Barcelona is well known for being a hot spot for musicians, from all walks of life. Maybe it’s the beach and mountains, maybe it’s the unusually warm weather or the carefree attitude that its people exude, but whatever it is, Barcelona has a unique energy that inspires and nurtures artistic expression. Flamenco chords rising from random street corners, hustling reggae musicians singing with a raspy voice in the metro, Latin American Orchestras searching for their own sound. The city has always been bursting with a creative energy that has gifted us with many extraordinary artists. In fact many of our own teachers form parts of Bands or perform solo in Barcelona!
Let’s have a look at some of Barcelona’s famous exports:
One of such talents is Joan Manuel Serrat. Born to an anarchist father in the popular barrio of Poble Sec, Serrat became the voice of a generation, singing in Catalan when it was frowned upon if not openly prohibited, and singing about the daily life in Catalunya after the civil war. Infused with the sensibilities of the “coplas” and traditional music of his early childhood, his sound captures the essence of Mediterranean nostalgia, and built acultural bridge between latin american and catalan music in the XX century.
Coming out of the rock scene from the early nineties, Pau Dones and his band Jarabe de Palo, redefined what was to be expected from spanish rockers. Their intensely popular song “la flaca” propelled them to international stardom, breaking records across all the spanish speaking world. Not to be defined by their early success, they have kept pushing the envelope and constantly surprising their audiences with their creativity.
Too punk for rock, to rocker for punk, José María Sanz Beltrán, better known for his stage name, Loquillo, has had a tumultuous career. Alongside his band Los Trogloditas, and recently by himself, he has earned his place in the rock pantheon of Barcelona´s greats. Navigating easily between popular genres, he has eluded being pigeonholed by his style and continues to be one of the cities favorite prodigal sons.
Barcelona has always been characterized for being a melting pot of identities. The city lends itself for cultural cross-pollination. It’s no surprise then, that a group like Ojos de Brujo found its footing in the streets of el Raval. A genre-bending experiment in musical creativity, these talented musicians have fused their influences in a large pallette of sounds that they have come to define as jipjop flamenkillo, a tongue twister of a name but a clear and focused execution of modern fusion styles.
Walk around the streets of the gothic quarter on a Friday evening and you will soon understand why this city is loved by the creative types. Maybe it’s the fact that the city defined itself in a opposition to the XX century dictatorship in the country, or the amount of talented immigrants who like to call Barcelona their home, whatever it is, the musical effervescence felt around every corner has surely inspired many souls, and lures the artist with its energy.
Do you wanna be part of the music revolution? Learn more at the Shine Music School, we offer combo and band lessons! And don’t forget to browse our Teacher pages, where we have featured videos of many of our teachers performing!
It’s as if our metamorphosis is almost complete. Stretching our arms and breaking free of our tiny cocoons. The sun is shining and we are able to visit the parks and beaches for exercise. Getting out of our houses or apartments is liberating. It changes our moods and uplifts our spirits, just like music can change our mood, so can a change in our environment. We find ourselves hatching out into a new world. This means we need to look for new and interesting ways to interact.
So why not take your music practice with you?! Smaller instruments are ideal, a guitar or ukulele, a guitalele or bongo drum, so that you can carry them easily. If you sing you only need take along your voice for an acoustic jamming session outside! Find a quiet spot in a park and practice your guitar outside!
With the 10 person gathering allowance in Barcelona, it’s the perfect time to form a band, or put on a tiny rooftop or terrace performance. So check the weather forecast, and plan your musical party! Invite friends who don’t have instruments and get them to sing along in an outdoor karaoke session. We don’t advise you singing along indoors, so while we wait until we can enjoy the outdoor parks and beaches with friends and do some Social Distance Jamming, why not host your own Online Musical Party. Plenty of our teachers have been playing and performing with friends together online. Hosting a zoom party online is not too difficult!
You can have fun decorating your room to create that party ambience and then stream it online. Create your own online invitation. There are various platforms in which you can interact and make music together online. Or perhaps you just would like to do a live DJ stream and chat with your guests. Whichever way you choose, music and interacting with music can connect us in many ways! With just a little Googling you can find plenty of online parties to join. Many djs and performers have transitioned online. Why not join in with some friends via a watch party, or create your own! Here are some tips!
Which Platform Should I Use?
FaceTime: If your whole group owns iPhones or Macs, try using FaceTime. It’s a simple and easy tool to use. If you are on your phone, you make need a phone stand to make your party handsfree.
Zoom has become uber popular during the worldwide lockdowns. It’s great for big groups. And you can see everyone at the same time. If you have a paid account it works even better and you don’t have to worry about “uninvited guests”!
Skype: This app has been around for a while. Perhaps even the original online calling platform. It’s perfect for large groups, and can be used on multiple devices.
Facebook Messenger: If you have a small group, facebook messenger works well. If you have a Facebook account, you don’t have to go through the hassle of setting up a new account and figuring out new platforms
Whatsapp: Whatsapp also works well for small groups. Similar to Facetime and Facebook Messenger, you may find that all your friends already have an account, so it could be easy to hang out together, the only problem is it only works on your phone for calls.
Google Hangouts: Just like Facebook Messenger, the biggest perk of Google Hangouts is that you don’t need to make another account to video chat. Google Hangouts is free to use straight from your Google account.
Twitch TV: You can stream your online DJ set or concert via twitch tv. Or even stream your 10 person gathering and invite more people to join in online. Making an account is not difficult. Log in and set up a stream.
How to Host a Virtual Party
1. Send virtual invite
Virtual invites can be as formal or as simple as you’d like. You can send out a quick group text or if you’re feeling fancy, whip up a virtual party invite and send it out over e-mail. Use free templates for a fun image on the Canva app.
2. Plan together beforehand
No one wants to show up to a party unprepared. Just because it’s online, doesn’t mean it’s boring. Make it a reason to dress up! You can even make a party theme!
3. Designate responsibilities
Get people involved. Often the excitement of preparing for an event can be half of the fun. If you’re having a theme party, designate any tasks and responsibilities out to your friends and family. For example, if you’re hosting a virtual musical night, be sure that everyone has an instrument, even if they have to make one!
4. Let’s party!
Dress up, set up your camera (you can make your own phone stand) and get your party snacks and drinks ready. It’s time to have some fun!
By miloson April 29, 2020in concerts, musicwith Comments Off on 50 Music Movies
From Documentaries to Mockumentaries, Dramas, Comedies, and Musicals, we cannot deny that music and musicians make great topics for movies. Stories of our favourite stars working their way to the top, with often many a stumble on the way up, to inspirational looks into what makes music an important part of our lives!
How often have you gone out and bought a movie soundtrack or perhaps even waited for the credits to see who wrote the music. Music and sound play play a critical role and is often what binds a movie together. Violins creaking and screeching indicate murderers lurking behind a door, about to pounce on unsuspecting victims. Evocative music can carry a film, lead you through the story, and stay with you for days. We can look into history changing soundtracks such as Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” in another post, but today we have rounded up a list of 50 movies about music or musicians that you can add to your movie list.
An innovative and revolutionary animated classic from Walt Disney, combining Western classical music masterpieces with imaginative visuals, presented with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The eight animation sequences are colorful, impressive, free-flowing, abstract, and often surrealistic pieces. They include the most famous of all, Paul Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Mickey Mouse as the title character battling brooms carrying endless buckets of water. Also included are J.S. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”; Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”; dinosaurs and volcanoes in Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”; the delightful “Dance of the Hours” by Ponchielli with dancing hippos, crocodiles, ostriches, and elephants; and Mussorgsky’s darkly apocalyptic “Night on Bald Mountain.” —Tim Dirks
Nicky and his friends find that their youth club is in danger of being flattened to make way for a new office block unless they can come up with £1500 to pay the new owner, the ruthless property tycoon Hamilton Black. To help raise the cash, Nicky records a song and his friends broadcast it via a pirate radio station, touting him as “The Mystery Singer” – the plan works and interest in their up and coming show is heightened by this new but unknown heart-throb. But Nicky has an even bigger secret and one that he cannot share, even with his girlfriend Toni. — Rhino
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000. – Dan Hartung
Pink Floyd filmed playing live in an ampitheatre in Pompeii. Several tracks from ‘Meddle’ as well as earlier LPs are included. Also includes interviews and clips of the band working at Abbey Road studios on what would become their landmark ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ release. — Scott Butler
In Berlin in 1931, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles meets British academic Brian Roberts, who is finishing his university studies. Despite Brian’s confusion over his sexuality, the pair become lovers, but the arrival of the wealthy and decadent playboy Maximilian von Heune complicates matters for them both. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic. — Jwelch5742
Cracked Actor: A Film About David Bowie is a television documentary film about the musician David Bowie, made by Alan Yentob for the BBC’s Omnibus strand. It was first shown on BBC1 on 26 January 1975. It was filmed in 1974 when Bowie was struggling with cocaine addiction, and the documentary has become notorious for showing his mental state during this period.
This film is an excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America’s greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, and discovered the suffering and strength of America’s working class. – L.H. Wong
The musical career of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly is chronicled, from the days when “Peggy Sue” was “Cindy Lou”, a song about his first girlfriend, to the meteoric run of “That’ll Be the Day” up the charts, to his marriage, breakup with the Crickets, reunion with the Crickets, and untimely death. – Jason A. Cormier
The Kids Are Alright is a 1979 rockumentary film about the English rock band the Who, including live performances, promotional films and interviews from 1964 to 1978. It notably features the band’s last performance with original drummer Keith Moon, filmed three months before his death at Shepperton Studios in May 1978. (wikipedia)
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was insanely jealous of Mozart’s talent and claimed to have murdered him. Claiming to have murdered the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the elderly Antonio Salieri recounts to a priest his dealings with the brilliant composer. Salieri was court composer to Austrian Emperor Joseph II when Mozart and he first met. The Emperor, a major patron of the arts, immediately commissioned Mozart to write an opera in German, rather than the customary Italian. Mozart is childish, arrogant, annoying and brilliant all at once and Salieri is simultaneously in awe and green with envy at his genius. Salieri uses Mozart’s difficult relationship with his father and his guilt over being a bad son to drive him slightly mad and into a downward spiral of ill health, leading to his death. – garykmcd
The band Spinal Tap first appeared in a video aired as part of a 1979 sketch comedy special called “The TV Show”, a project spearheaded by Rob Reiner and Michael McKean. Following this the movie was released as a spoof of a heavy metal band tour. The story follows the British band “Spinal Tap”, known as the loudest band in England on their comeback tour of America. “Hilarious behind-the-scenes footage is combined with faux-concert clips to breathe life into the imaginary group.- Greg Bole”
Biopic of the famed saxophone player, Charlie “Bird” Parker. Addicted to drugs from a young age, Parker suffered the corresponding highs and lows. Supported by his loving wife Chan (Diane Venora), who resisted attempts to have him placed in a mental institution, he continued to play his new style of music, revolutionizing jazz. – garykmcd
The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in 1971.
Also known as Safe Journey. The journey of the Romany people told through musicians and dancers of India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France, and Spain.
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim. – Jon Reeves
The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.—Jojo Mac
After the death of her father, Little Voice, or “LV”, becomes a virtual recluse, never going out, and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father’s collection of old records of Dame Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, and various other famous female singers. But at nighttime, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother’s boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local nightclub, but several problems arise.—Lexicon – Perth, Western Australia
A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour. (IMDB)
Manchester 1976: Cambridge educated Tony Wilson, Granada TV presenter, is at a Sex Pistols gig. Totally inspired by this pivotal moment in music history, he and his friends set up a record label, Factory Records, signing first Joy Division (who go on to become New Order) then James and the Happy Mondays, who all become seminal artists of their time. What ensues is a tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous dance clubs in the world, The Hacienda – a mecca for clubbers as famous as the likes of Studio 54. Graphically depicting the music and dance heritage of Manchester from the late 70’s to the early 90’s, this comedy documents the vibrancy that made Mad-chester the place in the world that you would most like to be. —IGB
A young rapper (EMINEM), struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band. A funny and rocking tale for the whole family that showcases Jack Black’s talents.
Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.
The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s. The movie won two Oscars.
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash‘s life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
The film charts Walker’s career in music, with a focus on his songwriting, and features exclusive footage of recording sessions for his most recent album, The Drift including a memorable sequence in which Walker oversees the recording of the punching of a joint of pork, for the percussion on the song Clara. Rock legend David Bowie, who often professes to have been inspired by Walker, acted as executive producer of the film. (wikipedia)
A stark black and white profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.
Biopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf’s life was filled with tragedy.
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. The relationship between band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett is also explored.
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment.
The life and times of the rock band Queen – told in two parts covering in part one the 1970’s and in part two the 1980’s and beyond. Archive footage and interviews with band members help to explain the history of the influential band.
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez. This film resulted in an Oscar win, and world wide fame for Sixto Rodriguez.
Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition. A fun fuelled feel-good musical comedy for the whole family.
Follow a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles – some of them of his own making. – Production
A promising young drummer enrols at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realise a student’s potential.
In the 1960s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 1980s, he is a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.
Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. – Pulse Films
The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood. Nominated for an Oscar.
Vox Lux follows the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop super stardom. The film spans 18 years and traces important cultural moments through her eyes, starting in 1999 and concluding in 2017. Starring Natalie Portman, the film looks at the cult of celebrity and the media machine in all its guts, grit and glory. Features the music of Sia.
This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé’s celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.
So save or pin this list for future reference and add some compelling musical films to your repertoire. Perhaps you will learn something new and interesting about your favourite musician or your favourite genre of music!
By miloson April 15, 2020in concerts, guitar, instruments, musicwith Comments Off on Online Live Concerts that you should tune into during Lockdown
And who said music is also in quarantine? Not us, that’s for sure! The impossibility of visiting concert venues, clubs and cultural centers during confinement will not prevent you from running out of music with so many offers to recreate a concert from home, right in your living room, or even bedroom!
Since Covid-19 became a global pandemic earlier this year, we have had to learn to deal with avoiding interpersonal contact as much as possible and staying home so as not to expose ourselves and others to possible infections. How long will this confinement situation last? What will life be like later? These and many other questions do not yet have specific answers. But what is clear is that we are not alone in this. Music has also come into our lives to save us in difficult times like those we are experiencing. Music is there, always ready to calm us and remind us how lucky we are to have our favourite album to accompany us when we read a book, or have a cup of tea, or just sit and reflect from the balcony.
Perhaps this need to be connected via sound has made the various live music events on social networks so important for all kinds of audiences. And so, without further ado, we present below a summary of the best spaces that have garnered great attention online for their digital concerts:
#Amazon en casa Fest has emerged to raise funds to alleviate the situation of those affected by Covid-19 by organising concerts, with the support of its platforms Amazon Music and Prime Video. You can find the songs of the artists participating in this project in the “Family Music” playlist on Amazon Music, available free to Amazon customers. And if you want to participate in the donation project visit the website: www.amazon.es/cruzroja.
Together at home is another project where musicians give us their voices and talent through live performances from their social networks, such as Chris Martin singing hits from his band Coldplay, or Pink showing us how in addition to singing wonderfully she is learning to play the piano during quarantine. You can access all the performances from YouTube on Global Citizen.
Interactive concerts for the family, including the little ones, such as the Potato Omelette Band, every Thursday at 7pm through personal profiles on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
#YoMeQuedoenCasaFestival is a project launched by Warner Records since March that offers digital concerts by various artists. YoMeQuedoEnCasaFestival – Oficial
Cuarentena Fest, a kind of online appointment between artists and the public from home, which has a very varied program. Since March 16, they have begun to organise streaming performances scheduled between 21:00 and 22:00 in Spain. More than thirty artists come together from their homes to sing for life and hope. All you have to do to get access is connect to the artists YouTube channel or go directly to the concert schedule at: Cuarentena Fest. Instagram: #CuarentenaFestMX del 13 al 15 de abril
For Rock lovers the group Radiohead announced live performances from their YouTube channel. Their first performance on April 9 was with the Live From A Tent In Dublin concert (October 2000) with songs from the album Kid A, one of their most successful albums.
On April 18 you can enjoy the concert dedicated to the work of health personnel, called One World: #TogetherAtHome and sponsored by the World Health Organization and Global Citizen. This event will feature the participation of renowned international figures in today’s music industry, such as Lady Gaga, Elton John and Paul McCartney.
Live events producer Live Nation offers us the opportunity to access live concerts from home with the Live From Home prooject that contains a schedule of concerts by artists from around the world, where music, stories and more are also shared.
Conciertos en casa is another attractive option that works as an electronic music calendar for streaming. You just have to subscribe and you will get the concert program every day.
Jazz fans will have the opportunity to access free streaming performances from home via the Montreux Jazz Festival website. Just follow the instructions, enter a code and you will see everything that is available. Musical performances by Ray Charles, Wu-Tang Clan, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Deep Purple, Carlos Santana, and many others are included.
As you can see, during quarantine you have no reason to get bored. Just connect to one of the above links and enjoy musical at home. Remember that keeping a positive mind and filling every moment of the day with good music will help you to pass this difficult stage; and you will see how in the end everything will be ok! Check out our article on how music can change your mood!
Music is a universal language. All of us listen to music from different parts of the world. Without a doubt, music unites us. Many studies confirm that it is valuable for women to play music for their babies while they are pregnant, as the first sensory organ with intrauterine development is the ear. Truly, sound is our first connection with the outside world.
As music grabs our attention, it captivates and stimulates our imagination. We also associate our memories, without realising, with music. Have you noticed how certain songs remind you of events in your past, or how a happy tune from a happy memory can influence your mood? Music reduces stress, anxiety, even physical pain, and is capable of improving moods. Scientists claim that there is a direct link between music and our cardiovascular health.
When we play an instrument we further expand on all the benefits music provides: we improve our cognitive and language skills, we understand and work with patience and we develop our gross and fine motor skills. Through music we are continually learning and exercising our brains.
Playing an instrument furthers this brain activity, it helps us to be more methodical, with the ability to plan tasks and focus. It is a means of expression, by which we connect not only with our feelings but also with an empathetic exterior that helps us to take risks, overcome fears, giving us security and self-confidence. It gives us the opportunity to work as a team, whether in an orchestra or in a group, thus improving our practice, discipline and our hearing.
Children experiment with sounds and noise all the time, shouting with joy and expressing themselves loudly just for fun. Perhaps they are not aware of certain melodies when they are younger, but as they grow older they begin to show more attraction and interest in music. It is important that we give them the space to experiment with music, without forcing them, when they begin to be more sensitive to music. This can be done from home, or with the guidance of experienced music teachers working with children.
Learning and studying music has untold benefits, not just for children but for adults too. Learning a new skill helps us to grow our potential, so why not have fun, learn, and channel your emotions through music.
It is a beautiful road that you will never want to leave!
Learn more about how our brains are affected by music here. And how you can keep your brain young! And discover more on the “Mozart effect”, where studying and learning music, has improved students skills in mathematics, and other subjects!
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