Welcome to the Percussion Play Blog
We hope you'll be a regular visitor as we share stories about the instruments we make and the people who play them.
This is where we share our passion for music in the great outdoors! We'll share with you details of exciting new outdoor music projects and designs from around the globe. We'll share with you information about the instruments we sell and a little about the inspiration behind them
Most importantly, this blog is about what we love to do the most - help you create new and exciting ways to bring music to the great outdoors.
Thank you for reading, visiting, commenting and contributing - we’re excited to have you here!
Sing Up! Article Gives Top Tips for Outside Music Areas
The latest Sing Up magazine (Summer 13) includes an interesting article 'Sow a Sound Garden' in which Percussion Play was asked to contribute. The article includes top tips for creating an outside music area and the benefits of choosing to take music lessons into the Great Outdoors. The article has some great photos of our instruments installed at Saltergate Infant School and some wonderful comments from their music co-ordinator including "They are wonderful to look at, and the sound echoes all around the playground which is magical. It's lovely to see some of the quieter children growing in confidence through playing music outdoors during their playtime."
Singing games and music making in the outdoors are especially fun and bring a whole new dimension to the children’s learning and development. Being outside means the instruments can be played a little louder, they can raise their voices a little higher and movement in unrestricted. Children will benefit from listening to and creating...
Shiny New Outdoor Mirror Wall Chimes for Musical Play
Percussion Play are excited to add these beautiful Mirror Chimes to their outdoor musical instruments portfolio. What a ‘bright’ idea!
With highly polished stainless steel notes and a universal note wall mounting system, these outdoor chimes will give a unique sound whilst reflecting the surrounding environment to give another dimension to your outdoor play area, sensory garden, outdoor classroom or school grounds.
See these little guys? They can’t wait to have a go! Perhaps we have a budding pianist here? A future flutist or a drummer wannabe? Playing a musical instrument is very beneficial to children, however, in order for a child to truly become interested in playing an instrument they need to be engaged, they need to be motivated and they need to have fun! Playing music outdoors in a playground or sensory garden may just trigger an interest in music and encourage them to put down the remote and pick up a musical instrument instead.
A difficult instrument might intimidate...
Music Education Expo Treated To Some Outdoor Music Fun!
Percussion Play had a great time at Music Education Expo at the Barbican, London. It was a great opportunity to meet a range of different professionals and interested parties in the field of music education.
We felt it was worth going along to introduce the visitors to our outdoor musical instruments and the idea of bringing music education to the outdoor world.
Children are naturally happier when they are playing, moving and being creative outside, and children who are happy are successful learners.
Progressive educators have long promoted the benefits of outdoor education beyond the conventional such as P.E. The outdoors makes the perfect musical laboratory and outdoor musical instruments can bring a renewed sparkle to the children’s eyes and the excitement and freedom of playing music outdoors will elicit some pretty amazing and creative expression. When you add something new to the environment and the children are just drawn to it; to investigate,...
Dementia Care Show - Making Music Outside with Seniors
Percussion Play were amongst hundreds of companies and organisations at Healthcare Innovation this year, an exhibition for the most dynamic, inspiring developments in healthcare.
Percussion Play bought along a small selection of their outdoor musical instruments with some being showcased on the bandstand in the ‘Dementia Village’, a complete “village” dedicated to dementia and demonstrating a dementia friendly community.
Physical interaction with music, anything from drumming to fooling around with xylophones or marimbas is increasingly being recognised as having a positive and supportive impact on patients with dementia. Music nourishes the brain!
With a huge increase in the ageing population over the last decade, there is a race to figure out how to promote healthy aging of the brain, and prevent mental illness such as depression or dementia. With such a need for initiatives that support older people’s mental wellbeing, music-making can often help in this respect....