experiences.  There are many factors to consider when choosing a concert tambourine and they are not always one-size fits all depending on the style of music, type of ensemble, and number of performers. Important things to consider would be shell material, type of jingles, type of head and number of jingles. Let us look deeper into each of these factors below.  Shell Material  Most concert tambourines will be 10” in diameter and are usually made of wood. While there are varying types of wood such as ash, mahogany, or cherry wood they are all great options for the lightweight they provide for the musician. There are also options available in ABS or plastic materials, but they tend to be heavier than the wood shells. The shell does not have much effect on the sound of the tambourine, but it can play an important role in the durability and

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Apr 10, 2023 No Comments

2018 Music For All National Festival

Music for All National Festival March 15-17, 2018 Indianapolis, IN There’s a fantastic opportunity to hear some great concert bands and percussion ensembles from all over the country next week, but we find many people don’t even know its happening right here in our backyard!  It’s the Music for All National Festival, featuring high school percussion ensembles, concert bands and orchestras from across the US.  The festival also includes a middle school concert band festival, along with Honor Ensembles for concert band, jazz band, and orchestra.  This is a non-competitive festival, meaning its all about just creating and listening to great music, created by some of the best high school and middle school music programs in the nation. Here’s a general schedule for the event:

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Mar 6, 2018 No Comments

Katarzyna Mycka Masterclass & Concert at Lawrence Central High School

International marimba virtuoso Katarzyna Mycka will present a master class next Tuesday, November 8th at 7pm in the Lawrence Central Auditorium. The master class will be followed by a concert of her marimba quartet from 8-9pm. Admission is for both events is $10 at the door. About The Performers: Critics have given the internationally renowned marimba virtuoso and chamber musician Katarzyna Mycka the sobriquet “she who dances with the mallets”: “the greatest fluidity”, “perfect mallet technique,” and a “marvelous, rhythmic precision” are characteristic for the musician, who is able to simultaneously produce up to six tones on her concert marimba with the sixty narrow wooden bars and resonance pipes. After receiving training in piano and drums, the artist born in 1972 discovered the marimba as her “ideal medium for musical expression” while studying at music academies in Gdansk, Stuttgart, and Salzburg. Numerous prizes and awards at international music competitions then followed: in 1995, first prize and audience prize at the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg for Marimba Solo, one year later first place at the First World Marimba Competition Stuttgart. Then followed stipends and invitations to master courses in the United States, Asia, and various European countries, through which the young

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Nov 1, 2016 No Comments
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