Author: westnorfolkmusiccentre

Love your music stand

A Valentine message for your music stand, and for ours at Music Centre. With a little TLC, you and your stand could be best of friends for years, even decades.

At Music Centre, we use the classic design of folding stand. This type of stand is light and compact, and it can meet the needs of most musicians most of the time. Follow a few basic rules, and our stands — and your own if you have one — will be happy. The stand in our photos is 28 years old and still going strong!

1. Big ears up, little ears down

The top part of the stand looks like it can fold in two ways — and, if you force it, it will. Folding the stand the wrong way is the most common cause of permanent damage.

The stand is designed to fold just one way. Do it wrong and the stand will bend.

Here’s the right way and the wrong way:

2. Not too tight!

The second most common cause of damage is tightening the screws too much. If you do this, you will eventually strip the threads (so the screw won’t work at all) or you will crush the tubes (making it difficult or impossible to slide them into each other).

If the screw doesn’t seem to grip enough, try cleaning the upright tube with a damp cloth, or with a bit of rubbing alcohol to remove grease.

3. Get the legs right

The legs of the stand should be opened so that they are at an angle of roughly 45 degrees to the ground. Too steep and the stand will become unstable and fall over. Too shallow and the stand will not support its own weight (and it will sink to the ground.

4. Support the stand from behind

It is best to rotate the music desk (the top of the stand) so that one of the legs sticks straight out behind the stand. If you do this, the stand is less likely to fall over backwards when you load it with music.

 

 

Duality: piano duets at the Town Hall

King’s Lynn Music Society presents Emma Abate & Julian Perkins, ‘Duality’, at 7.30pm, Wednesday 19 February 2020, at King’s Lynn Town Hall. Piano duets by Mozart, Clementi, Weber and Grieg, along with Stephen Dodgson’s ‘Tournament for Twenty Fingers’.

Free entry for under-18’s make this an ideal opportunity for young Music Centre members to enjoy a musical evening during the half-term holiday. Adult guests are invited to make a donation (£10 suggested) or to join the society (£50/year).

Play at our Open Concert, 29 February

Come and play in our Open Concert on 29 February at St John’s Church in King’s Lynn. This short, informal concert is open to anyone who would like to play their instrument or sing — solo, duet or in a small group.

The Church is the Associated Board public exam centre in King’s Lynn, so if you are taking a music exam this is a chance to try a piece or two at your exam venue beforehand. We have previously welcomed players from beginners to grade 8+, as well as hearing some of our teachers perform for us.

Admission is free, refreshments will be served from 3.15pm, and the concert will finish by about 4.30.

To reserve your place and take part, please contact us.

NSO: Mystery and Magic concert, 17 November

Norfolk Symphony Orchestra opens its 2019-20 season with magic and mystery, from Mendelssohn’s music for a Midsummer Night’s Dream to a selection of themes from the Harry Potter films. Also featuring The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Night on Bare Mountain and Danse Macabre.

Free tickets for under-18s when accompanied by an adult, so bring along the wands from last term’s conducting workshop! With a family-friendly 3.30pm start, and even the chance to see some live magic in the foyer before the concert and during the interval, what better opportunity that this to experience the forces of a full orchestra? Tickets available from Alive Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn.

Heritage Open Day: 15 September

We are inviting all our members to play (or sing) for a little while at King’s Lynn Town Hall for Heritage Open Day, Sunday 15 September 2019.

Whether it’s just a minute of music or half an hour, let us know what you’d like to do. There are time slots available throughout the day, and if you want to explore everything else on offer in town you will have plenty of time for this too.

This is not a formal concert, so players and listeners alike can come and go freely. Whatever you’ve been learning this term, or even before, keep it up over the summer and take up this great opportunity! Just contact us by email and we’ll agree everything else afterwards.

heritage open day wnmc

Musicians: protect your hearing

As musicians, we generally rely on our hearing — to monitor what we’re playing, to keep in tune and to keep in time with others. Not to mention, of course, the pleasure from listening to others.

But can we rely on always being able to hear as well as we can now? As we age, our hearing does become less keen, and this is part of a natural process. But we can also damage our hearing, through exposure to noise, and this damage may be irreversible.


While as musicians we might not think of our own efforts as ‘noise’ (or maybe we would!) but exposure to high levels of sound and/or exposure for long periods can cause permanent damage. There have been a number of high-profile cases where professional musicians have suffered severe hearing loss — not just amongst those playing amplified music but also amongst orchestral musicians.

West Norfolk Music Centre can now offer its members the opportunity to purchase earplugs which are specially designed for musicians. Unlike general-purpose earplugs, they reduce the volume of the music while keeping the sound as natural as possible.

We would encourage all members to consider whether they would benefit from hearing protection. In particular, those who play drums and percussion, and those who are exposed to louder instruments (do you sit in front of the trombones in the orchestra or band?) are encouraged to try ear plugs. Or, if you attend loud amplified concerts or gigs, try them — if you’ve ever had the ‘ringing in the ears’ sensation after a gig, it’s a sign of hearing damage.

Ask at our desk, and we can explain what is available — for less than the cost of a single music lesson.