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!
Sit Back & Enjoy!
This year, more than ever, we have witnessed how the power of music can bring us together as a community. We've seen people finding new and inspiring ways to remain connected to one another, even whilst physically separated. Videos from all across the world appeared, showing communities of neighbors - between apartment blocks, along streets, across balconies - coming together in solidarity to make music. Music frees the soul. It allows you to express yourself in ways that are unimaginable. It makes people feel more connected and it creates memories that will last for a lifetime. It doesn’t matter what you believe in or what you stand for, music is for everyone.
Our newest film delightfully demonstrates the lasting impact music, and particularly music made in the great outdoors has on us as well as the instant joy it brings. No matter who you are or where you come from, music has the power to automatically bring people together.
As we collectively look forward to life returning...
The Beat Goes On - New Inclusive Mallets for Babel Drums and More
Both our Babel Drums and Petal Drums were originally designed to be played with the hands and fingers - this really creates a feeling of connection with the drum and will produce some wonderful mesmerizing sounds. However, whilst this playing method doesn't require much effort or indeed any special musical skills (although it can require a little practice to get the technique nailed), we've realized that older players or those with Arthritis, tender hands, or finger joints could be being denied the opportunity to participate in the musical fun.
We want as many people as possible to engage with our instruments and welcome the challenge of prioritizing inclusive design and product accessibility. With this in mind, we have designed these new smaller lightweight 'Babel Drum Mallets' that are just perfect to use with not only these instruments but are versatile enough to be used to play on any of our instruments by players suffering from a very weak or painful grip or those with limited...
Listening To and Making Music Helps Understand Feelings and Emotions
Music can be a constructive way to express who you are and what you are feeling, especially in young children. It can often be difficult for children to say how they are feeling, primarily because they don’t know the name of the feeling they’re experiencing and instead they show us by crying, throwing temper tantrums, or having meltdowns. Emotional expression is something that must be learned, and young children can be taught basic emotions such as happy, mad, sad, and scared as early as two years old. As they get older, further emotions such as frustration, nervousness, or shyness can be explained.
Music and play is a very effective way for children to learn about and explore feelings, and then practice how to express and manage them (In fact, given the emotionally charged nature of music it’s an incredibly effective way for everyone, not just children to express themselves and cope with challenging life circumstances). Whenever we’re making music, we leave the realm of social...
*New* Calypso Chimes added to Rainbow Collection
Our new flamboyant Calypso Chimes with their clear lively tones and beautiful anodized finish are sure to spread good vibes wherever they end up! Available in different arrangements, they’re a great choice for music parks, playgrounds, schools, family attractions, hospital gardens, and community open spaces.
Calypso Chimes are practical, durable, and stylish with a wonderful melody and sustain. Whether you are looking for solo chimes to place sporadically around your outdoor area to add a colorful musical sound wherever you go, a fun pentatonic set for sensory play, or a diatonic arrangement around which outdoor lessons and concerts can be played, Calypso Chimes can be adapted to suit all.
Here is the low-down on our newest product Calypso Chimes
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Calypso Chimes are made from rainbow-colored anodized aluminum which will not chip, flake, or peel and is UV stable
- Each chime is individually mounted to a stainless-steel post and comes complete with a mallet...
Outdoor Musical Improvisation (aka Noodling)
What is musical improvisation?
1) To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation. 2) To play (music) or sing extemporaneously, especially by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies.
Simply put, it is 'music made in the moment' - the experience begins and ends in real-time.
Learning to play a musical instrument is a wonderful, enriching thing to do. Additionally, there have been many articles and studies written on the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument from a young age. However, sometimes the training can teach consistency, but not necessarily creativity in the individual. Improvisation is all about the creativity of the performer, and developing this creativity will go on to have many benefits for the rest of their music-making. Essentially, good improvisational skills will promote confidence in all performances.
At Percussion Play we passionately advocate improvisation. Our instruments are specifically designed to encourage...
Music Power to the People - Communities set to become the new Champions of Music
Throughout our time in isolation, for many, it was most often music bringing us closer together. Musicians and performers tapping into their creativity to share messages of hope and camaraderie, from neighbors singing and playing music to each other on balconies, to performing concerts and entertaining us online. Music bringing people closer together during a time of unrest and unease.
The sad news is, however, that there is no doubt the coronavirus pandemic will have plunged the future of music and the arts into uncertainty and threatened its long-term availability to young people and the community. The talk of the suspension of music and other ‘non-core’ subjects when schools fully reopen to make time for students to catch up with English and maths following the COVID-19 shutdown is concerning. Music is an important subject for all children to learn and recognized to help develop the skills, attitudes, and attributes required to support learning in other subjects as well. This...