Friday 30 March 2018

How to Choose a Clarinet? Guide to Buying a Clarinet Insurance to Safeguard the Instrument


Planning to buy a Clarinet? There are many things you might need to consider before arriving at the right choice, which includes the material, the type of instrument as well as the budget to buy the instrument.

There are many critical factors involved in choosing the instrument. The Clarinet is a family of instruments that differ in their tunings and registers. We shall help you with the right choice by taking you through every consideration, and how to make the decision.

Before moving on, let us take you through the anatomy of a clarinet. It has five parts majorly: the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper joint, the lower joint, and the bell.

Now, let's see the things you need to consider

Choice of material

The instrument comes in two materials: wood and plastic. The plastic that is used to make the instrument has been specifically designed for the instrument, which includes the ruggedness. The plastic based clarinets are mostly used by beginners of this instrument.

Grenadilla is the wood commonly used to make clarinets. The wood density is high, which is why it is preferred by most of the advanced and intermediate level students. If you are planning to purchase a wood instrument, you should know that it involves a lot of care and maintenance. You should make sure the humidity is just sufficient for the survival of the instrument. If the instrument is stored in a very humid climate, it can be damaged.

There is another category of wood, rather a sub-category, which includes 5% carbon fibre along with wood.

The plating choices

The key work on the clarinet is plated with either silver or nickel. Nickel plating is durable while silver plating gets tarnished with time. However, silver plating has the appeal and charm that can attract you to it. It is more aesthetic when compared to nickel plating. So, you will need to make a choice between durability and aesthetics in here.

The type of reed

In the many choices you are to make when buying a clarinet, the reed choice is very important. According to the classists, the type of reed makes a huge difference when playing the clarinet. The reed types range from soft to hard, where level 5 is termed to be the hardest. There are the regular file reeds and the French file reeds. French file reeds offer quick response, and makes it the perfect choice for the advanced level players.

The different clarinets

Soprano clarinets are long and thin, and contain a list of clarinet sub categories within them. They have different sound profiles as well as tunings.

There is the Bb clarinet, which is the most popular type. It is used to play all sorts of music including Mozart. It is a good choice if you are a beginner or a crossover student. Bass clarinets are perfect for jazz.

Insure the clarinet

When choosing the clarinet, pay some attention to choosing the clarinet insurance. Along with safeguarding the insurance, it will take care of the maintenance and service needs of the instrument.

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Improve Music Lessons and More with Music Teacher Insurance


Teaching music to kids can be quite fun. They love the art, and they are quite flexible in their learning habits too. Music is quite refreshing for them, and makes them get past the stress they feel with the pressure of academics. As a music teacher, you need to make sure you enhance their learning capabilities, and make the lessons more effective for them. You never know when your students will turn into musicians with excellent abilities.
  • Plan your lessons: It is said that a well-planned lesson is more effective than an impromptu one. You will need to spend a lot of time planning so that you can make it worthy for your students. The mood in the classes will brighten up. Take planning with a positive attitude. You can get inspirations for your own music with this planning, while bringing a smile in your class
  • Add energy to the classes: Music is life! If there is no life in the classroom, how will you justify this line. That’s why, you should add some fun and interactivity to your classes. Make it more engaging to draw positivity from your students. Add instrument learning to your music classes. It can be fun!
  • Introduce short activities: Who knows it better than a teacher how low the attention span of a student is. You should try to keep them engaged within the class, and short activities of 5 minutes can assist you in keeping up the focus and attention. Mix up the several activities associated with music for better learning
  • Teach what they like: In your introductory class, take a survey on what your student likes the best. The music style they associate with can be fun to learn. You should try to teach them what they love, and you will get an attentive class. It will make the class relevant, and you will enjoy it too!
  • Incorporate technology: Students love technology, and they are great assistants, even to the musicians. Why not include technology in the class? Watch a video or use apps that allow kids to use their creative abilities.
  • Encourage interaction: There is no better way to learn something than engaging in discussions. Some of the best learning environment is created with hearty discussions and healthy brainstorming. You should encourage it in your music class. The kids will be able to bring forth different music styles and encourage the students to try it. It will lead to better learning process
  • Stay inclusive: Every kid is different, and their learning abilities differ too. You should ideally keep this in mind when conducting lessons. Inclusive learning should be introduced in the classrooms to make the lessons effective, and make sure everyone has learnt the lesson.
To make sure you have a good and effective class, it is important to stay stress-free, which can be achieved with music teacher insurance. This insurance will take care of all your needs, and you can focus on making your lessons better. Make sure you research the providers and the insurance needs before proceeding with the investment.

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Things to Consider When Booking Live Concerts Including Concert Insurance


If you have been observing the music industry for sometime, you would observe a shift from recorded music to live music. The preferences are changing with the changing attitudes of the consumer of music. If you want your music to reach out to the audience you have marked as target, you may have to hold a concert with the music you want to perform for them. Live entertainment can make for a thrilling crowd, especially in parties and brand launches. However, hosting the live concert or music can be an arduous task. You may have to invest a lot of time in considering the best approach and the band. Here we will take you through the points you may have to consider when hosting a live concert for your next party.
  • Research the options: You have numerous options when it comes to live concerts. Not all options fit your needs or the budget you have set aside. A research of all the available live music options can help you get the right band for your next party. You should ideally search the internet for the available options. Check the bands and the music they create. This will help you know how they fare. If you have references, nothing like it. This will help you get the best band on board. However, if you don't have references, you can always check for reviews online. That will help you too!
  • The music you want: This is what you need to do next- select the music style that you want played at the concert. If you believe the audience at the party is going to be the rock or punk kind, then you should choose the music to be played. If you are hosting a theme based party, then the choice of music and the bands would depend on it. The style of music is an important consideration.
  • Seal the budget: You don't want to overspend or underspend! That's why before going ahead with the bookings, you should seal the budget you are ready to shell out for the event. The research you have conducted would help you set the budget for the event, as it would help you know what the cost of a live band is. You need to include the setting up charges, the theme charges, the parking, food and beverages charges in the budget you have planned.
  • Managing the venue: Licenses are an important consideration when holding live music. You should check if the venue you are planning on allows you to play live music or not. If not, then you might want to see if the venue can be changed or some request can be put up to add the live music to the venue license
  • Get the concert insurance: Last but certainly not the least, you should buy a Concert Insurance. In case something goes wrong during the event, you would not have to pay up for it from your pockets; the insurance will take care of it. You should choose a reliable provider for your concert insurance needs.

Monday 19 March 2018

How having a music teacher insurance helps you secure your profession?

Teaching is an amazing profession. If you are a music teacher, you are not just teaching them music but also a method to de-stress their lives and live calmly. Your music helps them learn and unlearn things about themselves. But, what makes you a great teacher? Ever wondered about that? Let's talk about the various things that make you a great teacher.
  • They connect at an emotional level with the students. This is the first sign of a great teacher. When a teacher makes you feel respected and worthy, they actually help you improve your self esteem. Teaching is a good idea but, if you cannot help the students know themselves on an emotional and deeper level, the connect would be missing. Empathy is important for budding musicians. Whatever comes naturally to you as a teacher would help you build this connect. You can use wit, humour etc. to create the sense of empathy.
  • It is important that you make your students feel comfortable and happy when they are learning music with you. You need to make sure they like the environment, and you specifically. If they are comfortable with you, the effort reduces in the rehearsals and teaching. You can cover a lot of things in a short period of time, and the students won't feel too stressed either. You help the students go beyond their comfort zone, and play music that they connect with
  • If you cannot communicate what you have learnt in the most effective way, you are probably losing out on the students. It is important to get the knowledge out the right way. Make sure you plan your lessons in a highly effective manner. You need to guide the students in an efficient manner. The lessons should be valuable so that they feel like attending them.
  • Every teacher should visit the basics, even if they are teaching students who are already pro with the lessons. The basics are important, and they are the foundation blocks of learning. Music has fundamentals that tell you how to sit right, breathe and the right way to hold the instrument. It is important to keep the basics right even when you are at the intermediate stage
A good music teacher, apart from all these points, makes sure they are insured. Music teacher insurance helps make sure you are ready for all the fatalities you might face in your job. Here's all the cover you get when you invest in insurance
  • You are insured to make sure your medical bills are taken care of. For instance, if you fall sick and lose a day's pay and have to pay the bills from your own pockets. This can be avoided with the insurance

  • The insurance will help pay for your instrument's repairs and damage costs. You can even pay the replacement and rental costs with the insurance
It is important to research before you choose the provider for music teacher insurance. You should look for an experienced provider who can offer you the best deal.

Monday 12 March 2018

Why Choosing the Perfect-fit Clarinet Matters?


When investing in a clarinet, it is important you know what your needs are exactly. A kid who is 8 years old may not be able to hold a huge clarinet with large holes. The kid would be happier if you gave them the instrument that fit their hands perfectly, and sat with the right hold. Age is an important consideration when buying the clarinet. You need to buy for the fingers and the lip vibrations, which is another consideration. The lip vibrations may differ from person to person, and the end music may feel different in each case. You will need to check what kind of instrument allows you to get the music right.

The material of the instrument also plays an important role when you set to buy one. It is important you choose a material that best fits your needs. If you buy too heavy or too light a clarinet, you might face issues playing the instrument.

Apart from this, the age of the instrument is also a major consideration. If the instrument is really old but, can survive a good amount of time, you should invest in it. However, if it is a cheap new instrument, you should think twice before investing in it.

So, now that you are aware of all the things you need to consider before buying a clarinet, let's look into how to choose a good clarinet for your needs
  • Are you a beginner, a successful clarinet musician or someone who is planning to start with clarinet? This will have a huge say in what type of clarinet you ought to buy to play the music. The beginner would require something light and easy while the musician can use a more broad and advanced clarinet to play the music
  • What is the age of the person playing the clarinet? If you are buying for your kid who is less than 10 years, the clarinet ought to be small and should fit their hands perfectly. The idea is to make the hold comfortable
  • Material of the clarinet is also an important consideration. If the material is too heavy, the kids will not be able to hold it for a long time. Too light and inexpensive material can result in wear and tear of the instrument, which means money wasted in buying the instrument.
It is important you invest in clarinet insurance when buying the instrument. It will cost you a bit but, in the long run it will reduce the heavy expenses you are likely to indulge in if your instrument is damaged or faces wear and tear.

When investing in insurance, you will need to follow these steps
  • Check out the providers who have listed clarinet insurance as one of the many insurance offerings
  • See if they have the experience of offering a good support. They should have a good backend team ready to back you up when needed
  • The provider should have easy claims processing and a transparent system
If you have all these things in one provider, don't forget to apply for the insurance immediately.