Women began to make important movements within society in the mid-19th century with the women’s suffrage movement reaching its peak during the Representation of Peoples Act in the UK and the Nineteenth Amendment in the US in 1920. With the right to vote in hand and the development of flapper freedom, women started to take center stage in the world of music too.
In the Jazz Age and through the 1930s, “all-girl” bands were popular. The end of World War I heralded a female-led workforce, giving women more independence, which, in turn, led to changes in their social lives and entertainment choices. Women took on new roles, including careers in music. This newfound freedom and voice gave birth to many famous women musicians from “African-American blues singer Bessie Smith (1894–1937), who inspired singers of later eras, including Billie Holiday (1915–1959) and Janis Joplin (1943–1970). ).” source
“In the 1920s, women who sang jazz were not many, but women who played instruments in jazz music were even rarer. Mary Lou Williams, known for her talent as a pianist, is considered one of the ‘mothers of the jazz’ because of her singing while playing the piano at the same time”. source
Mary Lou Williams on the piano
Terry Lyne Carrington on Drums.
Renée Rosnes at the piano.
Mary Osborne on guitar.
Women in jazz fought for recognition by competing within a powerfully male world. Many musicians began to take the themes of inequality and express them through music. Numerous women in jazz were activists, for racial equality or gender equality, and often both. In South Africa, musicians in particular used music as a form of activism during Apartheid, and singers like Miriam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka made profound statements with their jazz music. Makeba used music to speak about apartheid throughout her life.
Music remains a medium through which women celebrate their rights and express their thoughts. And perhaps without the suffragette or flapper movements, we wouldn’t have the strong female musicians we have today! Though Jazz remains a powerful tool for activism, many artists have also delved into the world of RnB, hiphop and rap. However, the musicality of jazz can still be seen as a significant foundation for the rise of powerful women musicians today.
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The Alexander Technique has helped thousands of musicians and singers perform with less stress allowing them to perform with ease and fluidity. This approach to movement greatly reduces this risk of pain and injury. The physical demands on musicians due to complex movements of muscular tension result in pain, stiffness and injuries. 76% of all musicians have medical problems that effect their ability to play, due to misuse in the body and RSI (repetitive strain injury). By helping musicians improve the quality of the physical actions involved in playing an instrument or singing, the Alexander Technique also helps improve the quality of the music itself. A violinist’s stiff shoulders and arms will get in the way of a pleasing sound; a singer’s tight neck or jaw will cause the voice to become less resonant.Once the musician can get out of their own way by freeing undue muscular tension their performance is a more organic and fluid experience.
The Alexander Technique is a re-education of the body that investigates a new concept of moving by recognizing one’s habit of movement and redirecting those energies into a a more holistic approach using one’s own mechanism (the body) as a whole as opposed to parts resulting in an ease of movement.
Over the years, a number of prominent musicians have publicly endorsed the Alexander Technique: Yehudi Menuhin, Paul McCartney, Sting, Julian Bream, James Galway and the conductor Sir Adrian Boult, to name but a few.
The Technique is taught at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, The Royal College of Music in London, The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and at many other schools of music, universities and colleges.
We are partnering with an experienced and qualified practitioner of The Alexander Technique. Meet Milsy Davis, and learn how you can improve your posture through these groundbreaking techniques.
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João Silva has arranged, and performed both the violin and keyboard for this beautiful and haunting new musical piece called The Glass Man as part of his Still Life work. He collaborated with Margherita Abita on Vocals/Lyrics, Claudio Marrero on Saxophone, Eva Monroy, Violeta Veinte on violin, Francisco Palazón on Viola and Anna Llorens on Cello. The music video was Recorded and Mixed by Still Life music. With Mastering by Pau Andreu and Camera by Mar Gabarre.
One of our teachers, who has been with Shine since our first days in Barcelona, won an incredible prize at the end of last year!
The Final of the Miquel Llobet Barcelona International Guitar Competition is an international competition of classical guitar showcasing a high level of young musicians of all nationalities up to 35 years.
Gian Carlo was awarded the special F. Mompou prize.
“After a full week !!” Very happy to have reached the final of the Llobet Contest and received the 3rd prize and the special F. Mompou prize, happy to have shared with Ignacio Barra Macaya and Jonathan Parkin, Congratulations to both!!!! Thanks to the Llobet Contest, to the teacher Eulogio Davalos and to Jordi Pizarro Valero for everything! “-Gian Carlo
congratulations Gian Carlo from Shine Music School
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Pianos are one of the most loved and popular instruments in the world. Their wooden cases and keys romantised in films and popular culture, their unique sound can be heard in concert halls, schools and on the radio. Besides being instantly recognised, pianos are also quite cumbersome. They take up room, are very heavy and solid instruments, and when they are not taken care of, they tend to fall out of tune. You would think that with modern living in smaller and smaller apartments that expensive pianos worldwide would be gathering dust in corners and forgotten about.
But with technological advances the piano has been making a comeback in the form of the digital piano. Just imagine! An electronic keyboard that has been developed to both sound and feel like a real acoustic piano. A keyboard that you can travel with, a keyboard that could be stored in a corner of a room, taking up far less room than it’s older cousin, the acoustic upright piano.
Indeed with innovations such as weighted keys, DSP and “sampling”, digital pianos are able to mimic acoustic pianos so well that they are now sought after by professional pianists. You can even practice with headphones and plug your piano into a speaker or computer to record your musical progress or share your playing on your social media accounts. The digital piano has taken pianos into the 21st century, and with piano proven to be the leading instrument to build cognitive and emotional skills, piano playing is here to stay!
At Shine we offer fantastic courses for the budding pianist, and our skilled professional teachers are ready to encourage your musical journey as well as guide you through different techniques and skills. No matter what level you are, we can offer you new and challenging ways in which to enjoy your piano and music! At Shine we sell and rent both Digital and Acoustic Pianos in Barcelona. Feel free to get in touch with us!
