Half Term at Progress Academy

Progress Academy is opening its doors this half term for a week of music and fun.

You could have a chance to play on our Natal Drum Kit!

If you didn't know, every half term Progress Academy in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter open its doors for children everywhere to come and use the equipment and produce videos using the instruments. We host song recordings and video production for them to watch and potentially take home.

It's a great opportunity for children to learn about musical instruments, music and develop their technical skills - no matter the experience, and most importantly have fun.

You can find Progress Academy at 35 Northampton Street in the Jewellery Quarter, B18 6DU.

For further information about Progress Academy and if you're interesting in developing your musical skills, please visit the website!

Musical Instrument Facts

Brass horn

The oldest brass instruments can be dated back to 500 BC, and have been found preserved in bogs across Scandinavia. The instruments were called lurs, essentially a long, elegantly curved brass trumpet and had been recovered in batches of two.

Lurs have been used for the crest of Lurpak butter.

The word remains in the Swedish language as something that broadcasts sound, hÖrlurar meaning headphones, along with a mobile phone frequently called a lur.

Stone horn

The precise use of an ancient bronze lur remains a mystery, however, according to the Icelandic sagas the lurs’ later wooden relatives (lurar) had been used for the gathering of troops and scare away the enemy. The Saxons did not require an instrument, they simply used a sizable stone.

The Blowing Stone, at Kingston Lisle, is a large sarsen boulder with a number of holes in it. Blowing into the correct hole creates a loud, penetrating note. Alfred the Great had used said stone to gather his troops prior to the battle of Ashdown.

Universal organ

Rewind to 2004 when astronomers at the University of Virginia measured background radiation from 400,000 years preceding the Big Bang and described the ‘music’ the universe made while it was being created.

“For the first 400,000 years it sounds like a scream declining to a dull roar,” explained Professor Mark Whittle. “And over the first million years the music of the cosmos changed from a bright major chord to a sombre minor one.”

Singing sand

Sand dunes can actually play a ‘tune’, or rather a loud, resonate note that can last for 15 minutes and heard from approximately 6 miles away.

Studies that have been conducted in the Sahara presented that the booms are caused by avalanches on the dunes, often occurring after rain, when the lower layers of a dune are still moist (sometime clumpy) and the top layers are dry. The falling sand makes vibrations in the same manner as the membrane of a loudspeaker.

Cello

An abbreviation of the correct name ‘violoncello’ – literal translation of ‘little big viola.

Cello would have been written with an apostrophe preceding it in the past.

Hard cases

Chicago gangsters wouldn’t have been partial to carrying around machine guns in violin cases. Rather they opted for a ‘hard case’ that resembled a musical instrument carrier. It would have been compartmentalised in order for it to hold various parts of the gun easily.

Harpo

Salvador Dalí, in the Christmas of 1936, sent Harpo Marx a harp that had barbed-wire strings to which Harpo sent back a photo of himself bearing his bandaged fingers.

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Why music is important

Not only dies every culture make music, but every past culture has had or made music too.

The musical instrument is amongst one of the oldest man-made objects ever discovered; as an example, there are some flutes today that are approximately 37,000 years old, possibly older.

Compared with reading and writing, the earliest recorded forms dating back about 3500 years - and there are presently some cultures in the world that cannot read or write.

Scientists have actually discovered, through research, music has an effect on different parts of the human brain quite deeply.

It's difficult to explain although a simpler way of understanding would be the emotions and memories and feelings felt when listening to a particular song or piece of music, whether it be from classical to heavy metal. You could ask yourself: "What do I feel when you listen to a Christmas song? Or when somebody is singing 'Happy Birthday'?"

Music can produce strong emotions and feelings; it is essentially a language a language that every human is capable of understanding, thus it is a form of communication.

In the year of 2009, November, the UK remembered two significant events; one being the passing of the generation of the soldiers who fought for the country during the first World War, the second the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - both commemorated with music; in London, the Choir of Westminster Abbey sung 'For the Fallen' for the passing of the WWI generation; the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall brought a free concert by U2.

Learning music could actually be considered a vital life skill as it is a form of universal communication - it's a form of expression without having to say anything.

Music is especially important for children as at their young age, their brain is constantly developing, thus giving them another form of communication they can use while they grow. The more music a child is exposed to, the more they will enjoy a variety of music when they are an adult.

Please visit our website if you'd like more information about the benefits of music lessons!

Music lessons: fun and stress relief

Finding a hobby can promote resiliency and is a great way of filling and enjoying your free time.

Learning to play an instrument opens up a lot of opportunities; playing an instrument could ultimately lead to joining a church music group, songwriting and even starting your own band.

It's a chance to build a career as a musician and have a little fun with it also.

If you're a person that enjoys learning and has an interest in music, learning to play an instrument could be the thing to do - Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix were self-taught, their careers evolving from the passion to pursue that love of music they both possessed.

How to get started:

Begin with the basics and then you can develop from there and enjoy playing for fun. Purchasing a guitar, and maybe an amplifier and some sound effect pedals will allow you to create a limitless amount of sounds and call it music.

Play along to songs that appeal to you; it'll be a great way of unwinding as well as learning how a song is constructed - the development of your talent lies at honing in the skills you are taught yourself, and helping them flourish, by taking lessons, which is where Progress Music Academy can help!

Playing a musical instrument is a brilliant stress reliever and way of having fun, you'll be fascinated with the music you can make.
Please visit our website for further details about the lessons and services we can offer you!

The NAMM Show 2015

Our very own musical faces, Gaz and Steve, will be in Los Angeles this week after preparing for the event of the world's largest annual trade show - the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).

They will be representing Marshall Amps at the show and believe it to be an excellent stepping down for Progress Academy and its clients by keeping the Academy at the cutting-edge of everything musical, including instruments, performance, technology and education.

The NAMM Show 2015 is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in the United States, presenting exciting events and outstanding performances, including the NAMM TEC Awards, and an assortment of live performances throughout the Center and the surrounding hotels.

An exclusive opening performance will be executed courtesy of YAMAHA also.

To see the events that are happening now, and the upcoming, click here!

For information on our services, visit the Progress Academy website here.

Can music be used as therapy for autistic children?

Can music be used as therapy for autistic children?

It has been claimed that music has powers to heal the soul, but to what extent does ‘the power of music’ actually reach?

Music therapy has been tested on patients suffering from cancer, ADD and depression, concluding that it can actually be effective with helping people cope with their situation, mentally and physically.
There are some hospitals that do use music therapy as a way of assisting patients cope with their specific illnesses as research has confirmed that music does in fact calm the mind and help ease stress – it has even been found that a specific tone, not or pitch has a powerful effect on the body which helps improve emotional, physiological and psychological health.

Music therapy has also been applied to children suffering from autism.

As autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that affect children, its typical symptoms can include impaired communication and social interaction, repetitive behaviour, and limited interest.
The idea of music therapy helping autistic children should be done with the children kept in mind.

Music that encourages dancing and singing works very well with helping autistic children with communication and developing social skills. There could be a possibility of an autistic child choosing to communicate through singing.

The reason behind children having such a great response is because children with autism usually refrain from social engagement and music sessions give them a way of expressing themselves.

To see our music lessons and what we do, please visit our website.

Why you should learn to play a musical instrument

Being one of the most common pastimes and hobbies, being able to play a musical instrument offers a whole load of benefits.
Many believe people are born with musical talent and won’t be able to learn anything musical at all, but that is wrong.

Yes, it calls for your time and patience, but it’s worth it and is an overly satisfying talent to acquire.
If there’s one thing you must learn in your lifetime, it’s how to play an instrument and here are 5 reasons why:

It makes you smarter – Countless studies have been conducted on the effects music has on the human brain. Scientists say that children who are exposed to music, or are surrounded by those who play an instrument, achieve higher in school as opposed to those who do not. Recent research suggests exposure to music may benefit a child’s reading age, their IQ and the development of certain parts of their brain.
Adults can also benefit hugely from learning to play an instrument too. It helps the mind become more alert and increase in activity, which will eventually lead to a prolonged, sharpened memory.

It teaches discipline – As mentioned, leaning to play an instrument requires a lot of time and patience, and of course, effort.
Compare it with learning another language and the challenges that presents; they are similar, so naturally, a lot of discipline is possessed into a musician.
Being disciplined is the art of mastering to play the instrument you are learning. Times will have to be set for you to practice and limits; it’s a slow process but nonetheless rewarding.

It relieves stress – Have you ever listened to soft, soothing music when you’ve been stressed and it has automatically relaxed you?
Those relaxing notes emitted from music can be multiplied when a music instrument is played, especially when you’re the one behind the instrument. Music is one of life’s simple joys that helps calm the mind.

It gives you a sense of achievement – If you’re a beginner and it’s your first time ever attempting to learn to play an instrument, it can be ridiculously frustrating.
But once you’ve mastered it, even just one piece, the satisfaction that fills you is priceless. You never forget the first piece you’ve learnt and you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goal and that is certainly something to be proud of.

It’s fun! – There’s a lot of fun to be had when trying something new, and there’s no doubt that learning to play an instrument is fun. The better you get at it and more experienced and familiar you become with the instrument and your abilities, opportunities will arise for you to share your talent with your family and friends. Playing a musical instrument opens up a lot of amazing possibilities and will most definitely enrich your life.

Visit our website for further information about Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Singing, Bass Lessons