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!
Wellbeing Through Music - World Music Therapy Day March 1st
On World Music Therapy Day, March 1, we highlight how music and music therapy have the power to heal, improve mental health and wellbeing and enrich lives.
Music has long been used to help heal, transcending nations and cultures; this is why music is often referred to as the universal language. Music therapy benefits cognitive, emotional, and social issues and the physical needs of people. It has proven to be an effective way to help alleviate symptoms and provide a sense of inner calm to patients. For this reason, music therapy is becoming an increasingly popular form of holistic 'healing' and is used in hospices, care homes, residential homes, schools, and rehabilitation centers worldwide.
Treatment using music can help those experiencing loneliness, mental ill-health, and degenerative conditions such as dementia by enabling them to 'reconnect' with the world around them and encouraging them to communicate with others in a non-verbal way. Playing musical instruments and engaging...
Growing Together - Children's Mental Health Week 7-13 February 2022
Children's Mental Health Week takes place on 7-13 February. This year's theme is Growing Together, with children (and adults) asked to consider how they have grown, what they need to help them grow, and how they can help others to grow too.
There are four identifiable areas of human growth; physical, intellectual, emotional, and social, each overlapping the other. Human growth is a lifelong process; however, the fastest period of growth and development is during the infancy and early childhood life stages. We've all heard the theory that playing music to plants helps them grow, is it the same for children? What we do know is that musical experiences can most definitely build meaningful social, emotional, and cognitive brain connections that will help children hit developmental milestones as they grow.
Outdoor musical instruments can be unusual yet fun and functional tools to aid the development of physical skills and are proven to support communication, encourage expression...
Thinking Outside: Trend For Public Libraries to Transform Outdoor Spaces Continues
The Clinton Macomb Public Library is the latest in a long line of modern public libraries writing new chapters and getting creative through expanding their outside programs into great outdoor spaces. Wanting patrons to enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors while accessing library amenities, the library's leadership team placed considerable value on intergenerational and collaborative learning. It opened its al-fresco music garden in a prime position, right outside the main entrance of their brand new building, to create a “spark of joy at arriving and upon leaving.”
Our Case Studies page shows an ever-increasing number of public libraries utilising their greatest asset - outdoor space. Even before the pandemic, library grounds were trending, with spaces for outdoor programming being leveraged...
Camp Henry, Michigan Wins Percussion Play Ensemble in the Parks & Rec Great Fall Giveaway
We are delighted to announce that Camp Henry is the winner of the Percussion Play prize in The Great Fall Giveaway!
The inaugural Great Fall Giveaway was an exclusive contest run by Parks and Rec Business Magazine. All Parks & Recreation Departments, Summer Camps, and School Districts in the United States had a chance to enter and win any one of the four prizes up for grabs.
Fionna Scott entered the competition with the hope of winning the Percussion Play Soprano Quartet Ensemble, which includes a Cadenza, a Small Babel Drum, Soprano Pentatonic Freechimes, and a pair of medium Congas—altogether valued at $7,555.
Camp Henry has been serving campers since 1937 and sits on over 200 beautiful acres along the shores of Lake Kimball in Newaygo, MI, 35 miles north of Grand Rapids.
Fionna tells us, “Initially, I simply hoped for kids to have fun with the ensemble. After talking...
Cavatina Features in PTA+ Magazine's Top Buys for Positive Outdoor Learning Experiences
This month Percussion Play features in PTA+ Magazine's article showcasing the ‘PTA Top Buys’ for learning experiences outside of the classroom.
Research has shown that an outdoor learning environment can improve children’s motivation and well-being and can contribute to increasing children’s physical activity and learning outcomes.
Learning need not take place solely within educational buildings. The outdoor environment has massive potential for learning and stepping outside into the natural environment will help ensure that children and young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens.
It is essential that we continue to provide creative, sustainable, and progressive opportunities for all children and young people to participate in a range of outdoor learning experiences.
Outdoor learning encompasses the entire range of learning experiences undertaken outside. From reading a book outside, or joining a numeracy...
Percussion Play: 2021 A Year in Review
It’s holiday time again and maybe like me, you're dazed by the fact that another year is coming to an end!
Taking the time to look back can help us realize just how much has happened in the last year. December is a time for reflection, a chance to recap the highlights and achievements of the past 12 months.
So where to begin? First of all, I’m sure we can all agree it’s been another rather unusual year! As the world continued to battle the coronavirus pandemic, we have been able to demonstrate time and time again through our case studies and social media posts that it hasn't broken spirits. We’ve shared stories from across the globe that illustrate just how music in the great outdoors has encouraged community spirit, bought about positive interactions, engaged families, and bridged intergenerational gaps. These are just some of our favorites: