Music And Dance

Archive for November, 2008

Apart from selecting the person you wish to marry, choosing the right band is probably the single most important decision you will make in creating an unforgettable wedding! Your friends and family will remember the fantastic atmosphere that a band can create long after they have forgotten about the food, the flowers or even the bride’s dress.

As the manager of Hula Groove, one of the busiest function bands in the UK, I have organised and performed at hundreds of wedding and parties in every conceivable type of venue from marquees in the garden of someone’s house to prestigious castles and hotels in the most exotic locations around the world.

I have prepared this guide to help you through the process of finding a band for your wedding reception and to give you some advice and inside tips that you may not have considered that will help you choose the perfect band and make sure that your big day goes off without a hitch.

What type of atmosphere do you want to create?
Choosing a band is much easier if you have a clear idea of what you are looking for. Have a think about the kind of atmosphere and energy you want the band to create. Do you want a sophisticated and jazzy feel or a high energy dancing party?

Did you know that children will show an interest in musical instruments at an early age? If your child is showing an interest in music, it may be up to you to keep their interest growing. You may have already noticed that there are some pretty popular musicians today that are very young and some of the most famous musicians of all time, started at a very young age. Mozart started playing the piano at the age of 3 and started writing music at 5. These young musicians did not get their skill and fame by themselves. They had parents that helped develop their interest in music, help train them or find music teachers, and helped become the successful musicians they are.

Explore Music With Your Kids
The first thing you want to do is give your children a basic knowledge of the different musical instruments. You can do some research on the different music instruments with your kids. If you have access to the internet, you are ready to go. Below are some of the different orchestral instruments you can research:

• Woodwinds instruments
• Brass instruments
• String instruments
• Percussion instruments
• Keyboard instruments

When you are doing your research, look up information about each of the different musical instruments above. You can find out what the definition of each instrument means as well as look up pictures of what they look like. You can also find out what features each of the different instruments have. Depending on the age of your child, some instruments may be more appropriate than others.

Let You Kids Choose
If you have a printer, print pictures of the different instruments and ask your children which ones interest them the most. You can also find recordings of music played by the various instruments. Once you find out which instruments your children have an interest in, you can go back online and look at different music equipment stores online that sell musical instruments and look at the different instruments available. Show them the variations of each instrument they like.

To make things even more fun for your child, listen to each of the music instruments separately so they can hear what sounds each instrument makes. When your child hears the sounds of the different instruments, they might decide they are interested in a different instrument because they enjoy the sounds that it can make.

Get Them Involved
If your child is of school age and is really showing signs of interest in music, get them involved at school. Most schools have some of music program you can get your child involved in. Depending on the school your child attends, you might have to purchase the musical instrument for your child to use, but it is something that is very rewarding for your child.

Singing is really more than just something we do in the shower, it can really empower us and change the vibrations of the soul. Singing connects us with the natural world around us and helps us to connect to being alive. It is really essential to our happiness as human beings.

Our bodies rely upon oxygen and breathing is so very necessary to our lives, that anything to help change the flow or stimulate the muscles that we use to breath, will help us ‘feel’ more alive. A deep breath before a particularly high or long note can leave our hearts pounding, as if exercising.

If you prefer humming, for example, a Pavarotti impression, then even the vibrations from certain notes can have a calming effect and release stress, particularly with certain songs or tunes. Think of any time you have watched someone settle a crying baby, the ‘ah’ sound used to try and calm and soothe a baby human being is said to have come from sounds experienced in the womb.

Singing can also connect us to certain people and enhance our relationship with others, most couples will have a couples song but even hearing a song from a time in your life can bring back the full sensations of whatever you were experiencing at the time.