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

Natal Drums Sign new artists

Our sponsors Natal Drums have just signed up Russel Gilbrook from Uriah Heep and Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy.

Introduction

Hello all, welcome to the first Progress Music Academy Blog. Firstly, lets upload a photograph of Steve and Gaz, the owners of Progress..

We will be using this blog to keep updates on the school and our sponsors Marshall Amplification DiMarzzio and Natal Drums.