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!
Music Without Limits - Workshop Held With Visually Impaired Young People
Yesterday, we revisited the RSBC Life Without Limits Centre in Central London for a follow-up workshop to one held in April. We brought a range of outdoor musical instruments for the visually impaired young people to play in the courtyard outside the center. We introduced each instrument to the attendees, observed their playing, and noted any accessibility issues. This workshop helped us better understand how individuals with visual impairments can access and fully enjoy our instruments as we strive to make our products and designs even more inclusive.
Interview with Director of Community Wellness at Laclede Groves Lutheran Senior Services Community
The Laclede Groves Lutheran Senior Services community, located in the Webster Groves suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, recently added Percussion Play instruments to their beautiful Harmony Garden. This addition highlights their commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
In a recent interview with Senior Living News, Emily Sitzes, Director of Community Wellness at Laclede Groves, shared the story of how this musical oasis came to be and its positive impact on the community. Emily emphasized the importance of music and how it can benefit everyone. She also discussed the efforts they made to create a welcoming space that not only residents but also their families, staff, and visitors could enjoy.
Emily oversees the music therapy at the facility and has witnessed the positive effects of the instruments during both group and one-on-one therapy sessions. Residents are excited to share this new space with local Lutheran school students who often come to visit. This...
RHS Tatton Park Flower Show Invites Visitors Young and Old To Let Their Inner Musicians Bloom!
Floral fever is taking over the nation, and Percussion Play is thrilled to collaborate with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at the north's biggest horticultural event - the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show.
This celebration of color, creativity, and community returns to the stunning gardens of Tatton Park from 19 - 23 July 2023 and promises visitors a fun-filled family experience with live music and entertainment.
The event spans five days and is expected to welcome tens of thousands of guests, featuring the RHS National Flower Bed Competition, Show Gardens, and Floral Marquee across a 28-acre site. The show has a big community focus, with Cheshire charities, schools, and volunteer groups playing a huge part since its inception in 1999.
This year's show will also feature displays exploring themes such as mental health and the environment. Percussion Play is excited to create a 'Percussion Park' as a show feature.
Show Features and Installations are an opportunity to engage,...
Free Celebration of Music around the World on Make Music Day June 21
World Music Day, also known as 'Fête de la Musique' or Make Music Day, is an annual music celebration in cities worldwide on June 21, the first day of summer. The celebration encourages people of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels to make, enjoy, perform, teach, and learn music.
The idea originated from American musician Joel Cohen over 30 years ago while working at France Musique, a national French radio station. The first 'Fête de la Musique' was celebrated on June 21, 1982, and has since become an international phenomenon. The music played on World Music Day must be free and covers all genres, offering access to people of all social backgrounds.
The day-long celebration takes place in over 1000 cities across 120 countries. It includes over 18,000 concerts ((in 2022, the USA alone saw 104 cities organize 3,819 free concerts), showcasing over 5 million musicians to an audience of about 10 million people. Celebrations of music in all its forms take place, with free public...
Association of Children's Museums 'Win a Cavatina' Winner Announced
To celebrate our first attendance at InterActivity (the Association of Children's Museums' annual conference and the largest gathering of children's museum professionals worldwide), Percussion Play offered ACM members the chance to win a Rainbow Cavatina and 4-Song Music Book worth over $5000 for their chosen Children's Museum.
We received over 200 entries, and the lucky winner was drawn at random following a hugely successful expo and evening drinks reception held at the prestigious Louisiana Children's Museum.
Co-Founder Robin Ashfield contacted the lucky winner - Leah Oppenheimer, Director of Outreach at the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, New York - to tell her the good news.
Robin tells us "When I spoke to Leah and told her that she had won the prize, she was absolutely delighted. She told me that she had been teaching underprivileged kids for the last 20 years, many of whom don’t...
Evening Reception Held for Children's Museum Professionals
On a perfect New Orleans evening, the Louisiana Children’s Museum made a memorable setting for a drinks reception to celebrate the close of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) InterActivity 2023. Percussion Play invited attendees for a glass of Pimms on the museum’s outdoor music area, ‘the music hummock,’ which is home to no less than eleven Babel Drums alongside the new Liberty Bells and Cattail Chimes.
The evening allowed the team from Percussion Play (a Business Supporter of the ACM) to demonstrate the outdoor musical instruments and take the time to discuss the benefits of outdoor musical play with the children's museum professionals. The two new 'Inspired by Nature' instruments, are both perfect for playful interactions along nature trails, as stand-alone exhibits, or incorporated...